Director of IT Operations (Support, Infrastructure & Applications)

ASCENDING•New York, NY

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a hands-on, business-minded IT Director for our client to regain control of their IT operations, reduce the overdependence on outsourced vendors, and build a proactive, scalable technology function. In this role, you will be the strategic and operational leader of our technology environment. You will be tasked with stabilizing current IT operations, leading a secure cloud transformation, and driving the automation of manual legal and business workflows. The ideal candidate is a "straight-talker" who can bridge the gap between complex infrastructure concepts and practical business solutions, collaborating effectively with attorneys, support staff, and firm leadership.

Requirements

Balanced Technical Expertise: A blended background consisting of roughly 50% application engineering/management and 50% infrastructure oversight.
Cloud & Infrastructure: Proven hands-on experience driving cloud transformation, specifically within Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Intune, and MDM/MAM environments.
Workflow Automation: Strong background in systems integration and business process automation, ideally within a legal or professional services environment.
Project Management: Demonstrated ability to run technical project delivery. (PMP certification is a plus, but practical delivery experience is required).
Vendor Negotiation: Strong track record of managing enterprise vendors, auditing contracts, and ensuring firm-first accountability.
Helpdesk Management: Experience modernizing helpdesk/ticketing systems, implementing preventative maintenance, and tracking issue trends.

Nice To Haves

PMP certification

Responsibilities

Develop and own a scalable technology roadmap that aligns with the firm’s growth and long-term vision.
Transition the IT department from a reactive support model to a proactive, service-oriented function.
Create and maintain comprehensive IT documentation, including application inventories, hardware/software update roadmaps, ticket tracking trends, and security action plans.
Provide clear, jargon-free reporting to firm leadership regarding IT priorities, project statuses, and systemic issues.
Take ownership of outsourced IT and cybersecurity vendor relationships, holding them accountable to SLAs and contract terms.
Bring critical operational knowledge back in-house to reduce over-reliance on external managed service providers.
Oversee daily IT operations, managing internal staff (including a long-tenured IT Manager and support personnel) while fostering a collaborative, accountable team culture.
Evaluate current disparate systems across multiple offices and implement a centralized, standardized structure.
Drive workflow automation to solve highly manual legal and administrative processes, including new matter intake, conflict checks, client/matter setup, and complex billing workflows.
Connect multiple existing applications to eliminate duplicate data entry and manual scanning/editing.
Lead the firm’s transition to a secure, cloud-based infrastructure, leaning heavily into the Microsoft and Azure ecosystems.
Oversee infrastructure operations, ensuring high application visibility, reliability, and system performance.
Manage modern device management initiatives, including Intune and MDM/MAM deployments.
Ensure rigorous cybersecurity oversight, implementing necessary security actions following cyber assessments and penetration tests.