Director, IT Operations - CMU Miami

Carnegie Mellon University•Miami, FL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Carnegie Mellon University is building a new campus in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood. The Director of IT Operations will serve as the primary on-site Computing Services representative and technology partner for the Miami campus, connecting campus needs with the central Computing Services organization in Pittsburgh. The Director reports to the Deputy Chief Information Officer in Computing Services and, during the startup period, also works under the day-to-day direction of the Computing Services leader for the Miami technology workstream. At first, the Director will be the campus’s first on-site technology staff member and will personally handle a range of setup, installation, testing, support, and troubleshooting work, coordinating with Pittsburgh teams and local contracted and term resources. As the campus grows and on-site staff are hired, the Director will recruit, onboard, and lead the local team, shifting toward operational leadership of campus technology services. The role coordinates Miami implementation and operational activities across areas such as networking, identity, security, endpoint computing, audiovisual technology, enterprise applications, and research computing. It represents Computing Services in campus and facilities planning, coordinates local vendors and service providers, identifies risks and readiness gaps, and helps ensure university-wide services work effectively in the Miami environment. The position also contributes to the long-term Miami IT operating model and establishes local procedures and support practices aligned with Computing Services standards. This is a full-time, salaried, on-site position based in Miami, Florida, requiring periodic travel to Pittsburgh and other locations as needed. It is 37.5 hours per week.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, engineering, information systems, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
At least 10 years of IT operations, infrastructure, service delivery, or related technology experience.
Previous experience supervising and leading technical staff, preferably during significant periods of change, or clear readiness to build and lead a small team.
Broad working knowledge of enterprise IT infrastructure and services, including networking, wireless, endpoint computing, audiovisual technology, identity and access management, information security, and IT service management.
Hands-on ability to troubleshoot issues, evaluate solutions, and support technical implementation.
Experience coordinating technology vendors, contractors, telecommunications providers, or managed service providers.
Strong project coordination, communication, organizational, and relationship-management skills.
Ability to translate local operational needs into actionable requirements for central technology teams and service owners.
Sound judgment in balancing enterprise standards and shared services with the needs of a developing campus.
Willingness to work in the field, including in active construction and renovation environments.
Adaptability and initiative to navigate ambiguity, competing priorities, and rapid change while building collaborative relationships and practical, sustainable solutions.
Successful completion of a pre-employment background check, including drug and alcohol screening.
Must be currently legally authorized to work for CMU in the United States; CMU will not sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa. The 12-month OPT may be used, but CMU is not a qualifying employer for the STEM OPT benefit.
Ability to work primarily on site in Miami and travel periodically to Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh campus and other locations as needed.
A combination of education and relevant experience demonstrating comparable knowledge may be considered.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting technology in higher education, research, or another complex decentralized organization.
Experience working within a central IT or shared-services operating model.
Experience launching or supporting a new campus, office, facility, laboratory, or major site expansion.
Experience participating in building construction, renovation, commissioning, or facility turnover projects.
Experience supporting research environments or specialized academic technology.
Experience coordinating services delivered through a combination of central teams, local resources, contractors, vendors, and managed services.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary on-site Computing Services representative and technology point of contact for CMU Miami, initially acting as the campus Security Point of Contact in coordination with the Information Security Office.
Partner with Pittsburgh-based Computing Services leaders and service owners to understand Miami requirements and support delivery of university-wide technology services.
Bring local campus context, operational requirements, risks, and opportunities into central IT planning and decision-making.
Coordinate implementation activities in Miami for networking, identity, security, endpoint computing, audiovisual technology, enterprise applications, research computing, and other technology capabilities.
Represent Computing Services in campus planning, building activation, renovation, construction, and facility turnover activities, engaging Pittsburgh-based technical teams and service owners as needed.
Coordinate local technology vendors, contractors, telecommunications providers, and managed service partners with central IT teams.
Assess technology needs for offices, conference rooms, classrooms, laboratories, research environments, and other campus spaces, and communicate them to the appropriate service owners.
Provide hands-on technical support, installation, testing, and troubleshooting when local presence is required.
Support incident response by assessing issues on site, coordinating with central support and engineering teams, and helping drive issues to resolution.
Identify technology risks, dependencies, readiness gaps, and emerging campus needs, and work with central IT and campus partners to address them.
Establish and maintain local operational procedures, documentation, inventory practices, and support processes consistent with Computing Services standards.
Contribute to development of the long-term Miami IT operating model, including recommendations for central services, local support, contractors, and managed services.
Build relationships with faculty, researchers, staff, students, Facilities Management Services, campus leadership, and Pittsburgh-based Computing Services teams.
Support campus events, executive visits, research activities, and other initiatives requiring dependable on-site technology.
Recruit, onboard, and lead on-site technology staff as the Miami team grows, and establish standards and practices for local support.