Head of Infrastructure – IT

Mesirow•Chicago, IL

6h•$175,000 - $225,000

About The Position

Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices across the country, Mesirow serves clients through capabilities spanning Private Capital & Currency, Capital Markets and Investment Banking, and Advisory Services. The Head of Infrastructure is a senior leadership role responsible for the design, operation, and strategic direction of the firm’s core technology infrastructure. This individual will lead multiple teams, including Cloud Infrastructure (encompassing networking, servers, and storage), Endpoint Engineering and Help desk ensuring high availability, performance, and security of all enterprise systems. This role operates at the intersection of day-to-day operational excellence and long-term strategic planning, supporting a diversified financial services organization with complex regulatory, security, and scalability requirements. This role operates in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment within a diversified financial services firm. The Head of Infrastructure will regularly engage with senior leadership and play a critical role in enabling business growth through reliable, secure, and scalable technology platforms.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field
7+ years of progressive experience in IT infrastructure leadership roles
Proven experience managing diverse teams across support, endpoint, and cloud infrastructure domains
Strong experience in multi-cloud environments, specifically AWS and Azure, including hybrid infrastructure models
Deep understanding of networking, server, and storage architectures
Strategic thinker with the ability to execute at an operational level
Strong leadership and people management skills
Excellent problem-solving and decision-making capabilities
Ability to balance competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
Commitment to operational excellence and continuous improvement

Nice To Haves

Experience within financial services or highly regulated environments preferred

Responsibilities

Provide leadership and oversight for multi-cloud (AWS and Azure) and hybrid infrastructure environments
Define and implement architecture standards across AWS and Azure environments, including networking, compute, and storage platforms
Ensure scalability, resiliency, and cost-efficiency of infrastructure platforms
Oversee capacity planning, performance optimization, and resource utilization
Establish, maintain, and regularly test disaster recovery and business continuity processes across all infrastructure platforms
Drive automation and infrastructure-as-code practices to improve efficiency and consistency
Drive a culture of service excellence, continuous improvement, and operational discipline
Oversee day-to-day IT infrastructure operations, ensuring stability, uptime, and performance across all systems
Ensure timely resolution of incidents and service requests, maintaining strong SLA adherence
Implement and monitor operational KPIs, including system availability, incident response times, and user satisfaction
Lead and deliver infrastructure-related projects, ensuring alignment with business priorities, timelines, and budgets
Maintain robust monitoring, alerting, and incident management processes
Drive root cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives following incidents
Lead endpoint strategy, including device lifecycle management, patching, and security compliance
Oversee Help Desk operations to ensure high-quality, responsive user support
Enhance end-user experience through efficient service delivery and support processes
Standardize support procedures, knowledge management, and escalation paths
Oversee and optimize enterprise voice and collaboration platforms, including VoIP systems
Ensure seamless onboarding/offboarding processes and user productivity tools
Define and execute the firm’s infrastructure strategy aligned with business objectives
Identify opportunities to modernize platforms, improve resilience, and reduce technical debt
Lead multi-cloud (AWS and Azure) transformation, migration, and optimization initiatives
Establish automation as a core strategic pillar, drive efficiency through infrastructure-as-code, workflow automation, and self-service capabilities
Evaluate and implement emerging technologies to enhance infrastructure capabilities
Collaborate with executive leadership to align technology investments with firm priorities
Work closely with Information Security, Application Development, Data, and Business teams to support enterprise initiatives
Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Partner with Information Security to ensure infrastructure aligns with cybersecurity standards and policies
Support regulatory and audit requirements relevant to financial services
Ensure proper controls, patching, vulnerability management, and access governance
Drive secure configuration and architecture practices across all infrastructure domains
Manage relationships with key infrastructure vendors and service providers
Negotiate contracts, manage SLAs, and ensure vendor performance meets expectations
Develop and manage infrastructure budgets, including forecasting and cost optimization
Identify opportunities for cost savings without compromising service quality