IT Operations Director

Acadian Companies•Lafayette, LA

42d•Hybrid

About The Position

Acadian Ambulance is seeking a strategic IT Operations Director to provide senior leadership over our core technology infrastructure. This role directs the managers and teams responsible for Network, Telecommunications, and Infrastructure (Virtualization, VDI, Servers) services. The selected candidate will be responsible for setting the multi-year technology strategy, ensuring the 24/7/365 reliability of our mission-critical, life-safety EMS operations, and fostering a culture of operational excellence. This includes our hybrid data center environment, VMware/VDI platforms, Cisco-based networking, and critical communications systems (Cisco UC, 911, and carrier services). This senior leadership position is focused on strategy, people, and governance, yet requires the technical depth to act as the final escalation point (approximately 20-30%) for major incidents, critical architecture reviews, and high-level strategy. This is a local leadership position with flexibility for a hybrid work model. It requires regular on-site presence for team leadership and data center oversight, and occasional travel may be required.

Requirements

Minimum of 10 years in IT infrastructure, network, or telecommunications with at least 5 years in an IT leadership role managing multiple technical teams or managers. Proven experience leading operations in a 24/7, high-availability, or life-safety environment (e.g., EMS, Public Safety, Healthcare).
Strong strategic knowledge across all core infrastructure domains: virtualization (VMware), VDI (Horizon), networking (Cisco), and telecommunications (Cisco UC, 911 systems, carrier services). Demonstrated experience managing a hybrid cloud environment, specifically integrating on-premise data centers with Microsoft Azure.
Expertise in ITIL-based service delivery (Incident, Change, Problem Management) and a history of driving down MTTR.
Proven experience developing and managing departmental CAPEX and OPEX budgets, vendor contracts, and SLAs.
Excellent communication, executive presence, and mentoring skills, with the ability to articulate complex technical strategies to all audiences.
Proficiency and passion for IT Operations system/process automation.
Prior project/portfolio management experience across multiple teams.
Must possess a valid state-issued driver's license.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
Key platform certifications (e.g., CCNP Enterprise/Collaboration, VCP-DCV) are strongly preferred. Other IT certifications, such as security certifications (CISM, CISSP, Security+), or IT management (ITIL, PMP, TOGAF), are also preferred.
Hands-on experience with IT Operations automation tools (e.g., Cisco Crosswork, Terraform/Ansible, Python/PowerShell) and a strategic understanding of how to apply automation to improve operational efficiency.
Experience with SD-WAN, enterprise storage, modern disaster recovery solutions (Zerto, Veeam), and call recording (NICE) platforms.

Responsibilities

Provide senior leadership and strategic direction for all IT Operations, including Data Center, Core Infrastructure, Networking, Telecommunications, IT Service Desk, and End-User Computing.
Act as the single point of accountability for the 24/7/365 stability, performance, and reliability of all mission-critical, life-safety technology services (e.g., 911, EMS dispatch, UC platforms).
Develop and execute the multi-year IT Operations roadmap, aligning technology investments, lifecycle management, and hybrid cloud (Azure) strategy with business objectives.
Develop and manage the entire IT Operations annual budget (CAPEX and OPEX), ensuring fiscal responsibility, accurate forecasting, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) optimization.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of IT leaders (e.g., Network, Telecommunications, Infrastructure), managing their performance and setting departmental objectives (KPIs/OKRs).
Define the IT Operations group's organizational structure, managing workforce planning, succession planning, and strategic skills development.
Foster a high-performance culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement focused on life-safety service excellence.
Own and govern the ITSM (ITIL) framework for Network, Telecommunications, and Infrastructure by establishing and enforcing all Incident, Problem, Change, Request, and Asset Management policies.
Act as a senior Incident Commander during catastrophic outages, owning business leader communications and ensuring post-incident reviews drive permanent solutions.
Participate and lead the IT Change Advisory Board (CAB) to review risk, minimize service impact, and ensure a low change-failure rate.
Define, enforce, and report on all Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) for services delivered to the business.
Participate with company senior leaders in developing and updating the Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BCP) strategy, ensuring RTO/RPO objectives are defined, tested, and validated.
Govern all core infrastructure, ensuring robust practices for capacity planning, performance tuning, and data center facilities management (space, power, cooling).
Partner with the ISO & IT Security Director to implement, enforce, and audit security policies, controls, and hardening standards across the operational environment.
Own the operational response to security incidents, the vulnerability management program, and timely patching remediation related to the IT Operations teams you lead.
Ensure all IT operations are compliant with regulatory requirements and lead the operational response for all internal and external audits.
Own strategic relationships, contract negotiations, and performance management for all key technology partners and carriers (e.g., Cisco, VMWare, Microsoft, AT&T FirstNet, Vesta).
Lead major RFP, sourcing, and procurement strategies for all operational hardware, software, and services, rigorously enforcing all SLAs.
Partner with the CAO, IT Directors, and executive leadership to report on performance, manage operational risk, and contribute to overall enterprise strategy.