Senior Director, IT Services & Operations

Graco

105d • $138,300 - $242,000

About The Position

Graco manufactures and markets premium equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray a wide variety of fluid and powder materials. This role is currently based at our Minneapolis office and will transition to our new headquarters in Dayton, MN, in 2027. The Senior Director of IT Services & Operations is responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and management of the organization’s technology infrastructure and IT service operations. This position ensures the stability, scalability, and security of enterprise systems while delivering high-quality IT services that support business objectives. The individual in this position will partner with business leaders and key stakeholders to continuously evaluate Graco’s infrastructure foundation to deliver secure, scalable, and reliable technology solutions that enable growth and allow productivity improvements while optimizing costs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field
• 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a senior IT operations or services role
• Strong technical expertise in network security, infrastructure technologies, and cloud security solutions
• Demonstrated experience setting long-term plans, building roadmaps, and managing budgets and costs for IT infrastructure
• Experience managing infrastructure teams and vendor partners, globally strongly preferred
• Ability to lead and motivate diverse teams
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
• Proven ability to manage complex projects and deliver results on time and within budget
• Experience supporting and deployment with AWS, Azure, etc.
• Preference to holding one or more related certifications (ITIL, CISSP, CISM, CIAS, CRISC)
• Demonstrated success in leading large teams, managing budgets, and delivering enterprise-scale IT services
• Exceptional communication, collaboration stakeholder management, and change leadership skills

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a manufacturing environment

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the IT services and operations strategy in alignment with overall business goals and overall IT strategic roadmap
• Drive a customer-centric IT culture focused on service excellence and user satisfaction
• Collaborate with executive leadership to shape enterprise technology strategy, roadmaps, and budgets
• Oversee global IT operations, including service desk, end user computing, and infrastructure platform support to ensure high reliability, scalability and stability of Graco’s enterprise systems
• Establish and maintain SLAs, KPIs, and performance metrics to ensure consistent, reliable service delivery
• Implement and mature ITIL-based service management practices (incident, problem, change, and request management)
• Ensure operational resilience through proactive monitoring, capacity planning, and disaster recovery readiness
• Co-lead the strategy of co-sourcing arrangements and the management of service provider relationships
• Manage vendor relationships and third-party service providers, ensuring cost-effectiveness and value delivery
• Lead the design, engineering, deployment, and maintenance of enterprise infrastructure, including networks, servers, storage, compute, cloud and data center platforms, and telephony systems
• Oversee the implementation and management of infrastructure automation and orchestration tools
• Ensure the high availability, performance, and scalability of our IT systems
• Lead a team of IT managers responsible for the day-to-day service operations, capacity planning, and resource allocation
• Collaborate with executive leadership to communicate IT infrastructure plans, progress, and outcomes
• Develop and maintain robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans
• Partner with cybersecurity teams to maintain compliance, security posture, and risk management practices
• Develop policies, standards, and best practices for IT operations
• Support audits, risk assessments, and business continuity initiatives
• Build and lead high-performing teams of infrastructure professionals
• Provide mentorship and coaching to team members
• Establish performance metrics and lead teams through continuous improvement initiatives
• Foster collaboration and communication between security and infrastructure teams
• Recruit and retain top talent
• Manage budgets and resources effectively
• Collaborate with third-party vendors and service providers to negotiate contracts, oversee service level agreements, and ensure the delivery of quality services

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Stock purchase plan
• 401(k)
• Tuition reimbursement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees