Director IT - Global Infrastructure

For the Irving, IT offices, our successful and growing manufacturing company is seeking an IT Director - Global Infrastructure, to lead a global team in the US, Mexico, and also smaller staff in European locations. This leader will have been a Director of Infrastructure in a manufacturing business of preferably around $500-1B with some global footprint. (please elaborate) The Director hired will provide strategic leadership and direction to ensure the smooth operation and continuous improvement of the company global infrastructure, including cybersecurity, other security, cloud integrations and transformation, networks, servers, storage, user computers, and enterprise data and applications. This role requires strong technical expertise, exceptional managerial skills, and the ability to collaborate with various teams to achieve organizational objectives. This role will lead all the infrastructure teams in national and international geographical locations to ensure a stable and secured IT system for this fast-growing manufacturing group of companies.

Responsibilities:

• Continue to develop and implement a comprehensive infrastructure strategy aligned with business goals, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security.
• Lead and manage a multi-location team of infrastructure and support professionals, providing guidance, coaching, and performance evaluations.
• Oversee new design, deployment, and maintenance of network infrastructure, including LAN, WAN, routers, switches, firewalls, and VPNs.
• Manage the operation and maintenance of servers, storage systems, and virtualization platforms, ensuring maximum uptime and optimal performance, on a hybrid infrastructure environment.
• Develop and implement disaster recovery and business continuity plans to minimize downtime and data loss.
• Manage integrations and data center moves for excellence and minimal downtime.
• Monitor and analyze infrastructure performance, identifying areas for improvement and implementing appropriate solutions.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and emerging technologies, evaluating their potential impact on the organization and recommending relevant upgrades or enhancements.
• Establish and maintain relationships with vendors, negotiating contracts and ensuring service level agreements are met.
• Manage infrastructure budgets, ensuring cost-effective utilization of resources and adherence to financial targets.
• Manage the process and protocol with the Cybersecurity team on implementing all technical solutions to ensure the IT system is well protected with needed security solutions and tools, and is in compliance with ISO27001 and NIST standards.
• Ensure the success of support teams.
• Work with application team leaders on software project planning, and provide needed infrastructure resources and plan.
• Conduct annual IT audits and work with external security firms on infrastructure security penetration testing, and come up with improvement plans
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and industry best practices related to infrastructure management, data security, and privacy.
  
  

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field. Master's degree is preferred.
• Experience as a Director or Manager of Infrastructure, specifically in generally <$1B manufacturing enterprises with a global footprint.
• Manufacturing industry experience is REQUIRED.
• Over 8 years of experience in managing technical teams across various domains, encompassing network infrastructure, virtual and physical server farms, operating systems, server administration, IT support, and Voice systems. Having a background in multiple aspect of infrastructure (server, network, desktop, cyber security, both on-prem and in the cloud) would be necessary and useful in this position, as well as strategic planning and execution of the same.
• M&A planning and execution.
• Robust technical knowledge and hands-on experience in overseeing enterprise-level infrastructure systems, including MPLS network and SD-WAN infrastructure. Proficiency in collaborating with tier 1 MPLS providers is essential.
• Previous experience managing a Microsoft product team responsible for Windows, Office 365 setup and maintenance, as well as overseeing all Windows servers and endpoint computer maintenance and updates.
• Hands-on experience managing the setup and maintenance of on-premises and cloud infrastructure including virtualization and cloud platforms/
• Strong knowledge of storage systems (SAN, NAS) and backup/recovery solutions.
• Familiarity with the ITIL framework and project management methodologies is highly advantageous.
• Applications and ERP Systems familiarity is required, preferably Oracle systems
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues and vendors.
• Proven experience in leading and managing a team of infrastructure professionals, fostering a positive work environment, and promoting professional growth.