[Hiring] Senior Director of Infrastructure Operations @State of Colorado

Role Description

As the new Senior Director of Infrastructure Operations you will be a pivotal senior leader that bridges strategic vision with operational excellence. While anchored in high-level strategy, this position requires a dedicated people leader who brings structure, clarity, and strong guidance to the organization. This leadership role is responsible for the design, performance, and resiliency of the organization's technology infrastructure, which includes:

• Network
• Firewalls
• Server and data center operations
• Databases
• Disaster recovery/continuity of operations (DRP/COOP) planning

This role involves ensuring the infrastructure upon which state services run is modern, highly reliable, and secure. Responsibilities include:

• Audit remediation efforts related to infrastructure and related security controls
• Ensuring the organization's technology environment supports operational resilience and regulatory compliance
• Cultivating high-performing teams, providing active mentorship, and fostering professional growth
• Translating business objectives into technology strategy

Some of the day-to-day opportunities for this role include:

• Technology Strategy & Infrastructure Leadership:
  • Develop and execute the strategic roadmap for network, server, data center, and database infrastructure in alignment with organizational goals and future growth.
  • Own the architecture, performance, capacity planning, and lifecycle management of enterprise network infrastructure, firewalls, servers, and data center environments.
  • Establish and enforce standards, policies, and best practices for network security, system architecture, and database management.
  • Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend investments that improve efficiency, reduce risk, and strengthen the organization's technical foundation.
• Security, Compliance & Audit Remediation:
  • Oversee remediation of findings from internal and external audits related to infrastructure, network security, access controls, and data management.
  • Partner with Internal Audit, Compliance, Risk, and external auditors/regulators to respond to inquiries.
  • Ensure the maintenance of firewall rule sets, network segmentation, and access controls.
  • Ensure infrastructure and database environments meet applicable data privacy, security, and regulatory requirements.
• Disaster Recovery & Continuity of Operations:
  • Own the development, testing, and maintenance of Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) and Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) documentation.
  • Plan and lead regular DRP/COOP tabletop exercises and full-scale testing.
  • Ensure recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO) are defined, achievable, and validated.
• People Leadership & Team Management:
  • Directly manage, mentor, and develop a team of Directors and Managers.
  • Build organizational capability by recruiting, onboarding, and retaining strong technical talent.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and psychological safety.
  • Establish clear performance expectations, KPIs, and SLAs for infrastructure teams.
  • Actively engage in improving leadership skills, attitudes, and knowledge related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Qualifications

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressive experience in IT infrastructure, network engineering, or systems administration.
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience directly managing technology managers/directors and multi-layered teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading audit remediation efforts and engaging with auditors or regulators.
• Experience developing and maintaining DRP/COOP documentation, leading disaster recovery testing.
• Strong knowledge of server administration, network security principles, firewall management, and database administration.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for executive and non-technical audiences.

Requirements

• Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
• Training or Certification related to the work assigned to the position will be assigned credit towards substitution for experience and/or education.
• If the minimum qualifications include a degree requirement, additional appropriate paid or unpaid experience will substitute for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

Benefits

• Support for a healthy balance of work and personal time.
• Various offerings that allow for fulfilling lives.