Director, IT Infrastructure & Operations

The Director IT Infrastructure and Operations leads the teams that keep Liquidity Services technology operating reliably every day: Platform Operations Network Engineering and Service Desk and Field Support. This role is accountable for the reliability security scalability and cost-effectiveness of end-user support; server identity collaboration backup and storage platforms across on-premises Azure and AWS environments; and the hybrid network that connects offices retail locations warehouse facilities cloud environments and remote users. As a hands-on technical leader the Director sets operational standards and service levels serves as the senior escalation point for infrastructure and network issues builds and develops the team manages vendors and budgets and leads modernization efforts in partnership with Information Security DevOps application teams and business leaders. Based in the Dallas area the Director works on-site at the Richardson TX office several days a week and serves as the senior IT operations leader for that location.

• Service availability: Uptime of critical infrastructure network and end-user services meets defined targets.
• Service Desk performance: Response time resolution time first-contact resolution backlog and employee satisfaction meet agreed service levels.
• Security and compliance: Servers endpoints and network devices are kept current on security patches vulnerabilities are remediated on schedule and infrastructure controls pass PCI and SOX audits.
• Resilience: Backups and disaster recovery are tested regularly and meet defined recovery goals.
• Modernization delivery: The infrastructure and network roadmap is executed on schedule and within budget including removing the dependency on Cisco cloud services routers and delivering new facility builds and site upgrades.
• Financial management: Infrastructure cloud telecom and support spending is managed within budget with measurable licensing cloud and vendor cost savings.
• Team strength: Strong retention development and coverage of critical skills across all three teams.
• Lead manage and develop the Platform Operations Network Engineering and Service Desk and Field Support teams including hiring goal setting performance management coaching and succession planning.
• Set the strategy and multi-year roadmap for end-user support infrastructure and network services aligned with business priorities security requirements and the companys cloud direction.
• Oversee Service Desk and Field Support operations through the Service Desk Director including field services across offices retail locations and warehouse facilities and set expectations for service levels escalation paths staffing and coverage models and self-service and knowledge-management practices.
• Own the implementation delivery and support of enterprise server and identity platforms including Windows Server virtualization platforms Active Directory Entra ID (Azure AD) ADFS and DNS/DHCP.
• Own the Microsoft 365 collaboration stack including Exchange Online SharePoint and Teams and the endpoint management platforms that support it.
• Oversee cloud infrastructure across multiple Azure regions and the AWS environment in partnership with DevOps and application teams.
• Own backup and disaster recovery using Rubrik and Azure Site Recovery including regular recovery testing documentation and business continuity planning.
• Govern enterprise file shares and data storage policies including retention PII access and user roles with regular access and integrity audits in partnership with Information Security.
• Drive cloud cost optimization with Server Development DevOps and Database teams using native cloud cost tools.
• Oversee the hybrid network environment including Cisco and Meraki switching and wireless Palo Alto firewalls and VPN WAN and internet connectivity and the program to replace Cisco cloud services routers with cloud-native connectivity between Azure AWS and company sites.
• Own infrastructure and network monitoring and alerting (such as PRTG and Datadog) so that issues are detected and resolved before they affect the business.
• Lead IT delivery for new facilities expansions relocations and site upgrades coordinating network infrastructure end-user equipment and Service Desk readiness.
• Establish and run IT service management processes including incident problem change configuration asset and request management; lead major-incident response and post-incident reviews and serve as the senior escalation point for infrastructure issues.
• Serve as the primary liaison between Platform Operations and the Security and Site Reliability (SSRE) team; partner with Information Security on patching vulnerability remediation access controls logging and segmentation and support PCI SOX and other audit and control requirements.
• Define operational metrics and dashboards and report service performance risks and project status to IT leadership and business stakeholders.
• Develop and manage the infrastructure cloud network telecom and support budgets; drive cost optimization across licensing cloud consumption carriers and hardware.
• Manage relationships with key vendors carriers managed service providers and contractors; partner with the Contracts team on negotiations renewals and service-performance reviews.
• Champion automation standardization and documentation to improve reliability and reduce manual work.
• Serve as the senior IT infrastructure leader on-site at the Richardson TX office and as the escalation point for after-hours critical incidents.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Team or Function Manager: This position manages a team or function and is responsible for hiring performance management employee development and ensuring work is completed in alignment with organizational objectives.
• Directly manages the leaders and senior individual contributors responsible for Platform Operations Network Engineering and Service Desk and Field Support including the Service Desk Director who leads help desk and field support technicians.
• Provides second-level leadership for help desk analysts and field support technicians ensuring consistent service levels escalation practices performance expectations and employee experience across locations.
• Responsible for hiring performance management development and staffing decisions for these teams and for oversight of contractors and managed service providers supporting these functions.

Education/ Experience:

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Information Systems or a related field or an equivalent combination of experience and certifications.

• Ten or more years of progressively responsible IT infrastructure and operations experience including at least five years managing technical teams.
• Hands-on background in Microsoft server and identity infrastructure including Windows Server Active Directory and Microsoft 365 in an organization with at least 1000 employees is preferred.
• Experience leading multiple IT functions such as platform operations network engineering and service desk and field support in a distributed multi-site organization.
• Demonstrated success delivering infrastructure network or cloud modernization programs.
• Deep knowledge of Windows Server administration Active Directory Entra ID (Azure AD) ADFS DNS/DHCP and Windows and Azure security best practices.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft 365 administration including Exchange Online SharePoint and Teams.
• Experience with virtualization platforms enterprise storage backup and recovery tools such as Rubrik and/or Azure Site Recovery.
• Experience with Azure and AWS infrastructure and networking in a hybrid environment.
• Strong working knowledge of enterprise networking and network security including Cisco and Meraki switching and wireless Palo Alto firewalls VPN and WAN connectivity.
• Experience leading a Service Desk and IT service management team with defined service levels using an ITSM platform.
• Budget ownership and vendor management experience including contract negotiation and telecom carrier management.
• Working knowledge of PCI SOX and related control and audit requirements.
• Experience with monitoring platforms such as Data Dog PRTG or similar enterprise monitoring and observability tools.
• PowerShell scripting infrastructure-as-code and automation experience.
• Experience with cloud-native network transit architectures such as AWS Transit Gateway and Azure Virtual WAN and migration away from virtual router appliances.
• ITIL 4 certification or equivalent IT service management training.
• Experience supporting retail warehouse or logistics operations and managing geographically distributed field or contracted support teams.
• Relevant certifications such as Microsoft Azure Administrator or Solutions Architect AWS CCNP PMP or CISSP.

Skills and Ability:

• Strong leader who builds accountable high-performing teams
• Hands-on technical depth to step in on complex escalations
• Ability to balance day-to-day operational demands with long-term strategic initiatives and to manage multiple priorities under pressure
• Clear confident written and verbal communication with technical teams executives and business stakeholders
• Sound judgment and composure when leading critical incidents
• Strong analytical troubleshooting planning and prioritization skills
• Customer-service mindset focused on the employee experience

Work Conditions/ Physical Demands:

• This position is primarily in a home office or at the Richardson TX office. The employee is expected to maintain a safe secure and distraction-free workspace with reliable internet access. Duties primarily involve prolonged periods of sitting working on a computer and communicating via phone and video conferencing.
• The employee must be able to frequently use a computer keyboard mouse and other standard office equipment as well as communicate effectively with colleagues customers and business partners. Occasional lifting of office materials or equipment up to 15 pounds may be required.
• Availability for after-hours escalation of critical incidents and planned maintenance.
• Periodic visits to warehouses and retail facilities which may involve noise temperature variation and active equipment.

Travel:

• Occasional travel may be required for meetings training or business needs (up to 10%).

Pay & Benefits:

Compensation is determined by various factors such as location education knowledge skills competencies and experience as well as internal and external equity and organizational needs. Additionally this role is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.

The salary range for this position is $158700 to $178550 annually. The posted range reflects our national average range for the job. We may ultimately pay more or less than the published range based on the factors mentioned above. This range may be modified in the future.

At Liquidity Services we provide a comprehensive benefits package that supports our employees well-being and provides growth opportunities and career development. Our offerings include:

• Competitive wages
• Healthcare (medical dental vision prescription drugs FSAs)
• 401(k) plan
• Paid time off (PTO) and holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Life and disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Professional development and tuition assistance

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Liquidity Services Inc. reserves the right to modify position duties at any time due to business necessity.

Liquidity Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer.