Director Of Information Technology

Full-time Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama insurance for medical prescription dental and vision. Vacation holidays and sick leave. State Retirement. The Director of Information Technology at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) owns the delivery and day-to-day operational performance of the Centers information technology environment. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer the Director translates enterprise technology strategy into executable operational plans and is accountable for the availability integrity and security of the networks servers business systems and end-user services that support museum operations Space Camp and educational programming ticketing retail and food service and administrative functions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions

IT Service Delivery and Operations

• Own the operational performance of all USSRC information systems including service availability incident response problem management and change control.

• Establish publish and report against service levels for system availability and end-user support;maintaina functioning service desk intake triage and escalation process.

• Direct the resolution of hardware software network and application faults ensuring minimal disruption to guest-facing operations camp programming and revenue systems.

• Maintainaccurateconfiguration asset and licensing inventories for all IT hardware software and subscriptions.

• Develop document and enforce IT operating procedures standards and departmental policies consistent with enterprise policy approved by the Chief Financial Officer.

Infrastructure Network and Data Center

• Manage the design capacity performance and lifecycle of server storage virtualization and backup infrastructure whether on premises orcloud hosted.

• Manage LAN WAN wireless and external connectivity across the campus including guest and trainee network segments andmaintainsegmentationappropriate toeach networks risk profile.

• Oversee data center and server room environments including power cooling physical access and cable plant standards and documentation.

• Manage the Centers telephone and unified communications systems coordinating with theaudiovisualand communications technology function on enterprise telecommunications planning.

• Maintain current network diagrams system documentation and runbooks sufficient for another qualified technician tooperatecritical systems in the Directors absence.

Business Systems and Applications

• Ensure the integrity availability and supportability of core business applications including Point of Sale ticketing and admissions camp registration accounting and payroll and human resources systems.

• Serve asITowner for system integrations and data flows between business applications working with functional owners in Finance Education Retail and Human Resources.

• Perform and oversee SQL Server administration and develop queries and reports to satisfy operational and financial data requests.

• Manage applicationupgradepatch and testing cycles scheduling work to avoid disruption to peak operating periods and camp sessions.

Security Compliance and Operational Risk

• Implement andoperatethe technical controls that give effect to the Centers security program working in close coordination with the Cyber Security Officer.

• Administer identity and access management including provisioning role-based access privileged account control and prompt deprovisioning at separation.

• Maintain operational compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requirements applicable to the Centers cardholder dataenvironment andsupport annual assessment and attestation activity.

• Supportsafeguarding ofpersonally identifiable information including records relating to minorsparticipatingin Center programs andassistwith privacy reviews and audits.

• Maintain vulnerability management patching endpoint protection and logging and monitoring practices; escalateidentifiedrisks with recommended remediation and cost.

• Support security awarenesstrainingdeliveryand departmental compliance tracking.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery

• Maintain test and document backup restoration and disaster recovery capabilities for all critical systems including defined recovery time and recovery pointobjectives.

• Conduct scheduled restoration tests and tabletop exercises and report results to the Chief Financial Officer.

• Serve in the Centers incident response and emergency operations structure for technology-related events including after-hoursactivation.

Project and Program Delivery

• Plan and deliver IT projects system upgrades and technology implementations on schedule and within approved budget using consistent project managementpractices.

• Prepare requirements scopes of work and technical evaluation criteria for technology procurements.

• Evaluate emerging technologies including automation and artificial intelligence capabilities and recommend adoption where a defensible operational or financial case exists.

Budget Procurement and Vendor Management

• Prepare and administer the annual IT operating and capital budget in coordination with the Chief Financial Officer and the Finance department;monitorexpenditures and explain variances.

• Manage IT vendors and service providers against contract terms service levels and renewal calendars escalating contractnegotiationand execution to the Chief Financial Officer consistent with Commission purchasing authority.

• Ensure procurement activitycomplies withapplicable State of Alabamapurchasingand bid requirements and with Commission policy.

• Identifycost efficiencies and consolidation opportunities and recommend reinvestment of savings into modernization priorities.

TeamLeadership and Staff Management

• Supervise thestaffandassigninformation systemsstaff including network administrators systems administrators and service desk technicians.

• Manage hiring onboarding scheduling performance appraisal coaching and corrective action in coordination with Human Resources.

• Ensure staff receive relevant technical and compliance training andmaintainrequired certifications.

• Maintain adequate coverage for 24x7 operations including on-call rotation holiday and weekend coverage and cross-training sufficient to avoid single points of failure in staff knowledge.

• Foster clear and regular communication within the department so that staff are informed of operational priorities and organizational information.

Records Data Governance and Legal Support

• Support electronic discovery and litigationholdrequirements preserving and producing records for legal review as directed.

• Support public records and open records requests involving electronic records in coordination with Center leadership and counsel.

• Maintain retention and disposition practices for electronic records consistent with applicable State of Alabama records retention requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Guest Experience

• Partner with Education Operations Retail Food Service Marketing Development and Finance to understand operational needs and deliver technology that supports them.

• Support integrated guest and trainee experience initiatives spanning online on-site and hybrid channels including ticketing registration and loyalty systems.

• Coordinate with the AV Manager on systems that span IT and AV domains including exhibit media digital signage theater and simulator systems and networked show control.

• Coordinate with the Property and Insurance Security team on networked physical security systems including security camera infrastructure and access control and with Operations on mobile radio and emergency notification technology.

Communication

• Communicate clearly and professionally in writing and verbally with executive leadership staff at all technical levels vendors contractors and external partners.

• Translate technical risk and cost into terms that support executive decision-making.

• Providetimelyaccuratestatus reporting during outages and security incidents.

OtherFunctions

Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief Financial Officer including participation in operational analyses audits and process improvement initiatives such as retail inventory and accountability audits and point-of-sale efficiency reviews.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Level of Supervision: Manages a team of varied skill levels within the informationsystemsfunction. Reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer and may bedesignatedto act on the CFOs behalf on information technology matters.

Travel Required

Limited. Occasional travel for trainingconferences andvendor or partner engagements.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Education

• Bachelors degree in information technology Information Systems Computer Science Computer Engineering or a closely related field.

Anadditionalfour years of directly relevant progressive IT experience may be substituted for thedegreerequirement at the discretion of the Chief Financial Officer and Human Resources.

Preferred Education and Certification

• Masters degree in information technology Information Systems Computer Science ora relatedfield.

• Relevant professional certification such as CISSP CISM PMP ITIL Microsoft or Cisco credentials.

Required Experience

• Eight or more years of progressively responsible experience in information technology or information systems operations including at least four years at the supervisory or management level.

• Demonstrated experience managing enterprise network and server infrastructure including LAN and WAN server operating systems virtualization and backup and recovery.

• Demonstrated experience administering Microsoft Windows Server and client operating systems Active Directory and Microsoft 365 or equivalent enterprise productivity platforms.

• Experience supporting business-critical applications including Point of Sale andfinancialoraccounting systems.

• Working knowledge of information security principles and practical experience implementing security controls access management and patch and vulnerability management.

• Experience preparing and managing departmental budgets and managing vendor relationships and service contracts.

• Demonstrated project management capability on infrastructure or application projects.

• SQL Server administration and query development.

• Ability to instruct and train staff and end users in the operation of hardware systems and applications.

Preferred Experience

• Experience in a public sector state agency nonprofit museum attraction or hospitality environment with seasonal staffing fluctuations and public-facing revenue operations.

• ExperiencemaintainingPCI DSS compliance in a merchant environment.

• Experience with networked AV show control or exhibit media systems.

• Experience with physical security technology including IPcameraand access control systems.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Physical Requirements

The following are the physical demands of this position. Reasonable accommodation will beprovidedfor qualified individuals with disabilitiesin accordance withapplicable law.

• Sitting for extended periods (four to eight hours) at a workstation.

• Frequent use of hands and fingers tooperatecomputers keyboards hand tools and test equipment.

• Walking and climbing stairs to access other departments and buildings across the campus.

• Occasionally lifting and carrying equipment and supplies up to 40 pounds to waist height withassistanceavailable for heavier items.

• Bending kneeling and reaching to installmaintain or repair computer and network equipment and to store or retrieve supplies.

• Visual acuity sufficient to read technical documentation schematics and computer displays and to handle documents.

• Hearing and speaking sufficient to instruct employees and communicate with staff vendors and service providers in person and by telephone.

• Occasionally climbing ladders and working in confined spaces such as cable runs ceiling spaces and equipment closets.

• Availability for after-hoursresponse which may require flexibility in physical and mental demands during outages security incidents or other critical events.

Eligibility Qualifications

• Mustbe authorized towork in the United States. Employment is contingent on successful completion of E-Verify confirmation.

• Employment is contingent on successful completion of a background checkappropriate toa position with privileged access to Center systems financial systems and records relating to minorsparticipatingin Center programs.

• Valid drivers license.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Factors

Office Environment:

• Primarily a climate-controlled office setting with quiet to moderate noise levels typical of administrative workincluding budgeting planning and staff supervision.

Data Center and Server Room:

• Regular visits to server rooms and data center spaces where temperature and humidity are tightly regulatedand equipment noise is present requiring the ability to work in such environments for sustained periods.

On-Site Technical and Campus Work:

• Movement between departments exhibit areas theaters camp habitats and outbuildings to inspect infrastructure troubleshoot systems and supervise installation and maintenance work.

• Occasional work outdoors or in locations without climate control to meet operational requirements.

• Regular interaction with staff guests trainees and vendors in public-facing areas of the Center.

On-Call and Emergency Work:

• After-hourswork isrequiredduring system outages security incidents major implementations and other urgent matters responding eitheron-siteor remotely as the situation requires.

Expected Hours of Work

IT operations at USSRC run 24 hours a day365 daysa year. This is a full-time exempt position. The incumbent isgenerally expectedto work a minimum of40 hoursper week withadditionalhours asnecessary to meet operational requirements including participation in an on-call rotation and periodic work on evenings weekends and holidays.

DISCLAIMERS

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex pregnancy sexual orientation gender identity national origin age disability genetic information or veteran status.

Duties and Responsibilities May Change with or Without Notice

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Required Experience:

Director