Director, Infrastructure & Operations

Simon & Schuster is seeking a Director, Infrastructure and Operations, responsible for leading, planning, and maintaining a robust technical infrastructure that supports critical business operations. This role focuses on developing and implementing infrastructure strategies, optimizing on-premises and cloud environments, and ensuring high availability, scalability, and security across all IT systems. This position will lead operational excellence in infrastructure management while aligning technology with business objectives.

Job Duties:

• Develop and execute a long-term infrastructure strategy, ensuring scalability, security, and efficiency.
• Architect and oversee the organization's technical infrastructure, including on-premises data centers, cloud (Azure), networking (LAN/WAN/Wireless), storage, virtualization, and IT security.
• Lead the design, deployment, and management of enterprise platforms, including M365, IaaS, SaaS, and hybrid cloud solutions.
• Oversee and govern outsourced infrastructure services, ensuring vendors meet SLAs, performance benchmarks, and security requirements.
• Collaborate with external providers to drive operational and technological innovation, optimize costs, and align outsourced services with business and technology objectives.
• Oversee identity and access management, including Azure AD, domain management, DNS, and VPN configurations.
• Manage network reliability and optimization, including SD-WAN, firewalls, and security protocols.
• Define and monitor service levels, agreements, and key infrastructure performance metrics, identifying areas for improvement.
• Assess, propose and manage the deployment of process automation to improve operational effectives.
• Lead and manage infrastructure-related projects, including cloud migrations, data center modernization, and disaster recovery strategies.
• Establish and enforce IT security best practices, aligning with compliance frameworks (ISO, NIST, etc.).
• Monitor and optimize system performance, capacity planning, and cost management for IT infrastructure.
• Provide strategic direction for infrastructure investments, evaluating emerging technologies to drive business value.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and service providers for infrastructure solutions and outsourced services.

Competencies:

• Deep technical expertise in infrastructure architecture, networking, and systems design.
• Proven ability to design and implement secure, high-availability systems.
• Strong leadership and decision-making capabilities in complex technical environments.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and service providers for infrastructure solutions.
• Ability to drive strategic initiatives and implement emerging technologies.
• Proficiency in automation, scripting, and infrastructure management tools.
• Optimize system performance, capacity planning, and cost management.
• Expertise in IT security principles, compliance, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Effective stakeholder management and the ability to align technology with business needs.

Experience and Education:

• 10+ years of experience in Information Technology, with a focus on infrastructure, server, network, and cloud technologies.
• 7+ years in a senior IT infrastructure leadership role.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Experience managing large-scale IT environments, including on-premises and hybrid cloud architectures.
• Strong background in networking, virtualization, identity management, and IT security.
• Certifications such as ITIL, TOGAF, Microsoft Azure, or ISO preferred.