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SalaryGraduate Management Admission Council (GMAC™) is a mission-driven organization, with a vision to be the global leader in ensuring every talented person can benefit from the best business education for them. The organization’s priority is to heighten its impact in promoting graduate management education and attracting a qualified and diverse candidate pool from around the world.
The Director, IT Operations holds a pivotal role within the Technology team, driving GMAC's digital transformation across its products, services, and internal operations. This role encompasses a wide range of responsibilities, including the hosting and operational management of all GMAC’s managed solutions, spanning digital experiences and products for external consumers, as well as enterprise/back-office services supporting internal productivity. Additionally, the Director plans, directs and manages the broad functions of a global IT Operations team as well as serves as a key figure in information security and technical risk management, leading the migration to cloud services from predominantly on-premise solutions.
The Director, IT Operations is responsible for delivering fast and sustainable results in the following areas:
- Infrastructure Leadership
- Policy Development and Security Standards
- IT Operations
- Team Management
To thrive in this role, the Director, IT Operations must possess a solid foundation in IT management, infrastructure, and operations, along with a demonstrated ability to effectively implement and oversee cloud-based solutions aligned with business objectives. In addition to technical expertise, the individual must excel in collaborating on the development of new policies, procedures, and best practices within the Technology team and across the entire GMAC organization.
Key Responsibilities:
Infrastructure Leadership:
- Serve as an integral team member within overall technology leadership, participating in architectural recommendations and strategic decisions.
- Improve efficiency, flexibility, and resilience by establishing repeatable operations standards, policies, and procedures.
- Define and direct IT and infrastructure-related strategies to ensure they align with the strategic direction, growth, and performance of the organization.
- Recommend insights contributing to overall organization technology infrastructure strategic management.
- Lead the collaboration of operations with development and data teams to advance the efficiency, availability and robustness of constituent facing applications, including GMAT online delivery.
- Translate business requirements into technical deliverables and formulate strategies and solutions for scaling business applications.
Policy Development and Security Standards:
- Identify requirements and manage the creation, implementation, documentation, and ongoing maintenance of IT security policies and procedures, including timely publication and periodic review.
- Manage the selection, development, documentation, and deployment of IT security management and monitoring systems and tools.
- Act as a primary Technology team lead on data privacy/security projects, collaborating on related policies, surveys, and audits to ensure compliance.
IT Operations:
- Direct the global IT Operations staff to design, implement, and maintain a sustainable, scalable technology operating environment for all GMAC global operations and constituent-facing web applications.
- Lead global IT Operations initiatives within the company and motivate the IT team to implement "best practices" in all IT Operations initiatives.
- Develop customer service procedures, policies, and standards for IT Operations.
- Plan and manage short and long-term activities and operations of the functions within the IT Operations group.
- Develop and manage IT Operations budget including software licensing/renewals, forecasting expenses, identifying efficiencies/cost savings.
- Engage and collaborate with external service providers and outsourced services to complement core team responsibilities, e.g., outsourced security operations center and network management.
- Manage negotiation, contracts, invoicing, and payments with hardware, software and service providers to make efficient use of allocated budget.
- Oversight of GMAC-wide standard integrated collaboration suite (e.g., Office 365, MS Teams), file storage, file sharing, and telephony/videoconferencing environment.
Team Management:
- Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing team.
Other Responsibilities:
- Manage GMAC’s IT Change Management procedure to schedule, communicate, and coordinate planned system outages, upgrades, and emergency repairs.
- Manage key IT projects to ensure they meet expectations and deliver business value.
- Define and direct change management methodology, standards, and enforcement throughout the department.
- Lead collaboration with operations, development, and data teams to advance efficiency, availability, and robustness of constituent-facing applications.
- Ensure IT infrastructure meets agreed-upon SLA levels with strategic partners.
- Define technical standards for the tools, processes, and methods used within areas of responsibility
- Ensure IT infrastructure meets availability and operational standards for critical business processes.
- Frequently interact with GMAC senior executives, business stakeholders, the Technology team, and GMAC’s outsourced service providers.
- Other responsibilities and duties, as assigned.
Minimum Requirements:
- Advanced degree in Business, CS, IT, IM or Business Administration; Or equivalent combination of education, skills, and experience.
- 8 years’ experience in Information Technology field.
- 3 years’ experience in operational support of ecommerce, digital product, or media experiences.
- Experience with Microsoft technology stack broadly and specifically Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Windows Server, MS Exchange, MS IIS, Active Directory, SQL Server, Office 365, MS Teams.
- 3 years’ progressive supervisory experience.
- Prior experience in migration of services to cloud implementation, Microsoft Azure preferred.
- Employee and Customer Identity Solutions using OAUTH2/OIDC.
- Experience with Change Management.
- Demonstrated experience in managing cloud environments.
- Experience managing all facets of IT Infrastructure including networking technology, database applications, hardware, application programming, and DevOps.
- Demonstrate business and technology acumen.
- Passionate about building a culture of innovation, automation and excellence.
- Relevant certifications.
- Comfortable challenging the status-quo in an efficient and constructive manner.
- Ability to make strategic decisions that have a direct impact on daily operations of the department.
- Ability to maintain sensitive data in a confidential manner.
- Ability to guide others in resolving complex issues of significance to the organization.
- Superior analytical skills and ability to prioritize objectives.
- Exceptional verbal and written communication and collaborative skills.
- Must be able to work a flexible schedule, including after business hours and periodically be on-call for after-hours support.
- Ability to lift up to 40 lbs.
- Ability to carry a cell phone during business hours and on-call hours.
- Ability to work in-office and remotely according to GMAC’s hybrid work environment.
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Desired Skills/Experience:
- 10+ years’ experience in Information Technology field.
- 7+ years’ progressive supervisory experience.
- Experience with Content Management Systems, Ecommerce platforms, Learning Management platforms.
- Experience in college acceptance assessments.
- MSCMS, MOM, ISA Server, Storage Area Networks, Network Attached Storage, load balancers, and communications circuits.
- Experience in operational support for Sitecore, Salesforce and MuleSoft.
- Use of automated tools and/or scripts to manage workstation images, Active Directory policies, and virtualized or cloud infrastructure.
- Experience establishing and maintaining CMDB (configuration management database) desired.
- Strong leadership, organizational, interpersonal, and presentation skills with the ability to handle multiple, high priority projects with a keen attention to detail.
- A motivated self-starter and strong problem solver.
- Professional demeanor with excellent customer service and team player orientation.
- Capable of working in a fast paced, dynamically changing and team-oriented environment.
- Have worked with team in multiple geographies, managed team members homed in remote offices.
- Have a “can do” positive attitude and the ability to find innovative solutions while working with existing resources.
- Ability to perform duties with minimal supervision.
At GMAC, we offer:
- Comprehensive and locally competitive benefits (medical, dental, vision, 403b retirement program, and more!)
- Generous Paid-time Off
- Holiday Leave
- Hybrid Work Environment
- Free parking
- Work for a mission-driven organization helping to develop the next generation of responsible leaders and change makers
- Opportunity to utilize your skills and professionally grow and develop
Envision yourself joining GMAC, a team of smart thinkers that are resilient, adaptive and who take our values to heart. We work as a team and are committed to delivering high-quality products and services to work for a world where every talented person can benefit from the best business education for them.
FLSA Status:
Exempt Report to:
Chief Technology OfficerGMAC’s value proposition offers our talented employees the ideal climate for innovation, and colleagues who are motivated and proactive, with diverse backgrounds and approaches.
As a global organization, we understand and appreciate the benefits of myriad cultural perspectives. GMAC is wholly committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse group of talented people, and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to the basis of actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
Additionally, to ensure a safe office environment, recognizing the tremendous contributions that vaccinations play in ensuring our mutual wellbeing, GMAC has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy. All employees must be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. GMAC may make accommodations or allow for exemption from this requirement for medical or religious reasons.
