Senior Director, IT Services & Operations

Graco manufactures and markets premium equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray a wide variety of fluid and powder materials. What does that mean? Well, we pump peanut butter into your jar, and the oil in your car. We glue the soles of your shoes, the glass in your windows and the screen on your phone. We spray the finish on your vehicle, coatings on your pills, the paint on your house and texture on your walls. Graco is part of your daily life.

This role is currently based at our Minneapolis office and will transition to our new headquarters in Dayton, MN, in 2027.  

The Senior Director of IT Services & Operations is responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and management of the organization’s technology infrastructure and IT service operations. This position ensures the stability, scalability, and security of enterprise systems while delivering high-quality IT services that support business objectives. The individual in this position will partner with business leaders and key stakeholders to continuously evaluate Graco’s infrastructure foundation to deliver secure, scalable, and reliable technology solutions that enable growth and allow productivity improvements while optimizing costs.

What You Will Do at Graco:

Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and execute the IT services and operations strategy in alignment with overall business goals and overall IT strategic roadmap
• Drive a customer-centric IT culture focused on service excellence and user satisfaction
• Collaborate with executive leadership to shape enterprise technology strategy, roadmaps, and budgets

Service Delivery & Operations

• Oversee global IT operations, including service desk, end user computing, and infrastructure platform support to ensure high reliability, scalability and stability of Graco’s enterprise systems
• Establish and maintain SLAs, KPIs, and performance metrics to ensure consistent, reliable service delivery
• Implement and mature ITIL-based service management practices (incident, problem, change, and request management)
• Ensure operational resilience through proactive monitoring, capacity planning, and disaster recovery readiness
• Co-lead the strategy of co-sourcing arrangements and the management of service provider relationships, partnering across our IT teams to ensure alignment, efficiency, and high-quality end-to-end service delivery
• Manage vendor relationships and third-party service providers, ensuring cost-effectiveness and value delivery

Infrastructure Management

• Lead the design, engineering, deployment, and maintenance of enterprise infrastructure, including networks, servers, storage, compute, cloud and data center platforms, and telephony systems
• Oversee the implementation and management of infrastructure automation and orchestration tools
• Ensure the high availability, performance, and scalability of our IT systems
• Lead a team of IT managers responsible for the day-to-day service operations, capacity planning, and resource allocation
• Collaborate with executive leadership to communicate IT infrastructure plans, progress, and outcomes to address concerns and ensure alignment with organizational goals
• Develop and maintain robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Partner with cybersecurity teams to maintain compliance, security posture, and risk management practices.
• Ensure IT services meet regulatory, legal, and compliance requirements.
• Develop policies, standards, and best practices for IT operations.
• Support audits, risk assessments, and business continuity initiatives

Team Leadership

• Build and lead high-performing teams of infrastructure professionals
• Provide mentorship and coaching to team members
• Establish performance metrics and lead teams through continuous improvement initiatives
• Foster collaboration and communication between security and infrastructure teams
• Recruit and retain top talent
• Manage budgets and resources effectively
• Collaborate with third-party vendors and service providers to negotiate contracts, oversee service level agreements, and ensure the delivery of quality services

What You Will Bring to Graco:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field
• 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a senior IT operations or services role
• Strong technical expertise in network security, infrastructure technologies, and cloud security solutions.
• Demonstrated experience set