Director, IT Operations

About the Position

The Director, IT Operations will provide strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of the IT infrastructure and support services across Golden State teams, Chase Center, and other business locations. In this role, you will lead all aspects of the IT Service Desk, Arena Event Support, and System Administration teams. Additionally, you will ensure our technology environment is reliable, scalable, secure, and optimized to meet the unique demands of an arena and satellite office operations, while ensuring IT initiatives are strategically aligned with overall business objectives. This position reports to the Senior Director, Information Technology.

Come share your expertise while learning more about this growing sports and entertainment organization that values your initiative and dedication!

This is a full-time position based onsite in San Francisco, CA.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery and operation of core IT services, including compute, storage, virtualization environments (VMware), cloud infrastructure, application services, NBA HSAN connectivity, RingCentral, service provider relationships, and related technologies
• Oversee the IT Service Desk and Arena Event Support teams, ensuring excellent service levels and swift response times for daily operations and critical high-profile events
• Lead systems administration functions for both physical and virtual servers, including backup operations, Microsoft Intune, JAMF, application updates, and Active Directory management
• Lead technology projects, interpreting relevant rules, regulations, potential risks, and recommending standards for IT infrastructure design and management
• Identify, plan, and oversee IT infrastructure projects, including the evaluation and selection of new applications, services, equipment, and vendors
• Collaborate with IT infrastructure vendors, consultants, and contractors to ensure high-quality service delivery
• Lead and manage significant technological upgrades and changes to the IT environment, ensuring minimal disruption to business operations
• Stay ahead of industry trends and new technologies, sharing insights and risk evaluations with the IT team and executive leadership as necessary
• Provide leadership, mentorship, and professional development opportunities to build an engaged, high-performing, and customer-service focused work environment
• Develop and clearly communicate IT operations and systems administration goals, collaborating with department managers to align on strategic priorities and initiatives
• Coordinate internal and external audits related to IT infrastructure, such as those from the NBA or internal finance/IT departments
• Ensure compliance with established IT governance frameworks and standards (e.g., ITIL), and effectively manage business continuity and disaster recovery (DR/BC) planning, testing, and execution
• Serve as a key IT leader, assisting in the creation, implementation, and enforcement of governance structures, policies, and strategies for IT operations
• Other duties as assigned

Required Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Computer Science or Business Information Systems, or equivalent work experience
• 7+ years designing, building, and managing enterprise IT infrastructure
• 5+ years in a leadership role overseeing IT support, infrastructure, or systems administration teams
• 3+ years managing IT service desks or providing comprehensive IT support for large events or retail/entertainment environments
• Demonstrated experience with physical and virtual server administration, cloud technologies (Azure, Google Cloud), and VMware environments
• Advanced knowledge and hands-on experience with Microsoft Intune, Active Directory, IT Service Desk ticketing systems, RingCentral, and virtual meeting solutions
• Proven knowledge and experience with backup and disaster recovery planning, including implementation and testing of DR/BC plans
• Experience with LAN/WLAN network infrastructure and advanced voice and data networking configurations
• Experience with IT governance frameworks (e.g., ITIL) and managing regulatory compliance standards
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, coupled with practical experience in project management fundamentals
• Experience managing vendor relationships and ensuring service-level agreements (SLAs) are consistently met
• Ability to manage multiple conflicting priorities independently, knowing when to escalate issues appropriately
• Excellent organizational, project management, interpersonal, time management, written, and oral communication skills

Time Commitment

• Ability