Senior Manager of Information Technology

Summary

A rapidly growing, mid-sized financial services organization located in Bergen County, NJ is seeking an experienced Senior Manager of Information Technology to lead and oversee all aspects of the company’s technology environment.

This is a stand-alone IT leadership role responsible for the strategy, security, reliability, and ongoing improvement of the organization’s technology infrastructure and business systems. The Senior Manager of IT will serve as the primary internal technology resource while managing relationships with third-party technology providers, including the company’s outsourced help desk and managed service partners.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on technology leader who can balance strategic planning with day-to-day execution. This individual will work closely with senior leadership and business stakeholders to ensure technology effectively supports operations, cybersecurity, regulatory requirements, business continuity, and the company's continued growth.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the company's primary IT leader and internal technology subject matter expert, overseeing all technology operations, systems, infrastructure, security, and vendors.
• Develop and execute the organization's IT strategy and technology roadmap in alignment with business objectives and future growth.
• Manage the company's third-party Managed Service Provider (MSP)/help desk, establishing service expectations, monitoring performance, reviewing escalated issues, and ensuring timely resolution of technology problems.
• Oversee the reliability, availability, and performance of the company's network, cloud environment, servers, applications, telecommunications, endpoints, and technology infrastructure.
• Lead the organization's cybersecurity strategy, including security policies, access controls, vulnerability management, endpoint protection, incident response, employee awareness, and third-party security.
• Maintain appropriate technology controls and documentation to support financial services regulatory, cybersecurity, privacy, and audit requirements.
• Manage user access, identity and access management, permissions, and technology-related onboarding and offboarding controls.
• Oversee Microsoft 365 and other cloud-based platforms, ensuring proper administration, security, licensing, and utilization.
• Manage relationships with technology vendors, software providers, consultants, and other third-party partners, including contract negotiations, performance reviews, renewals, and service-level agreements.
• Evaluate existing and emerging technologies and recommend solutions that improve security, operational efficiency, scalability, automation, and the user experience.
• Lead technology implementations, upgrades, migrations, integrations, and other IT projects from planning through successful completion.
• Partner with business leaders to understand operational requirements and identify technology solutions that improve workflows and business processes.
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery, data backup, incident response, and business continuity plans, including periodic testing and documentation.
• Manage IT assets, hardware/software inventories, licensing, warranties, and technology lifecycle planning.
• Develop and manage the IT budget, technology expenditures, vendor costs, and capital investment recommendations.
• Establish and maintain IT policies, procedures, standards, system documentation, and technology-related internal controls.
• Support technology-related internal and external audits, regulatory reviews, risk assessments, and remediation initiatives.
• Monitor technology performance, cybersecurity risks, vendor effectiveness, and emerging threats and provide appropriate reporting to senior management.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex or business-critical technology issues that cannot be resolved through outsourced support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of progressive IT experience, including experience managing or leading an organization's technology environment.
• Prior experience working in financial services, banking, insurance, fintech, or another regulated industry strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a hands-on IT leader within a lean or stand-alone technology function.
• Experience managing MSPs, outsourced help desk providers, technology vendors, and third-party service providers.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365, cloud technologies, networking, infrastructure, endpoint management, identity/access management, and enterprise applications.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, vulnerability management, incident response, data protection, and technology risk management.
• Familiarity with financial services regulatory requirements, IT controls, cybersecurity frameworks, audit processes, and compliance standards.
• Experience with business continuity, disaster recovery, backup management, and incident response planning.
• Proven experience managing technology projects, system implementations, upgrades, migrations, and vendor relationships.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot and manage complex technology issues.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively to executives and non-technical business stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to independently manage multiple priorities.
• Strategic, proactive, and service-oriented approach with the willingness to remain hands-on when necessary. xhqgsiq
• Excellent communication, leadership, vendor-management, and interpersonal skills.