IT Associate Director - Automation Engineering

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This role is for an engineering leader who will drive a unified automation approach spanning network, data center, compute, storage, virtualization, cloud, ITSM, and observability, enabling a more reliable, scalable, and modern infrastructure platform.

This role is central to Yale ITS’ stability agenda—transforming how infrastructure is built, operated, monitored, and improved through automation and engineering discipline. This leader will help transform Yale’s infrastructure operations by making automation the foundation for reliability, scalability, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

Automation Strategy & Architecture

• Define and execute the enterprise automation strategy across all infrastructure domains

• Establish architecture and standards for automation (IaC, CI/CD, configuration management etc)

• Build a cohesive automation ecosystem, not siloed tool implementations

Automation Platform Engineering & Delivery

• Lead the design and delivery of automated infrastructure lifecycle workflows (provisioning, patching, scaling, decommissioning)

• Partner with infrastructure engineering teams to embed automation into day to day operations

• Ensure infrastructure is delivered through repeatable, code-based patterns (immutable infrastructure)

IT Stability Enablement

• Use automation to improve: Change reliability and safety; Patching and lifecycle compliance; Incident response and recovery speed; Resiliency and failover capability

• Enable observability by ensuring automated systems generate actionable telemetry and integrate with monitoring platforms

Metrics, Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track key metrics (e.g., automation coverage, patch compliance, automated change success rate)

• Establish governance for: Automation pipelines; Infrastructure code quality and security; Tool lifecycle and standardization

Team Leadership & Culture

• Build and lead a high-performing automation engineering team

• Coach and develop engineers across all experience levels

• Foster a culture of: Engineering rigor and ownership; Collaboration and knowledge sharing; Continuous learning and modernization

Key Qualifications

• Proven experience leading infrastructure automation or platform engineering teams in complex environments

• Deep technical knowledge across: Infrastructure (network, compute, storage, cloud); Automation and IaC (Ansible, Terraform, CI/CD pipelines)

• Demonstrated success driving automation at scale across multiple domains

• Strong understanding of: ITSM processes (change, incident, problem management); Observability and reliability engineering concepts

Leadership Capabilities

The leader will work closely with Infrastructure Engineering (network, compute, storage, cloud), TechOps (incident, change, observability), Information Security compliance teams.

They need to be able to influence a decentralized organization, aligning teams to shared automation standards and practices and should exhibit the following strengths:

• Technical communicator able to bridge engineering teams and senior leadership

• Execution-oriented leader with strong program delivery discipline

• Influencer without authority in complex, federated environments

• Strong ability to translate vision into actionable roadmaps

• Focus on accountability, outcomes, and measurable impact

Required Skills and Abilities

1.Proven ability to manage and develop staff.
2. Well-developed time management, organizational, oral, and written communication, and presentation skills.
3. Proven ability to recognize problems and create effective plans.
4. Proven ability to manage multiple/complex projects, meeting deadlines and budget.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Oversees and manages in the strategic planning process; disseminates strategic goals to the team and ensures goals are implemented; develops and establishes best practices. 2. Manages, hires, develops existing as well as new staff; assists in the workforce staffing plans. 3. Responsible for making moderate to significant improvements of processes, systems, and functional output of the department or work/objectives of a team/s. 4. Participate in the development of communication plans for administrative, operational, or technical changes; determine timeline for the dissemination of communications and the support and resource requirements associated with each change. 5. Analyzes and resolves problems through drawing from prior experiences. Interprets policies (e.g., fiscal management, HR, contracts, resource management in defined areas). 6. Supervises staff to assure accountability and stewardship of campus resources (operational, financial, and human) in compliance with departmental goals and objectives. Required Education and Experience Bachelor's Degree and eight years of experience or equivalent education and experience. Skills and Abilities Proven ability to manage and develop staff. Well-developed time management, organizational, oral, and written communication, and presentation skills. Proven ability to recognize problems and create effective plans. Proven ability to manage multiple/complex projects, meeting deadlines and budget.

Job Posting Date

08/13/2026

Job Category

Manager

Bargaining Unit

NON

Compensation Grade

GS-4

Compensation Grade Profile

GS-4i

Salary Range

$112,500.00 - $168,750.00

Time Type

Full time

Duration Type

Staff

Work Model

Hybrid

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

Salary offers are determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role’s grade profile and current internal and external market conditions.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring department.
The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.
Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

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