Director of IT Central Services

Overview Vertex Education is seeking a Director of IT, Central Services to lead the corporate technology experience for Vertex employees. This leader will own Central Services IT with a hands-on, high-service operating model that ensures employees have reliable tools, secure access, fast support, and clear communication. Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, this role leads a lean team that currently includes a Systems Administrator, Senior Help Desk Technician, and Help Desk Technician. The Director owns corporate help desk operations, employee devices, systems access, the Microsoft environment, core IT infrastructure, cybersecurity execution, vendor management, asset and license management, centrally managed IT applications, and post-acquisition corporate IT integrations. The right candidate is a practical, flexible operator who can move comfortably between executive communication, help desk discipline, technical problem-solving, cybersecurity execution, vendor decisions, application optimization, and acquisition integration. This person builds repeatable systems without overbuilding, protects the nimbleness of a growing company, and makes technology a dependable enabler of employee productivity. Responsibilities and Essential Functions Service and IT Operations Lead corporate help desk operations, including ticketing practices, service standards, escalation paths, employee communication, and issue resolution. Manage employee devices, onboarding, offboarding, access changes, privileged access, and support for core systems. Maintain clear documentation, knowledge base content, SOPs, and repeatable support practices. Communicate effectively with employees and leaders about outages, changes, recurring issues, and technology improvements. Monitor service performance and use data, feedback, and root-cause analysis to improve the employee technology experience. Vendor, Budget, Asset, and License Management Own the Central Services IT operating budget, including forecasting, renewals, vendor spend, hardware purchases, licenses, and planned improvement work. Manage IT vendors, service expectations, renewals, escalations, contract visibility, and cost discipline. Oversee corporate IT asset inventory, lifecycle standards, procurement, disposition, software licensing, and utilization. Partner with Finance on budget reviews, variance management, purchasing, and longer-term infrastructure or licensing needs. Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Own corporate network infrastructure, endpoint management, remote and hybrid-work connectivity, backups, disaster recovery execution, and infrastructure standards. Operate and optimize the Microsoft environment as the corporate standard, including Microsoft 365, Entra ID, collaboration tools, security configuration, endpoint management, and user enablement. Plan and execute practical infrastructure improvements based on risk, reliability, growth, security, and employee experience. Lead cybersecurity execution for corporate systems and employees, including MFA, endpoint protection, vulnerability management, patching, access reviews, phishing prevention, incident response coordination, and security awareness. Support audit readiness, cyber insurance requirements, vendor risk reviews, and compliance needs related to corporate systems. Enterprise Applications Ownership Own identity, SSO, provisioning, deprovisioning, role-based access, licensing, vendor, and cost management for all enterprise applications. Own platform administration, configuration, and operational support for centrally managed applications, including Microsoft 365, Asana and HubSpot. Partner with functional and business-unit owners, who define business process, data use, and requirements, while Central Services IT runs the platforms. Post-Acquisition IT Integration Lead Central Services IT planning and execution for acquisitions, including assessment of inherited systems, email, domains, identity, access, devices, cybersecurity, licenses, vendors, and employee support needs. Move acquired corporate employees and teams toward Vertex technology standards, including Microsoft as the productivity and identity environment and Asana as the project and task management platform. Coordinate integration work with cross-functional partners and communicate technology changes clearly to impacted employees. Team Leadership and Development Lead, coach, and develop a lean IT team in a player-coach capacity, setting clear expectations for service, accountability, documentation, and technical quality. Balance daily support demands with infrastructure, security, application, and integration priorities. Identify capacity needs and recommend additional support as growth, acquisitions, or service demand require it. Qualifications Required 7+ years of progressive IT experience, including experience leading IT operations, help desk, infrastructure, security execution, and vendor management. Hands-on technical foundation across Microsoft 365, identity and access management, Windows endpoints, corporate networking, endpoint protection, backup and disaster recovery, and IT service management. Demonstrated ability to lead a small IT team in a player-coach capacity while remaining close to day-to-day work and employee needs. Strong service orientation with proven ability to define SLAs, improve ticketing practices, communicate clearly with employees, and resolve recurring issues through root-cause discipline. Experience managing IT budgets, assets, software licenses, renewals, vendors, and procurement planning. Cybersecurity operations experience across MFA, endpoint protection, vulnerability management, access reviews, incident response, backups, user training, vendor risk, and audit or insurance requirements. Experience supporting post-acquisition or multi-entity IT integration work, including system assessment, migration planning, access, devices, domains, and employee communication. Ability to work in a nimble, growing company without overbuilding process or infrastructure beyond what the organization needs. Bachelor degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience. Preferred Experience in education, services, multi-site, or acquisition-oriented environments. Microsoft, Azure, Entra ID, ITIL, PMP, CISSP, CISM, CCNP, or comparable certifications. Experience with Asana, Workday, Zendesk, Tableau, endpoint management tools, network monitoring tools, or comparable enterprise systems. Experience leading employee enablement, technology training, change communication, and adoption of new productivity tools. Familiarity with cloud architecture, virtualization, Windows systems administration, network design, and hybrid-work infrastructure. Background, Physical, and Travel Requirements Must satisfy Vertex background check requirements and any role-specific clearance requirements. Periodic local or in-state travel may be required for office, integration, vendor, or support needs. Occasional lifting of technology equipment up to 25 pounds may be required. Extended periods of sitting, phone or video conversations, and focused computer work may be required. Be excited to be a part of our team and grow your career with us! Be the one who enables us to positively impact over 258,000 students across multiple states while driving our growth forward so we can enrich even more lives. Be the one who helps us achieve excellence for over 226 schools that we support with academics, finance, technology, human resources, communications, marketing, facilities, construction, and food services. Be the one who is a diverse thinker, a team player, a smart risk taker, an innovator, and a difference maker by encouraging others to climb higher and reach farther to further education. Be yourself surrounded by wonderful people who care about you, value your unique skills, and lift you up. Be supported in your work by caring leaders and team members who want you to succeed. Be empowered to make a difference and climb higher and reach farther to change lives through education. Be well in all aspects of your life from your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing to your finances. Enjoy industry-leading pay, rewards, referral bonuses, with unlimited flexible paid time-off for performance. Be able to care for your health and your family with comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits and invest in your future with 401(k) plans with a 6% employer match on your contributions. Enhance your growth and development with mentoring and money to take training classes. Thrive in a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment where we treat others with fairness and respect, celebrate diversity, and elevate equality and inclusion as an equal opportunity employer. Be the one who makes a difference! With an innovative mind, a hungry heart, and engaging spirit you can change lives through education. Be a part of Vertex Education and let’s make a difference together. Apply Today! #J-18808-Ljbffr Vertex Education