IT Operations and Infrastructure Director

Likely to be at least two+ years of contract depending on the success of the resource. 100% onsite in Jackson, MS - do NOT submit candidates that will request remote work. This should be a quick turn around, they need someone asap. Job Title: IT Operations and Infrastructure Director Client: State of Mississippi - Medicaid- Job ID: Onsite- 165756 Closing Date: 9/22/2026 2:00 PM The Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) is modernizing its technology environment, including cloud migration, federal interoperability compliance, cloud‑native adoption, and restructuring IT service delivery. DOM’s Office of Information Technology Management supports these efforts through enterprise infrastructure, networking, cloud services, cybersecurity, application integration, and vendor management. DOM requires senior‑level staff augmentation for a Director of IT Services to provide executive leadership and daily operational oversight for infrastructure, cloud services, service desk operations, vendor coordination, and modernization initiatives. This role reports to the CIO/CTO and ensures continuity of operations while guiding multiple concurrent transformation projects. Required Skills: Experience with progressive information technology, including significant experience managing enterprise IT operations and infrastructure Experience in leadership or management, including direct supervision of technical teams, managers, engineers, and support personnel Demonstrated experience managing enterprise cloud environments, with specific experience in Amazon Web Services (AWS) includingEC2, S3, IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, and Landing Zone architectures. Strong understanding of enterprise networking, including LAN/WAN, DNS, load balancing, wireless infrastructure, and telecommunications. Experience with enterprise monitoring and observability platforms. Scope of Services: The contractor leads and manages DOM’s enterprise IT functions across seven domains: Enterprise Cloud Services Oversee AWS/Azure cloud operations, provisioning, identity, monitoring, and capacity. Lead cloud migration and coordinate with vendors and internal teams. Enforce cloud governance, architecture standards, cost controls, and security. Manage cloud account setup, vendor onboarding, and service request workflows. Develop cloud DR/HA strategies and optimize cloud performance and cost. Network, Voice & Telecommunications Direct statewide network operations (LAN/WAN, wireless, Internet, remote access, unified communications). Manage load balancing and DNS (F5). Coordinate with carriers and MSPs to meet SLAs. Modernize network infrastructure for cloud, mobility, and security. Oversee firewall rule changes and access restoration. IT Service Desk & End‑User Support Lead service desk teams and end‑user support. Track KPIs (resolution rates, response times, backlog, satisfaction). Manage incident escalation and major incident processes. Oversee ITS Service Center ticket workflows. Expand self‑service, knowledge management, and automation. Infrastructure & Operations Manage compute, storage, virtualization, OS, backup, and monitoring platforms. Maintain availability and performance standards. Lead modernization, hardware lifecycle, and capacity planning. Ensure backup, recovery, redundancy, and DR capabilities. Manage compliance documentation and assessment artifacts. Cybersecurity Partnership & Compliance Work with CIO/CTO and security teams to meet HIPAA, CMS, and state security requirements. Support security controls across cloud, network, infrastructure, and endpoints. Participate in audits, risk assessments, remediation, and vulnerability management. Coordinate shared security documentation with CCOE and ITS. Vendor & Contract Management Oversee technology vendors, MSPs, and cloud partners. Lead contract coordination, SOW development, and procurement support. Monitor vendor performance, deliverables, and compliance. Manage escalations and major service issues. Support solicitation review, proposal evaluation, and vendor selection. IT Service Management & Governance Establish governance for incident, problem, change, configuration, and request management. Maintain an enterprise service catalog. Produce dashboards and executive reporting on service health and risks. Lead SOP development for ITIM domains. Facilitate weekly leadership coordination and status reporting. Technology Environment Overview: Cloud & Infrastructure AWS – Primary cloud platform (EC2, S3, RDS, IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, Landing Zone). Cohesity – Cloud backup and data protection. VMware – Legacy virtualization (vSphere, vCenter). Azure / M365 – Identity (Entra ID), productivity (Exchange, SharePoint, Teams). Monitoring, Observability & Security Dynatrace – Application performance monitoring. Cloudflare – CDN, DDoS, WAF. Microsoft Security – Endpoint patching and updates. Networking & Identity F5 BIG‑IP – Load balancing, DNS, app delivery. Auth0 – API and portal authentication. Cisco Meraki – Wireless infrastructure. Active Directory / Entra ID – Directory and identity governance. Applications, Databases & Integration Mark Logic – NoSQL database for clinical/provider data. GitLab – Source control and CI/CD. FHIR APIs – Federal interoperability (Patient Access, Provider Directory, Prior Authorization). Cloverleaf – Healthcare integration engine. Collaboration & Service Management ITS Service Center – Ticketing for cloud, DNS, firewall, and provisioning. Smartsheet – Project tracking and workflows. SharePoint – Document and compliance artifact management. Lexmark Cloud Print – Cloud print management. KEY DUTIES: The contractor shall perform the following duties on an ongoing basis: Manage daily IT infrastructure operations, ensuring availability and performance of all enterprise systems and services. Triage, assign, and track service tickets submitted for DOM cloud, hosting, and network services. Coordinate with network and systems administration teams on DNS changes, firewall rules, account provisioning, and access management. Lead incident response for major technology outages and service disruptions, including root cause analysis and corrective action. Manage vendor relationships through regular status calls, performance reviews, and escalation management. Review and contribute to Statements of Work, procurement documents, and contract renewals. Conduct interviews and manage hiring processes for infrastructure and client support positions. Develop and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all ITIM service areas. Prepare and deliver weekly status reports to IT leadership. Manage bi-annual assessment artifact collection and compliance documentation. REPORTING STRUCTURE: The contractor shall report directly to the DOM Chief Information Officer (CIO) and/or Chief Technology Officer (CTO). The contractor shall participate in DOM IT leadership meetings, weekly status report cadence, and executive briefings as required. The contractor shall coordinate regularly with network administration, enterprise architecture, cybersecurity, IT procurement, and application development teams. SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS: The contractor shall pass a background investigation as required by the State of Mississippi and DOM prior to commencing work. The contractor shall comply with all HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule requirements, including safeguarding of Protected Health Information (PHI) and electronic PHI (ePHI). The contractor shall comply with CMS Acceptable Risk Controls for Automated Medicaid Program Eligibility (ARC-AMPE) and all applicable federal security requirements. The contractor shall adhere to Mississippi ITS security policies, standards, and procedures. The contractor shall complete all required security awareness training within thirty (30) days of onboarding and annually thereafter. The contractor shall execute a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and any additional confidentiality agreements required by DOM. The contractor shall not remove, copy, or transmit DOM data, documents, or systems information without prior written authorization. Upon termination or completion of the engagement, the contractor shall return all DOM property, credentials, and access shall be revoked within one (1) business day. #J-18808-Ljbffr