Director of Information Technology, Openings and Transitions

Director of Information Technology, Openings and Transitions

• Full-time
• Job Type: Management
• Compensation: USD 165,000 - USD 185,000 per year

Auberge Collection is a portfolio of extraordinary hotels, resorts, residences and private clubs. With 30 one‑of‑a‑kind properties, the organization seeks a Director of Information Technology to lead technology readiness for new hotel openings, property transitions, major renovations, and high‑risk activation programs.

Responsibilities

• Own technology opening readiness across six linked dimensions: best‑in‑class standards, modern tools and controls, infrastructure readiness, hotel systems readiness, operational readiness, and executive control.
• Apply, improve, and enforce opening playbooks, readiness gates, system standards, acceptance criteria, documentation, and reporting discipline.
• Use approved AI tools and automation to accelerate schedule analysis, meeting synthesis, document review, risk detection, action tracking, UAT preparation, defect burn‑down, and executive reporting.
• Coordinate network, Wi‑Fi, WAN/SD‑WAN, ISP, identity, endpoint staging, cloud voice, collaboration, low‑voltage backbone, security systems, AV, IPTV/casting, radios, payment devices, and property technology infrastructure.
• Drive PMS, POS, payments, spa, reservations, CRM, revenue, finance, procurement, HR/time‑keeping, engineering, housekeeping, guest messaging, sales/catering, reporting, interfaces, users, roles, data, and support readiness.
• Align technology completion with operational training and maintain mock service, sleep tests, simulations, local super‑user preparation, and property handover.
• Maintain a single source of truth for readiness, dependencies, decisions, blockers, owner commitments, evidence, open risks, contingency plans, and hyper‑care status.
• Build and maintain opening control rooms using structured trackers, meeting summaries, action logs, decision logs, readiness dashboards, and AI tools.
• Turn vendor updates, construction schedules, meeting notes, system matrices, and training plans into clear required‑by dates, risk flags, owner assignments, and executive‑ready summaries.
• Create repeatable workflows for status reporting, issue triage, document control, requirements extraction, readiness scoring, UAT planning, defect categorization, and knowledge transfer using AI and automation.
• Protect data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, and approval boundaries when using AI tools.
• Continuously improve the opening playbook based on lessons learned from each project.
• Own one integrated technology opening schedule across construction turnover, low‑voltage delivery, network readiness, hotel systems, operational training, UAT, cutover, and hyper‑care.
• Define 90‑day, 60‑day, and 30‑day readiness gates with clear acceptance criteria and escape drift that risks operational training, guest readiness, payment readiness, safety, or opening confidence.
• Maintain baseline, forecast, variance, operational impact, recovery path, and decision owner for every major schedule risk.
• Run structured weekly, daily, or command‑center cadences during opening‑critical periods and distressed programs.
• Drive completion of IT‑dependent construction and low‑voltage scope before systems testing, training, mock operations, and handover dates.
• Coordinate MDF/IDF readiness, cabling, rack elevations, patching, labeling, circuits, ISP handoff, Wi‑Fi surveys, network cutover, endpoint staging, and local support logistics.
• Track infrastructure dependencies for POS, PMS, payments, locks, access control, CCTV, AV, IPTV/casting, BMS/GRMS, guest Wi‑Fi, staff Wi‑Fi, radios, printers, phones, and back‑of‑house operations.
• Confirm that each operational space is technologically ready before training is scheduled.
• Require evidence‑based acceptance: as‑built documentation, test results, photos, sign‑offs, punch lists, defect aging, and named owners for unresolved items.
• Lead activation and configuration readiness for the modern hotel technology stack including PMS, POS, payments, reservations, spa, CRM, revenue, procurement, finance, HR/time‑keeping, engineering, housekeeping, guest messaging, sales/catering, reporting, and interfaces.
• Coordinate vendor configuration sessions, data collection, role‑based access, user provisioning, testing windows, cutover plans, support model, and training calendars.
• Identify which property team members must participate in configuration and training; secure interim resources when roles are not yet hired.
• Own interface readiness across PMS, POS, payment gateways, key systems, revenue, accounting, CRM, guest messaging, reporting, and operational platforms.
• Ensure system design supports data quality, reporting, auditability, privacy, security, and scalable operating standards across the collection.
• Back into technology deadlines from the operational training calendar.
• Confirm that training environments, devices, payment paths, printers, phones, radios, integrations, sample users and realistic operational workflows are ready before department training begins.
• Coordinate with operations leaders so all teams train on the systems and infrastructure they will actually use.
• Prepare local super‑users and handover materials so property teams can operate after opening without depending on heroic corporate intervention.
• Own cutover, go‑live, stabilization, defect burn‑down, and hyper‑care transition from project mode to steady‑state support.
• Ensure opening plans include secure‑by‑design network architecture, role‑based access, MFA/SSO where applicable, PCI readiness, vendor access controls, endpoint standards, logging, and incident response paths.
• Make sure temporary opening workarounds do not become unmanaged operational risk.
• Coordinate with security, legal, finance, and operations stakeholders on data handling, payment flows, vendor access, and guest/employee information protection.
• Use AI and automation responsibly, with clear human review, approved tools, traceable source information, and controlled access to sensitive data.
• Lead vendors and project partners with clear requirements, deadlines, decision logs, acceptance criteria, and escalation paths.
• Challenge vague statements such as “six weeks behind” by requiring baseline, impacted scope, operational consequence, recovery options, and decision needs.
• Communicate simply and directly with executives, ownership, project teams, property leaders, and vendors.
• Build trust by bringing facts, dates, owners, dependencies, and evidence rather than generic status commentary.
• Proven leadership of hotel openings, property transitions, major renovations, or complex multi‑system technology activations.
• Deep understanding of hospitality technology dependencies across low‑voltage infrastructure, networks, cloud/SaaS platforms, hotel systems, payments, interfaces, cybersecurity, and operational training.
• Hands‑on comfort using AI tools, structured trackers, dashboards, meeting synthesis, decision logs, automation, and practical workflows to produce better, faster, clearer work.
• Ability to create order in ambiguous, schedule‑constrained environments with construction, vendors, ownership, operations, staffing, and training all moving at once.
• Strong vendor management, executive communication, documentation discipline, and escalation judgment.
• Comfort traveling frequently during opening‑critical windows and working directly with on‑property teams.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of hotel openings, property transitions, major renovations, or complex multi‑system technology activations.
• Deep understanding of hospitality technology dependencies across low‑voltage infrastructure, networks, cloud/SaaS platforms, hotel systems, payments, interfaces, cybersecurity, and operational training.
• Excellent judgment, high urgency, high standards, and the ability to bring order to complex opening environments.
• Fluent in modern work practices, including AI tools, automation, dashboards, structured data, and disciplined project controls.
• Hands‑on experience using AI responsibly to improve documentation, risk detection, and decision making.
• Strong vendor management, executive communication, documentation discipline, and escalation judgment.
• Ability to create order in ambiguous, schedule‑constrained environments with construction, vendors, ownership, operations, staffing, and training all moving at once.
• Comfort traveling frequently during opening‑critical windows and working directly with on‑property teams.

Benefits

• Competitive salary: USD 165,000 – USD 185,000 per year.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and voluntary benefits.
• 401(k) employer match.
• Employer‑paid life insurance.
• Employee assistance program.
• Team‑member hotel stay program.

Location: Bethesda, MD

Auberge Collection LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, M/F/D/V. Auberge Collection LLC provides equal employment opportunities to all team members and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. The company complies with applicable state and local laws governing non‑discrimination in employment.