Director of IT Operations

Job Description

Job Description

The Role: 

Reporting to the Vice President of Information Technology, the Director of IT Operations will lead the technology operations and infrastructure that power one of the most innovative entertainment destinations in the world. This leader will help build, operate, and continuously evolve VAI Resort's technology ecosystem, ensuring reliable, secure, and seamless experiences across the resort, Mattel Adventure Park™, entertainment venues, retail, and corporate operations.

The Director provides both strategic and technical leadership across infrastructure, cloud and virtual networks, systems administration, service delivery, technical support, and IT operations. The right leader can see the big picture, make sound decisions quickly, solve complex technical problems, and translate technology into an exceptional guest and team member experience.

What You'll Do

Build & Lead IT Operations

• Help build VAI's IT operational environment from development and pre-opening through full resort operations.
• Lead the daily operation of enterprise infrastructure, including networks, servers, cloud and virtual environments, telecommunications, data centers, and business-critical systems.
• Continue to lead and oversee the operational strategies, architecture standards, processes, documentation, and best practices required to support a complex 24/7 entertainment resort.
• Ensure enterprise systems are secure, reliable, resilient, scalable, and designed for high availability.
• Balance long-term technology strategy with the immediate operational needs of a rapidly evolving pre-opening environment.

Stay Close to the Technology

• Maintain the technical depth to work hands-on alongside the IT team when business needs, project demands, or complex technical challenges require it.
• Support, manage, maintain, and troubleshoot large-scale virtual environments, including high availability, redundancy, failover, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
• Support and manage large, complex, heavily segmented enterprise networks supporting diverse operational and guest-facing environments.
• Provide technical leadership across Microsoft technologies, including Azure, Microsoft Purview, SharePoint, and related cloud and enterprise platforms .
• Diagnose complex infrastructure, network, systems, and performance issues, identify root causes, and drive solutions through resolution.
• Oversee the management of our strong monitoring, patching, configuration, backup, recovery, capacity, and performance-management practices.

Deliver Exceptional Technology Experiences

• Lead IT service delivery, including service desk operations, incident response, change management, asset management, and technical support.
• Ensure technology decisions consider the experience of both the guest and the team member , not simply the technical solution.
• Establish and monitor service levels and performance measures that create accountability and exceptional support.
• Anticipate operational challenges and address potential points of failure after they impact the guest or business.
• Continuously improve IT processes, systems, and support models to increase reliability, efficiency, and service.

Lead, Build and Develop the Team

• Build, mentor, and inspire a high-performing IT Operations team capable of supporting VAI's complex technology environment.
• Establish clear expectations, accountability, technical standards, and operating disciplines.
• Develop the technical capabilities of the team through coaching, knowledge sharing, cross-training, and hands-on leadership.
• Create an environment where team members take ownership, solve problems, challenge conventional thinking, and continuously improve.
• Know when to lead, when to coach, and when to jump in alongside the team to get the job done.

Drive Innovation & Emerging Technology

• Identify and implement technologies that improve reliability, automation, operational efficiency, and the guest and team member experience.
• Maintain strong functional knowledge of Generative AI and Agentic AI , including enterprise use cases, administration, integration, governance, security, support, and responsible deployment.
• Partner across the organization to identify opportunities where AI, automation, and emerging technologies can improve how VAI operates and serves its guests.
• Evaluate emerging technology with both curiosity and discipline, balancing innovation with cybersecurity, privacy, scalability, reliability, and business value.
• Help create an IT environment built not just for today's requirements, but for where VAI is going next.

Protect Operational Resilience

• Lead infrastructure resilience, disaster recovery, business continuity, system monitoring, patch management, backup, and recovery practices.
• Design and maintain appropriate redundancy and failover capabilities across critical technology environments.
• Partner with Cybersecurity to ensure alignment with security standards, risk management practices, regulatory requirements, and data governance.
• Proactively identify vulnerabilities, capacity concerns, single points of failure, and operational risks.
• Lead technology response and decision-making during critical incidents and operational disruptions.

Manage Projects, Resources & Partnerships

• Lead multiple technology initiatives simultaneously while maintaining accountability for timelines, budgets, quality, and operational readiness.
• Partner with Development, Construction, Operations, Security, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Entertainment, and other resort disciplines to translate business needs into technology solutions.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets, capital investments, operating expenditures, and technology lifecycle planning.
• Build strong partnerships with technology vendors, service providers, consultants, and business partners.
• Support procurement, contract negotiations, implementation planning, and lifecycle management of technology assets and services.

What You Bring

• You're an experienced people leader who is still a technologist at heart . You have successfully led technical teams, but you're equally comfortable getting into the details when the situation calls for it.
• You have built, transformed, or significantly scaled IT operations—not simply inherited and maintained them.
• You have deep technical knowledge across enterprise infrastructure, networking, virtualization, cloud technologies, systems administration, Microsoft platforms, and IT operations.
• You have experience supporting and managing large virtual environments with high-availability, redundancy, failover, backup, and disaster-recovery requirements .
• You understand the architecture and operational requirements of large, heavily segmented enterprise networks .
• You have hands-on experience administering or supporting Microsoft Azure, Purview, SharePoint, and related Microsoft enterprise technologies .
• You have solid functional knowledge of Generative and Agentic AI and understand the opportunities, risks, governance requirements, and operational considerations associated with deploying AI in an enterprise environment.
• You make thoughtful decisions under pressure and can quickly move from identifying a problem to determining its root cause and driving a solution.
• You can translate highly technical concepts into clear business language and build credibility with everyone from engineers to executives.
• You thrive in environments where priorities evolve, solutions are still being built, and there isn't always an existing playbook.
• Most importantly, you understand that at VAI, technology isn't behind the experience—it is part of the experience.
• You live the VAI CORE Values of Collaboration, Ownership, Resiliency, and Enthusiasm .

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, or a related field required; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• 10+ years of progressive IT experience with significant experience leading enterprise technology operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing technical teams, including managers and/or highly skilled technical professionals.
• Demonstrated hands-on technical experience supporting complex enterprise infrastructure and network environments.
• Experience supporting large hospitality, entertainment, resort, gaming, healthcare, or other similarly complex 24/7 operational environments strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with enterprise networking, cloud infrastructure, virtualization, Microsoft technologies, high availability, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
• Experience leading complex technology projects, infrastructure modernization, and enterprise implementations.
• Experience managing strategic technology vendors, service providers, contracts, and technology partners.
• Professional certifications such as ITIL, CISSP, Microsoft, AWS, Azure, or related certifications are preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand, sit, or walk for extended periods throughout a large resort environment.
• Ability to lift and transport technology equipment weighing up to 30 pounds.
• Ability to work in equipment rooms, data centers, offices, construction sites, and operational areas throughout the resort.
• Availability to support evenings, weekends, holidays, and emergency operational situations as needed.

VAI Resort recognizes the value of benefits to team members and their families. The company supports employees by offering a comprehensive and competitive benefits program including:

• Medical, dental, and vision
• Company paid life and LTD insurance. Supplemental plans such as group life insurance, critical illness, STD, AD&D and much more.
• Generous PTO including but not limited to vacation, sick, bereavement, and nine (9) holidays.
• 401(k) with company match

*Note: This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position and is not an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with it. Duties and responsibilities may be subject to change.  

VAI Resort is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.