Director of Technology Operations

Director Of Technology Operations

The Director of Technology Operations provides strategic leadership and oversight of the district's core technology infrastructure and operations to ensure reliable, secure, and scalable services that support teaching & learning, and district business functions. This role directs technical staff and leads the planning, design, procurement, implementation, and lifecycle management of wired and wireless networks, servers, enterprise systems, cybersecurity services, voice communications, and cloud-based platforms.

The Director establishes and maintains both short and long-term technology infrastructure strategies, including the district's wide area network, site-based networks, data storage and backup systems, and digital service environments. The position ensures all infrastructure changes align with district goals, compliance requirements, and best practices. Responsible for managing assigned budgets, contracts, and service agreements; overseeing staff vendor partners; and contributing to the development of policies, procedures, and operational standards to support efficient, secure, and sustainable technology services. This position participates as part of the District Leadership Team and Technology Leadership Team under the direction of the Executive Director of Technology.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Direct and prioritize team workload to maintain secure, stable, and high-performing technology infrastructure. Oversee project planning and tracking, communicate project timelines and impacts to staff and other departments, and monitor the work order system to ensure timely resolution of issues.
2. Recruit, hire, and retain qualified staff. Distribute responsibilities aligned with staff capabilities, support ongoing professional development, and lead staff to ensure team performance meets district and department goals.
3. Manage General and Capital Fund budgets for the Technology Infrastructure team. Track and project spending, follow district purchasing procedures, and verify invoices. Ensure licensing, support renewals, and contracts are reviewed regularly and renewed on time.
4. Lead Bond and Levy project planning for technology infrastructure and operations. Develop budget projections for staffing, contractors, and consultants; ensure infrastructure costs and timelines are incorporated into project budgets; and notify affected departments of upcoming changes requiring systems' modernization.
5. Manage contracts, easements, and agreements related to the district's WAN fiber optic cable plant, including timely renewals, new agreements, and termination of unneeded arrangements. Ensure the physical cable plant is documented, inspected regularly, and maintained in accordance with 811/411 requirements. Coordinate cable testing, repairs, and cost monitoring, and work with Business Services on applicable invoicing.
6. Maintain long-range goals for district wide network, voice, cybersecurity, and data services. Regularly review active and planned projects against those goals and available staff capacity. Perform annual review of core systems and processes for account & database management, server/network recovery, data center security design, etc. for long-term best practices. Assist in data collection from email, webfilters, and other systems for authorized investigations and public records requests. Support staff professional development for upcoming changes and engage with other Technology teams and departments to anticipate infrastructure needs.
7. Maintain district cybersecurity policies, procedures, and Incident Response Plans. Conduct annual security reviews benchmarked against CISA and K12SIX standards and develop remediation plans for identified gaps. Ensure data backup procedures are documented and followed. Oversee secure decommissioning of equipment and services in accordance with district surplus and data protection requirements.
8. Maintain and communicate data cable plant construction standards to Capital Projects. Coordinate staff availability for site preparation, cable installation monitoring, and testing. Identify and plan cable plant improvement projects and implement them in accordance with district construction procedures.
9. Attend district meetings and training as necessary or required.

1. Perform other duties as assigned, consistent with scope and intent of employee assignment.

Reporting Relationships: Reports to the Executive Director of Technology Services.

Working Conditions: Required to meet inflexible deadlines; required to concentrate mentally and visually for extended periods of time; occasionally required to deal with distraught or frustrated people; occasionally required to work flexible and irregular hours to complete tasks, occasionally required to lift and carry equipment and supplies up to 50 pounds; required to operate a motor vehicle and drive between sites; manual dexterity and precision required to make network connections and operate a computer.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience

This position requires at a minimum a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems Management, or related field and at least five years' recent experience managing data center operations teams that include a combination of server support, network support, information systems, and cybersecurity. Additional work experience and appropriate certifications may be accepted in place of a Bachelor's degree.

Allowable Substitution

Alternate combinations of education and experience will be evaluated for comparability.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Deep understanding of IT infrastructure including servers, networks, storage, and cloud solutions; ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously; experience managing vendor relationships and negotiating contracts; experience managing multiple budgets and projecting future costs for equipment and services; experience translating customer needs into supportable technical solutions; ability to read, write and communicate technical information effectively; ability to establish effective work priorities and to plan and organize work effectively; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff.

Licenses/Special Requirements

Valid Washington State driver's license.

Salary: 2025-26 Non-Represented (NNRAP) Administrator Salary Schedule (salary will be updated according to the 2026-27 school year salary schedule once it has been approved); Level B; placement on the salary schedule will be determined by Human Resources DOE. FLSA Exempt.

Work Year: 12 month position, 260 days per year, 8.0 hours per day. Benefits: Washington state health insurance coverage (SEBB) and a Washington state retirement package, for eligible positions. Generally, you are eligible for SEBB benefits if you are anticipated to work at least 630 hours per school year (September 1 through August 31).

The School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) benefits include:

• Medical plans with prescription benefits
• Dental plans
• Vision plans
• Life and AD&D insurance
• Long-term disability insurance
• Medical Flexible Spending Arrangement
• Dependent Care Assistance Program

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory results of background checks with prior employers and/or character references; satisfactory outcome of a criminal history background check (includes fingerprinting); satisfactory outcome of sexual misconduct information from prior school district employers; and approval by the Northshore School Board.