Manager, IT Operations

Remote - Corp - Tustin, CA 92782 Overview Position Type: Full Time Job Shift: Day Category: Information Technology Description Own Stability. Lead Operations. Protect Performance. LIBERTY Dental Plan is seeking a Manager, IT Operations to oversee the stability, security, and reliability of our production IT environment. This role is responsible for end‑to‑end production operations and plays a key leadership role in ensuring systems are resilient, supportable, and compliant within a regulated healthcare environment. The Manager, IT Operations partners closely with application delivery, infrastructure, and security teams to lead incident response, manage operational risk, and ensure operational readiness across all production deployments. This position requires a hands‑on leader who can balance strategic oversight with execution, communicate effectively during high‑impact situations, and drive continuous improvement across IT operations. What You’ll Do Operational Ownership & Production Management Own end‑to‑end production operations , including application workloads, batch jobs, integrations, infrastructure, and cloud environments across multiple U.S. time zones. Maintain ownership of production job schedules and inter‑system dependencies , ensuring reliable execution of batch, ETL, claims, and downstream processes. Establish and manage alerts and monitoring for job overruns, execution failures, performance degradation, and systemic slowness; ensure proactive remediation. Plan, approve, and communicate all planned production downtimes , coordinating with business stakeholders to minimize operational and member impact. Oversee production maintenance activities , including data purges, archiving, and system housekeeping aligned with retention and compliance policies. Incident, Triage & Root Cause Management Lead production incident response and operational triage calls , ensuring timely resolution, clear communication, and stakeholder alignment. Own Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for significant incidents, driving corrective and preventive actions across teams. Track incident trends and systemic risks , escalating recurring issues and recommending long‑term remediation. Release, Change & Access Governance Own production release timelines , coordinating with application, infrastructure, and vendor teams to ensure controlled, predictable deployments. Provide oversight of business and IT change management , identifying cross‑system, downstream, and regulatory impacts prior to approval. Approve and control all production administrative access , ensuring access is locked down, auditable, least‑privileged, and compliant with security policies before any changes are made. Operational Readiness & Project Engagement Partner with project and delivery teams from Architecture Review Board (ARB) onward to ensure operational considerations are embedded early. Assess and approve operational readiness (monitoring, runbooks, support models, SLAs, access, rollback plans) before any production deployment. Act as the final operational gate for production go‑lives, ensuring systems are supportable, resilient, and compliant. Compliance, Audit & Resilience Support and participate in audits, security scans, and regulatory assessments , including HIPAA and healthcare compliance requirements. Lead or support Disaster Recovery (DR) exercises, failover testing, and resilience planning ; ensure lessons learned are implemented. Ensure operational processes, documentation, and controls meet internal governance and external audit expectations . Ensure compliance with HIPAA and other regulatory requirements across network and infrastructure operations, maintaining secure system configurations and enforcing access controls in alignment with corporate security policies. Vendor & Team Leadership Manage vendor and managed‑service‑provider operational performance , ensuring adherence to SLAs, OLAs, and contractual commitments. Lead and mentor IT operations staff , setting clear expectations around accountability, escalation, and production ownership. Drive continuous improvement through automation, standardization, and operational maturity. Reporting & Metrics Define and report on operational KPIs , including availability, incident trends, release success rates, batch/job performance, and mean time to resolution (MTTR). Provide regular operational insights and risk assessments to IT leadership and business stakeholders. What You Bring Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science , or a related field 6+ years of experience in IT operations, including at least 2 years in a leadership role Experience supporting production environments in healthcare, insurance, or other regulated industries Strong knowledge of application management, infrastructure management, cloud technologies, and ITIL best practices Experience with monitoring, alerting, and automation tools Knowledge of cybersecurity principles, access controls, and disaster recovery planning Proven ability to lead incident response efforts and perform root cause analysis Strong problem‑solving, organizational, and communication skills Ability to collaborate effectively with cross‑functional technical and business teams Experience managing vendors or managed service providers in a production environment Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting healthcare or dental insurance platforms Familiarity with provider network systems and claims or batch processing environments Experience driving operational maturity through standardization and automation Why LIBERTY Dental Plan At LIBERTY Dental Plan, technology plays a critical role in supporting access to care, operational excellence, and regulatory compliance. Our IT teams are trusted partners to the business, responsible for keeping systems stable, secure, and resilient in a highly regulated healthcare environment. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to: Own production stability for mission‑critical healthcare systems Influence how IT operations support members, providers, and business partners Collaborate with experienced leaders across technology, security, and delivery teams Drive meaningful improvements in reliability, resilience, and operational maturity LIBERTY offers a collaborative environment where accountability, continuous improvement, and thoughtful decision‑making are valued. Work Environment Professional, fast‑paced, and operationally focused Work involves incident response coordination, release planning, change governance, and cross‑functional collaboration Requires attention to detail, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities May include participation in on‑call rotations or after‑hours support for critical production events Operates within a regulated healthcare and compliance‑driven environment Ready to Lead with Purpose? If you are a hands‑on IT operations leader who takes ownership of system stability, thrives in complex environments, and values operational excellence, we invite you to apply. Join LIBERTY Dental Plan and play a key role in ensuring the technology that supports our members and partners is reliable, secure, and built for the future. Qualifications Location Our employees are distributed in office locations in multiple markets across the United States. We are unable to hire or allow employees to work outside of the United States. What Liberty Offers Competitive pay structure and savings options to help you reach your financial goals. Excellent 401(k) retirement benefits , including employer match, Roth IRA options, immediate vesting during the Safe Harbor period, and access to professional financial advice through Financial Engines. Affordable medical insurance , with low-cost premiums for employee-only coverage. Liberty subsidizes the cost for eligible dependents enrolled in the plan. 100% employer-paid dental coverage for employees and eligible dependents. Vision insurance with low-cost premiums for employee-only coverage and dependents. Company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance , equal to one times your base salary, with options to purchase additional supplemental coverage. Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses. Voluntary benefit programs , including accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity insurance. Long-term disability coverage. Expansive wellness programs , including company‑wide wellness challenges, BurnAlong memberships, and gym discounts. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support mental health and well‑being. Generous vacation and sick leave policies, with the ability to roll over unused time. 10 paid company holidays. Tuition reimbursement for eligible educational expenses. Remote or hybrid work options available for various positions. Compensation In the spirit of pay transparency, the base salary range for this position is $130,000 - $150,000 a year, not including fringe benefits or potential bonuses. At Liberty, your final base salary will be determined by factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and experience. We are committed to pay equity and also consider the internal equity of our current team members when making final compensation decisions. Please note that the range listed represents the full base salary range for this role. Typical offers are not made at the top of the range to allow for future salary growth. Liberty Dental Plan commits to maintaining a work environment that acknowledges all individuals within the workplace and will continue to engage in practices that are inclusive of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We strive to have every person within the organization have a sense of belonging while encouraging individuals to unleash their full potential. Liberty will leverage diverse perspectives in building high performance teams and organizational culture. Liberty Dental Plan will continue to strengthen and develop external partnerships by providing equitable health care access and improving population health in the communities we serve. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non‑discrimination in employment, recruitment, promotions, and transfers, as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements. Sponsorship and Relocation Specifications Liberty Dental Plan is an Equal Opportunity Employer / VETS / Disabled. No relocation assistance or sponsorship available at this time. #J-18808-Ljbffr