Director of Technology Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Who we are: At Arkana Laboratories, everyone has an important role to fill. Come join us and be a part of a team dedicated to making life better for those who need it most.

This place is packed with super-smart people who do their best work together. We work hard every day to advance our understanding of disease and provide world-class care to our patients in hopes of leaving our corner of the world a little better than we found it. While we are committed to improving the lives of thousands of patients, we never lose sight of the realization that they are the reason we get to create change in our field.

Built on generosity, teamwork, and the freedom to try new things, we take great pride in our work. Great ideas come from everywhere in this company and we celebrate each success and failure for the opportunity it gives us to keep reaching. For more than twenty years after our founder, Dr. Patrick Walker, wrote his goals on the back of a napkin, our people, culture, and values have remained strong.

About the Role

The Director of Technology Operations owns three functions: cloud and infrastructure engineering, the technology support desk, and information security. You will report to the Chief Technology Officer and have the opportunity to shape and grow the team.

Arkana is the nation's leading renal pathology practice. We hold one of the richest kidney biopsy datasets in the world, and we are building the infrastructure to expand our training of clinical AI models on it. That includes an NVIDIA Blackwell class GPU cluster that is unique in healthcare and Central Arkansas. It sits alongside a hybrid cloud platform, a laboratory information system being built in house, and usable clinical AI products. You will own the operations behind all of it.

This is a strategic leadership role with real technical stakes. You will set direction across service operations, infrastructure, and security in a HIPAA/HITRUST clinical environment where physicians and patients depend on uptime every day.

What You'll Do

Infrastructure and cloud

• Direct the team designing, deploying, and operating our Blackwell class GPU training cluster, hybrid cloud platform (AWS preferred), and on premises clinical systems
• Own the infrastructure roadmap and budget, including capacity planning for AI compute expansion, colocation and facilities decisions, and the migration path off legacy systems
• Hire the right talent and develop your team as the function grows

Support desk and service operations

• Lead the technology support function through its manager, serving a demanding environment that spans clinical operations, specialized laboratory instrumentation, and business systems
• Own service quality in a high volume ticket environment where the equipment is often unique: laboratory devices, imaging systems, and clinical integrations that don't come with a standard playbook
• Set service standards, drive measurable improvement in resolution and satisfaction, and mature the function as the company continues to grow

Information security

• Own the InfoSec practice, currently a one person function, with accountability for security posture across HIPAA, HITRUST, and CAP requirements
• Support the security and compliance dimensions of our pharmaceutical partnerships and Clinical Trials business line, a distinctive responsibility that spans data protection, sponsor requirements, and regulated research environments
• Set the security roadmap, decide where to grow the practice versus partner with vendors, and represent security in audits and compliance reviews

Vendor and stakeholder leadership

• Own vendor strategy and contract management across managed services, security tooling, and infrastructure providers
• Partner with executive leadership on technology risk, business continuity, and the operational side of the technology roadmap

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years of progressive technology experience, including leading multi-function IT or technology operations organizations through managers
• Demonstrated ownership of infrastructure or platform functions at meaningful scale, with enough technical depth to direct a principal level architect credibly
• Experience with security accountability in a regulated environment; HIPAA, HITRUST, SOC 2, or equivalent frameworks strongly preferred
• Track record of building teams: hiring senior technical talent, developing managers, and running functions through growth
• Budget ownership, vendor negotiation, and executive communication experience

Bonus Points

• Healthcare, laboratory, or clinical technology operations background
• Exposure to GPU, HPC, or ML infrastructure environments
• Experience standing up or maturing a security practice
• Service management maturity work (ITSM implementation, support desk transformation)

Location and Schedule

This position is onsite at our Little Rock headquarters. The lab is here, the hardware is here, and the teams you lead are here. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm, onsite in Little Rock, Arkansas.

What we offer: We know that health is more than doctor visits and life is more than work. We work hard at Arkana but in turn provide competitive salaries and generous benefit offerings.

Specifically, we offer the following benefits to full-time employees:

• Competitive salary
• Generous paid time off and Paid Holidays
• Minimal cost health insurance for you and affordable options for your family
• 401(k) with immediate eligibility and match
• Company-paid life insurance
• Company-paid long term disability coverage
• Affordable vision and dental plans
• Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account availability
• Wellness plan and complimentary yoga classes
• Monthly in-office massages and employer-sponsored lunches

Please see Careers for further information.