Director IT Operations

We are CR! Called here by a unique mission, a foundation in Jesuit education, and the opportunity to be part of an inspiring and nurturing community, the faculty and staff define the day to day experience at Cristo Rey, enabling our students’ learning and success. Cristo Rey supports employees at all life stages as long-term members of the school family, and invests in opportunities that allow them to bring leading-edge practices into every classroom. Faculty can flourish through flexible instructional models and curriculum development. Cristo Rey is located in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago’s lower west side—a vibrant, energetic community, steeped in Latino culture. Benefits we offer Comprehensive Health, Dental, and Vision plans Life & Disability Insurance 401k plan with matching contributions Robust Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Competitive compensation benchmarked against like schools Tuition assistance opportunities for continuing education Paid holidays, accrued vacation, paid time off Professional Development and Adult Faith Formation Free on-site parking and on-site fitness center And many more! Our Mission Founded in 1996, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School provides a Catholic, college preparatory education and professional work experience to students from Spanish speaking families with limited financial means. Our Vision Cristo Rey advances the human and intellectual capacities, as well as the religious and cultural heritage, of the immigrant families we serve. Through our Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP), faith-based college preparatory education, and Spanish heritage language curriculum, our goal is to prepare students to succeed in college and to assume leadership roles in the civic, religious, business, and cultural life of our city and nation. As committed alumni of a Jesuit high school, graduates become men and women for others who are open to growth, religious, intellectually competent, loving, committed to justice, and work experienced. Our Model To make the school both affordable and sustainable, Cristo Rey pioneered the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP) model for education that has inspired a national network of 40 schools serving low-income communities across the country. The CWSP enables students to earn a portion of their annual tuition by working one day per week for a corporation in the Chicago area - making a quality, college preparatory education possible for students who could not otherwise afford it. Position: Director IT Operations Location: Chicago, IL Job Id: 209 # of Openings: 1 Job Title: Director of IT Operations Department: Technology Classification: Exempt The Director of IT Operations is responsible for the reliable, secure, and well-governed operation of the school’s technology environment. This role focuses on the school’s core technology environment, including infrastructure, vendor management, systems governance, device lifecycle management, compliance and implementation support. This is not an instructional technology role. The Director of IT Operations, partners closely with the Director of Instructional Technology but is accountable for infrastructure stability, operational discipline and institutional systems reliability. Success will be defined by improved system reliability, stronger vendor accountability, reduced reactive support volume, and increased operational discipline across the school’s technology environment. Primary Responsibilities IT Operations & Infrastructure Oversee day-to-day operation of network, identity management, endpoint management, servers and core administrative systems. Maintain security standards, patching, backups, access controls and monitoring systems. Serve as escalation point for complex technical issues. Establish documentation and training across team member and vendors to reduce institutional knowledge risk. Standardize and streamline technology workflows to reduce operational friction. Information Security & Compliance Oversee implementation and enforcement of technology security policies in coordination with MSP and leadership. Ensure compliance with data protection laws and school policies. Coordinate security posture management, remediation efforts and incident response planning in partnership with MSP, vendors, partners and school leadership. Review AI-related tools for data privacy and compliance in coordination with instructional leadership. Serve as primary liaison to managed service provider and technology vendors. Review scopes of work, invoices, contracts and service levels. Hold vendors accountable for performance and cost discipline. Identify opportunities to streamline services and reduce unnecessary spend. Manage procurement and renewal of software licenses and subscriptions. Systems Governance & Intake Own and enforce the school’s technology intake and prioritization process. Evaluate new technology requests for clarity of need, institutional value and sustainability. Prevent unmanaged tool proliferation and low-value custom development. Maintain documentation of systems architecture, workflows and decision rights. Establish guardrails and review processes for emerging technologies, including AI tools used outside the classroom. Device Lifecycle & Support Lead student and staff device lifecycle planning, deployment and replacement strategy. Develop and monitor support workflows for devices. Provide escalated troubleshooting support when necessary, particularly during peak periods. Implement ticketing and service management systems to track and reduce reactive support volume. Recruit and supervise student technology workers or support programs. Oversee operational standards and reliability for classroom, office and event A/V systems, ensuring consistent functionality and alignment with infrastructure and network standards. Collaborate with Director of Facilities on HVAC controls, access systems, cameras and intercom integration. Microsoft 365 & Collaboration Environment Administer and optimize the Microsoft 365 environment (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive). Establish standards for file management and collaboration. Improve information architecture and reduce redundancy and shadow systems. Technology Project Leadership Serve as internal project lead for technology initiatives, including infrastructure upgrades, system improvements, and potential administrative system implementations as priorities evolve. Coordinate stakeholders, timelines and vendor accountability. Budget & Asset Management Assist in development and monitoring of annual technology budget. Maintain comprehensive inventory of hardware, software licenses and subscriptions. Provide visibility into replacement cycles and future capital planning needs. Manage E-Rate and technology-related grant applications and reporting. Qualifications 7+ years of experience in IT operations or systems management. Demonstrated success holding external vendors and MSPs accountable for service, cost control and outcomes. Demonstrated experience implementing operational processes, governance structures or service management improvements in a technology environment. Strong experience administering and optimizing Microsoft 365 environments in a collaborative setting. Experience with endpoint management and infrastructure oversight. Comfortable operating hands‑on capacity within a small organization. Experience in nonprofit or K‑12 environments preferred but not required. Commitment to cross‑train team members to promote operational continuity, and shared knowledge. Skills & Abilities Demonstrates sound judgement and high level of professional accountability in decision making. Confident in upholding standards while exercising discretion when making difficult decisions. Effectively balances hands‑on technical execution with strategic operational oversight. Leads with strong organizational discipline, process orientation, and attention to detail. Maintains composure and provides steady leadership during incidents, high‑pressure situations or periods of change. Experience communicating technical concepts and operational tradeoffs to non‑technical leaders. Thank you for your interest in employment at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Cristo Rey is committed to diversity, open and honest hiring practices, justice in compensation and benefits, treating each person with respect and dignity, providing appropriate assistance in each person's growth and spiritual development, and acting as a just steward of the resources entrusted to us. In accordance with the regulations of the State of Illinois and the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cristo Rey conducts background checks on all employees, contractors and volunteers. In accordance with the regulations of the State of Illinois, all new employees will also be required to submit fingerprints. Cristo Rey provides equal employment opportunity for all qualified persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, ethnicity, ancestry, military status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, veteran status or any other classification protected by applicable law. #J-18808-Ljbffr Cristo Rey Jesuit High School