Head of IT Operations - Fully Remote

Position Title: Manager/Director of IT Operations Location: Reports To: Chief Information and Digital Officer

The Manager/Director of IT Operations is Rural Metro Fire’s designated Information Security Officer and owns cybersecurity, enterprise infrastructure (network, server, cloud, and endpoint), identity and access management, business continuity and disaster recovery, and IT service management for a distributed, 24/7 public safety organization. The role governs the managed service provider (MSP) that delivers the security operations center (SOC), IT Helpdesk, and project-level engineering support, retaining ownership of strategy, standards, risk, and outcomes while holding the MSP accountable for contracted services.

This role does not administer business or public safety applications (e.g., CAD, RMS, ERP, and SaaS business systems); those remain with their designated application owners and administrators. As Security Officer, it sets and enforces the security requirements those systems must meet and provides the secure infrastructure, oversight, and escalation support they depend on.

MSP Oversight, Service Management, and Team Leadership
Own the MSP relationship for SOC, Helpdesk, and project support: govern scope, SLAs, escalation paths, and performance against the master services agreement; lead operational and quarterly business reviews.
Own IT service management processes (incident, problem, change, request, asset) across internal and MSP-delivered services; ensure Helpdesk quality for a distributed, 24/7 workforce.
Lead and develop internal IT operations staff assigned to the role; partner with, but do not administer on behalf of, business and public safety application owners

Cybersecurity and Risk Management
Serve as the company’s Information Security Officer: accountable to executive leadership for security posture, with authority to set security requirements for all systems and data, and primary point of contact for auditors, regulators, cyber insurance carriers, and law enforcement.
Own the cybersecurity program—strategy, policies, standards, and risk decisions aligned to NIST CSF/CIS Controls—and direct the MSP-provided SOC that executes monitoring, detection, vulnerability and patch management, and endpoint and email security; Own identity and access governance (Entra ID/Active Directory, MFA, conditional access, privileged access, access reviews) and serve as incident commander for security events, coordinating response with the MSP SOC, cyber insurance carrier, and legal partners.
ensure compliance with HIPAA (where applicable), PCI DSS, and cyber insurance requirements, and manage security awareness training and vendor security risk.

Infrastructure, Cloud, and Network Operations
Own the architecture, lifecycle, and operation of networks (LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi, firewalls), servers and virtualization, storage, backup, and cloud platforms (Microsoft 365, Azure).
Ensure high availability, redundancy, and performance for mission-critical systems at headquarters, fire stations, dispatch, and remote sites.
Lead backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning and testing with defined recovery time and recovery point objectives.
Standardize the endpoint lifecycle (Intune/MDM) for office, station, and field devices; Field Operations Technology Modernization (Station Alerting, Radio, and CAD Infrastructure)
Support modernizing field operations technology, including station alerting systems, radio and dispatch communications, mobile data/MDT connectivity, and the network, server, and integration platforms that CAD and related systems run on.
Design and deliver resilient, redundant connectivity and infrastructure for fire stations and apparatus (primary and backup WAN, cellular/LTE and FirstNet, Wi-Fi, power protection) so alerting, radio, and CAD services remain available during outages.
Lead evaluation, selection, and implementation of station alerting platforms and radio system upgrades (e.g., IP-based alerting, radio-over-IP, console and gateway integrations) in partnership with operations leadership, dispatch, and vendors.
Coordinate maintenance windows, change control, and disaster recovery testing for dispatch-critical infrastructure with operations leadership and vendors.

Vendor, Budget, Projects, and Governance
Develop and manage the IT operations budget, procurement, licensing, and contracts; Lead infrastructure and security projects, directing MSP project resources and ensuring scope, quality, security, and documentation standards are met.
Develop and enforce IT policies (acceptable use, access control, data protection, retention, change management); report security posture, risk, and project status to executive leadership.

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Seven or more years of progressive IT experience, including three or more years leading IT operations, infrastructure, or security teams (Director level: ten or more years, including five or more years of leadership).
Experience building or maturing a cybersecurity program, including framework alignment, vulnerability management, identity and access management, and incident response.
Microsoft ecosystem experience: Windows Server, Active Directory, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, Azure, Intune, and Defender.
Strong networking and backup/disaster recovery knowledge.
ITSM/ITIL experience and vendor, contract, and budget management.
Excellent communication skills, including translating technical risk into business terms for executives.

Experience managing an MSP or MSSP in a co-managed model, including SLA governance, service reviews, and contract management.
CISSP, CISM, CompTIA Security+, CCNA/CCNP, Microsoft Azure/Microsoft 365 security, or ITIL certifications.
Experience overseeing an outsourced SOC or MDR service; Experience in a 24/7, multi-site public safety or other mission-critical environment; risk-based prioritization of work and investments.
Communicates clearly with executives, operational leaders, field personnel, and technical staff; Onsite at company headquarters in Huntsville, AL, with periodic travel to fire stations, dispatch, and operational sites.
Prolonged computer work; Employment is contingent on a background check, including CJIS fingerprinting.

Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties required by their supervisor. This document provides an overview of the position currently available and is not an employment contract. Rural Metro Fire provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.