IT Operations Manager

Office of Information Technology
IT Operations Manager

At NNU, you will discover a university with a century-long history of providing a transformational education that is committed to helping individuals elevate their God-given purpose as they live into our Here for Good promise. We believe an education is more than an intellectual pursuit; it is more than merely acquiring a degree to get a better job. At Northwest Nazarene University, we believe that a meaningful life is rooted in timeless values and empowered by a close-knit community that embodies these principles for each and every one of our students, staff, and faculty. Together, we realize our potential by committing to a life of service that transforms ourselves, our society, and the world.

Founded in 1913, Northwest Nazarene University is a comprehensive Christian university with over 80 undergraduate areas of study, 18 master’s degrees in six different disciplines, five Education Specialists degrees and two doctoral degrees. NNU has more than 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 6,000 continuing education students and more than 10,000 high school students who participate in the University’s concurrent credit program. Our students are highly motivated and engaged. They tend to be well-rounded, often participating in athletics, music, student life and spiritual development—all while taking their academics seriously. NNU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), a regional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

NNU has a long and deep association with the Church of the Nazarene, and all University faculty and staff commit themselves to living out their faith in a community shaped by serious scholarship and Christian values.

Description of Position 
This position reports to the Director of Information Technology. The IT Operations Manager provides leadership and manages staff in technical, support, special projects and administrative activities. The IT Operations Manager oversees Tier I, II and III IT support, and is instrumental in hiring, job assignments and management of the IT Help Desk team. As a strategic leader in the IT department, this position plays a vital role in the development of strategy, negotiation of contracts and the design of IT solutions. This position collaborates with others in IT and departments on campus to ensure functional delivery of networks and systems.

Essential Functions

• Lead IT support staff, participate in hiring, training, coaching and development for all IT support staff and student workers
• Plan, direct and coordinate the design, installation, upgrades, configurations and connectivity of computer systems and network infrastructure on campus
• Manage the IT Help Desk, resolve issues escalated by IT Technicians 
• Directs the planning and implementation of hardware, software, and network systems to support learning, teaching, safety and security
• Assess system performance and recommend improvements
• Manage contracts with vendors (e.g. development platforms, telecommunication companies, password managers) and software licenses
• Develop IT policies, procedure, and standards
• Oversee data backup and system security operations (e.g. user authorization, firewalls, disaster recovery plans)
• Drive sustainability for IT resource planning, technology solutions and best practices
• Manage IT vendor contracts, NDA’s, SLA’s, cost negotiations, service and maintenance contracts
• Work closely with Director of IT on the IT budget to support of campus technology
• Lead a staff of high-level technicians to increase knowledge with training, experience and opportunities to work with new and advanced technologies
• Leads campus communications and campus IT training including outages, services offered, maintenance schedules and other communications or training as needed

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, or science/technology discipline preferred
• Proven experience in IT Operations, and a minimum of three years IT or technical experience
• Thorough knowledge of network and cloud computing
• Team leadership experience
• Strong organizational skills
• Outstanding communication skills, including the ability to lead a team, conduct training, and communicate technical information to a wide variety of constituents 
• Track record of delivering high customer service 
• The University requires that all candidates be Christians (preferably in the Wesleyan tradition) and must be in agreement with the mission and lifestyle values of NNU

Compensation
The salary will be determined by the educational background and experience of each applicant, depending on experience. Full-time personnel will be offered a benefits package including health, vision, and dental insurance for employee and family, life and disability insurance, holidays, sick leave, annual leave, flex spending, tuition benefits for employee and dependents, opportunities for professional development, and a retirement program.