Sr. Director Infrastructure

Excelsior University is seeking a visionary and results-driven Senior Director of Infrastructure & Operations to lead and transform the university’s technology foundation during a period of growth and expansion. This executive-level leader will provide strategic direction and oversight for all infrastructure and operations services, including network and telecom, cloud and hosting environments, end-user computing and collaboration, enterprise application support (ERP and other systems), and IT operations.

The Senior Director will play a critical role in enabling the university’s expansion to hybrid sites and integrating acquired technology platforms while ensuring infrastructure is scalable, resilient, secure, and future-ready. The role emphasizes proactive, data-driven, and business-oriented leadership, leveraging industry best practices, ITIL frameworks, agile methodologies, and continuous improvement principles. This leader will balance solidifying operational fundamentals with driving innovation, AI-driven automation, and advanced analytics to optimize performance, reduce risk, and elevate team maturity. The role is also required to build and sustain a high-performing team aligned with Excelsior University’s mission, values, and culture.

This is a full-time hybrid role with a minimum of two required days at Excelsior's home office of 7 Columbia Circle, Albany, NY, with the remainder of the days worked from home.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Develop and articulate a comprehensive infrastructure strategy aligned with the university’s growth, digital transformation initiatives, and mission-critical priorities.
• Lead architecture, design, and implementation of scalable, secure, and resilient infrastructure solutions across campuses, hybrid sites, and cloud environments.
• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies, trends, and vendors, with a focus on leveraging AI, machine learning, and automation to optimize operations and service delivery.
• Develop long-term infrastructure roadmaps, including budgeting, resource planning, and risk management.
• Drive transformative change through proactive planning, measurable outcomes, and continuous improvement.

Cloud Transformation & Hybrid Environments

• Accelerate and optimize the university’s cloud adoption strategy (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), integrating on-premise and cloud resources efficiently.
• Implement cloud-native principles, containerization, and serverless architectures where appropriate.
• Manage strategic relationships with cloud providers, ensuring alignment with university needs, cost optimization, and security compliance.

Network & Connectivity

• Oversee the design, implementation, and management of secure, high-performance networks supporting all campuses, hybrid sites, and remote users.
• Implement software-defined networking (SDN), network virtualization, and other advanced networking practices to optimize connectivity, performance, and scalability.
• Ensure robust LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi, and private network performance to support academic and administrative operations.

Data Center & Edge Computing

• Strategically manage and optimize data center footprints, including modernization and consolidation initiatives.
• Develop and implement edge computing strategies to meet real-time operational and academic technology needs.
• Ensure infrastructure aligns with institutional goals for efficiency, resiliency, and sustainability.

Cybersecurity & Resilience

• Collaborate closely with the CISO to embed security into all infrastructure services and operations.
• Ensure disaster recovery, business continuity, and high availability strategies are robust and operationally effective.
• Leverage AI and predictive analytics for threat detection, risk mitigation, and proactive incident prevention.

Operational Excellence, Automation & AI Innovation

• Drive operational efficiency through Infrastructure as Code (IaC), orchestration, AI-driven operations (AIOps), and predictive analytics.
• Establish and monitor KPIs, SLAs, and performance trends to ensure proactive, measurable service management.
• Introduce innovative solutions that reduce operational toil, accelerate incident resolution, and improve service quality, while maintaining rigorous core operational standards.
• Implement robust monitoring, alerting, and incident response processes grounded in industry best practices.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of infrastructure architects, engineers, and operations specialists.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and operational rigor.
• Manage vendor relationships, contract negotiations, and partnerships with technology providers.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Partner with other ITS leaders (CIO, CISO, Applications, BI, Help Desk, Web Services) and university stakeholders to align infrastructure services with institutional priorities.
• Communicate complex technical concepts and strategies clearly to non-technical audiences and executive leadership.
• Support institutional initiatives by projecting impact, enabling informed decision-making, and ensuring operational readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive leadership experience in infrastructure, cloud, and operations management.
• Demonstrated success in building high-performing, proactive, and forward-looking teams aligned with institutional mission and culture.
• Proven experience in implementing ITIL-based service management, agile practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Deep technical expertise across hybrid/multi-cloud environments, enterprise networking, end-user computing, storage, compute, and application support.
• Experience in leveraging AI, machine learning, or analytics to improve operational efficiency, reliability, and performance.
• Track record of leading complex technology transformations, including cloud adoption, data center modernization, and network optimization.
• Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, resource planning, and vendor management.
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience in higher education or similarly complex, mission-driven organizations.
• Experience leading technology integration following mergers, acquisitions, or multi-site expansions.
• Knowledge of regulatory and accreditation requirements (FERPA, SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR).
• Demonstrated success in leading data-driven operations and infrastructure modernization initiatives.

Key Competencies

• Visionary Leadership: Anticipates future needs, develops strategy, and guides infrastructure forward.
• Transformational Change Agent: Drives modernization, operational excellence, and measurable outcomes.
• Innovation & AI Expertise: Applies AI, automation, and analytics to improve infrastructure performance while maintaining operational fundamentals.
• Business & Customer Orientation: Aligns technology solutions with institutional priorities, ensuring user impact is positive and measurable.
• Data-Driven Decision‑Making: Uses metrics, analytics, and trend data to guide strategic and operational decisions.
• Collaboration & Influence: Builds alignment across IT functions and institutional stakeholders.

The hiring salary range for this position is $120,000.00 - $135,000.00. The hiring salary range above represents the University's good faith estimate at the time of posting.

#J-18808-Ljbffr