IT Director

Scope of the role:

The IT Director is responsible for ensuring consistent, secure and efficient technology operations that are both in-house and vendor-managed. This involves managing a small technology team as well as interacting and coordinating with application owners throughout the organization.  The IT Director will be tasked with establishing and developing in-house capacity and structure for managing both current and new technology solutions. The successful candidate is a strong communicator and collaborator who is committed to identifying and implementing practical solutions to meet business needs.

Primary Responsibilities:

IT strategy and business alignment:

• Support the definition of a multi-year IT Strategy covering all aspects of the organization, with the vision of how the organization’s demand for information and systems will be met by technology, including hardware, software, telecoms and services such as IT operations, systems development, and user support.
• Understand business needs and organizational strategy to develop and maintain an application architecture that can be used to maintain stable IT operations as well as guide technology investment decisions.
• Work closely with management to understand and enhance business processes with technology solutions; maintain a strong awareness of the external environment to help identify new solutions.

IT operations

• Manage a small team of technology resources with a focus on tactical day-to-day operations as well as longer-term professional development
• Analyze workflow, design and develop software solutions to support the firm’s operational functions
• Build business solutions that allow the firm to manage and securely share files and folders
• Update and maintain technology processes, standards and policies
• Review, test procedures, and maintain manuals for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity program
• Ensure processes are in place to monitor system performance and issues; report on trends and identify and resolve issues, as necessary

IT initiatives

• Establish and manage technology plans and budgets including the portfolio of change initiatives required to implement the IT strategy
• Assist the organization with managing project delivery and change across business groups and throughout all levels within the organization
• Work with the business to capture and translate business requirements for new and existing services to ensure there are sufficient technology resources to meet the current and future demands
• Work with external vendors and partners to ensure delivery and support of projects on time, on budget, and meeting business needs
• Support the organization in establishing a data governance framework and data model as part of an initiative to enhance business intelligence capabilities within the organization

Qualifications/Knowledge/Skills

• 5+ years of experience managing IT Operations in a small to medium sized environment
• Significant experience successfully delivering IT projects, particularly those requiring tight integration with the business
• Knowledge of standard IT operating and security standards and experience developing and rolling out new protocols
• Exceptional and proven leadership capabilities and ability to foster strong relationships across business and technology
• Strategic thinking with strong business acumen, accountability and financial proficiency
• Experience in the Investment Management industry and/or with SS&C systems is a plus