Manager of Technology Operations

Job Description

The Finance Information Technology and Innovation (FITI) department leverages technology to improve and sustain the financial operating environment of the Vice President for Finance Division and its university-wide constituents. FITI is seeking an experienced and highly skilled technology professional to provide technical leadership, operational accountability, and hands-on support for the technology services supporting approximately 200 administrative users.

The Manager of Technology Operations serves as a senior technical leader responsible for the design, integration, security, and day-to-day reliability of endpoint, server, virtual, and cloud-based environments, while remaining actively engaged in hands-on technical and help desk support. This role intentionally blends leadership and direct contribution, requiring independent judgment to resolve complex technical issues, lead implementations, and ensure technology services remain secure, resilient, and aligned with institutional priorities.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & Hands-On Engineering

• Provide technical leadership for endpoint, server, virtual, and cloud environments, personally performing hands-on configuration, troubleshooting, maintenance, and remediation for complex or high-impact systems.
• Lead and directly contribute to system integrations, upgrades, migrations, and security initiatives, ensuring services are not compromised during implementation.
• Serve as a senior technical authority for diagnosing and resolving complex issues that exceed routine support capabilities.
• Define, document, and enforce technical standards, procedures, and operational policies to ensure consistency, security, and long-term sustainability.
• Monitor emerging technologies and industry best practices; evaluate applicability, risk, and cost; and recommend enhancements based on organizational needs.

Help Desk Operations & Direct User Support

• Maintain direct responsibility for help desk operations supporting Finance users.
• Perform hands-on help desk support, including direct ticket resolution, advanced troubleshooting, and user assistance for complex or sensitive issues.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for high-impact incidents, outages, or service disruptions requiring advanced technical expertise and decision-making.
• Provide highly responsive, professional, and customer-focused support through in-person, phone, and electronic channels.
• Model best practices in documentation, communication, and customer service, setting expectations for the support team.

Operational Oversight & Service Delivery

• Oversee daily technology operations to ensure systems and services meet availability, security, and performance expectations.
• Monitor service desk metrics, incident trends, and recurring issues; perform root cause analysis and drive continuous improvement.
• Ensure service level agreements (SLAs) and customer experience expectations are met or exceeded.
• Ensure compliance with institutional policies, security standards, and regulatory requirements.

Supervision, Workforce Development & Planning

• Supervise, mentor, and provide technical leadership to Computer Support Specialists and Computer and Server Technology Specialists.
• Plan and prioritize work assignments, balancing operational needs, project deadlines, and hands-on workload.
• Establish performance expectations, evaluate outcomes, and provide coaching and feedback.
• Identify current and future skill needs; develop and support training and professional development plans to maintain appropriate expertise across the team.

Strategic Planning, Collaboration & Resource Management

• Participate in strategic planning related to technology services, infrastructure modernization, security, and service delivery.
• Collaborate with Finance leadership, Central IT, vendors, and campus partners on cross-functional initiatives.
• Contribute to budgeting, cost analysis, and resource planning for technology operations and projects.
• Engage stakeholders on complex technology needs, recommend solutions, and support adoption of systems and tools.