IT Director Infrastructure & Operations

Location: Chicago
Posted on: June 23, 2025

Job Description:

JOB SUMMARY: NORC at the University of Chicago seeks an IT Director for its Infrastructure and Operations team. The person in this position will provide leadership in the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the company’s infrastructure for computer, storage, and virtualization, its voice, video, and data networks, and lead the planning and implementation for infrastructure enhancements of our on-premise and cloud environments. This is a functional role that requires combining industry knowledge of best practices in IT service delivery and infrastructure technology with day-to-day management of internal Infrastructure Operations. DEPARTMENT: Information Technology NORC's Information Technology program provides technology services to our staff and clients. Given the critical role technology plays in our day-to-day lives, we are committed to providing professional, high-quality solutions in order to further our collective goal of advancing social science research.? RESPONSIBILITIES: Provide leadership, development, coaching and guidance to across the server and networking teams in achievement of departmental goals. Partner with IT leadership, business unit leaders and service providers to provide strategic solutions and operational efficiencies. Defines strategy and standard operating processes around traditional and cloud operations to meet our service level objectives. Partner with the security compliance team to ensure the infrastructure meets all security compliance requirements. Provide required documentation and participate in all compliance audits. Monitors the effectiveness of the delivery of Infrastructure and Operational Support services and implements process revisions to drive continuous improvement. Participate in all hardware and software designs, evaluation and selection decisions. Formulate and present short term operational and long-term strategic plans to senior management and business leaders. Lead the change control board approving work for our weekly change control window. Participate in the development and review of IT budgets. REQUIRED SKILLS: BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or other comparable degree or equivalent experience Minimum of ten (10) years of demonstrated progressively responsible experience and successful operation of complex information technology environments. Minimum of five (5) years of staff management, development, and mentoring giving performance feedback and regular evaluation for team members to achieve success. Demonstrated individual leadership and team building skills across experience levels and different parts of the organization In-depth understanding of servers, storage and virtualization technologies across major hosting solutions; traditional, public, and private cloud. Knowledge of managing both Windows and Linux server environments. Knowledgeable in current technology trends including the impact of cloud and operations automation on IT Operations, DevOps and Service Delivery. Proficiency in IT Service Management and the ITIL Framework. Experience with enterprise backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity solutions and processes. Oversee periodic controlled failover tests. Proficiency in demand management and capacity forecasting with the ability to develop cost effective plans to meet changing business needs and identify savings opportunities. Experience managing vendor relationships for all infrastructure services and solutions and reviewing vendor contracts and related documents. Experience with data security compliance. Must have strong communications and relationship skills with the ability to interact effectively with senior leadership. Must have experience in creating and managing budgets and participation in the planning and development of annual operational and capital expenditure budgets. SALARY AND BENEFITS: The pay range for this position is $153,000 – $230,000. This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC’s comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to: Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment Dental and vision insurance A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, bereavement leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). NORC’s Approach to Equity and Transparency Pay and benefits transparency helps to reduce wage gaps. As part of our commitment to pay equity and salary transparency, NORC includes a salary range for each job opening along with information about eligible benefit offerings. At NORC, we take a comprehensive approach to setting salary ranges and reviewing raises and promotions, which is overseen by a formal Salary Review Committee (SRC). WHAT WE DO: NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge. WHO WE ARE: For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale. EEO STATEMENT: NORC is an equal opportunity employer. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, and other legally protected characteristics.

Keywords: , Downers Grove , IT Director Infrastructure & Operations, IT / Software / Systems , Chicago, Illinois