Director of IT Operations (Support, Infrastructure & Applications)

IT Director, Direct-Hire Location: New York City, NY (Maiden Lane / Wall Street) Work Model: Onsite 5 days a week for the first 60 days; transitioning to a hybrid model of 4 days onsite per week thereafter. Additional Locations Supported: Manhattan, NY; Irvine, CA; Miami, FL; PA About the Role We are seeking a hands-on, business-minded IT Director for our client to regain control of their IT operations, reduce the overdependence on outsourced vendors, and build a proactive, scalable technology function. In this role, you will be the strategic and operational leader of our technology environment. You will be tasked with stabilizing current IT operations, leading a secure cloud transformation, and driving the automation of manual legal and business workflows. The ideal candidate is a "straight-talker" who can bridge the gap between complex infrastructure concepts and practical business solutions, collaborating effectively with attorneys, support staff, and firm leadership. Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership & Transformation Develop and own a scalable technology roadmap that aligns with the firm’s growth and long-term vision. Transition the IT department from a reactive support model to a proactive, service-oriented function. Create and maintain comprehensive IT documentation, including application inventories, hardware/software update roadmaps, ticket tracking trends, and security action plans. Provide clear, jargon-free reporting to firm leadership regarding IT priorities, project statuses, and systemic issues. Vendor & Operations Management Take ownership of outsourced IT and cybersecurity vendor relationships, holding them accountable to SLAs and contract terms. Bring critical operational knowledge back in-house to reduce over-reliance on external managed service providers. Oversee daily IT operations, managing internal staff (including a long-tenured IT Manager and support personnel) while fostering a collaborative, accountable team culture. Process Automation & Systems Integration Evaluate current disparate systems across multiple offices and implement a centralized, standardized structure. Drive workflow automation to solve highly manual legal and administrative processes, including new matter intake, conflict checks, client/matter setup, and complex billing workflows. Connect multiple existing applications to eliminate duplicate data entry and manual scanning/editing. Infrastructure, Cloud & Cybersecurity Lead the firm’s transition to a secure, cloud-based infrastructure, leaning heavily into the Microsoft and Azure ecosystems. Oversee infrastructure operations, ensuring high application visibility, reliability, and system performance. Manage modern device management initiatives, including Intune and MDM/MAM deployments. Ensure rigorous cybersecurity oversight, implementing necessary security actions following cyber assessments and penetration tests. Required Skills & Experience Balanced Technical Expertise: A blended background consisting of roughly 50% application engineering/management and 50% infrastructure oversight. Cloud & Infrastructure: Proven hands-on experience driving cloud transformation, specifically within Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Intune, and MDM/MAM environments. Workflow Automation: Strong background in systems integration and business process automation, ideally within a legal or professional services environment. Project Management: Demonstrated ability to run technical project delivery. (PMP certification is a plus, but practical delivery experience is required). Vendor Negotiation: Strong track record of managing enterprise vendors, auditing contracts, and ensuring firm-first accountability. Helpdesk Management: Experience modernizing helpdesk/ticketing systems, implementing preventative maintenance, and tracking issue trends.