Manager or Director of IT Operations

Position Title: Manager/Director of IT Operations

Location: Huntsville, AL / Onsite

Reports To: Chief Information and Digital Officer

Position Summary

The Manager/Director of IT Operations is Rural Metro Fire's designated Information Security Officer and owns cybersecurity, enterprise infrastructure (network, server, cloud, and endpoint), identity and access management, business continuity and disaster recovery, and IT service management for a distributed, 24/7 public safety organization. The role governs the managed service provider (MSP) that delivers the security operations center (SOC), IT Helpdesk, and project-level engineering support, retaining ownership of strategy, standards, risk, and outcomes while holding the MSP accountable for contracted services.

This role does not administer business or public safety applications (e.g., CAD, RMS, ERP, and SaaS business systems); those remain with their designated application owners and administrators. As Security Officer, it sets and enforces the security requirements those systems must meet and provides the secure infrastructure, oversight, and escalation support they depend on.

Title and level (Manager or Director) will be determined by the selected candidate's experience and scope of prior leadership.

Essential Functions

• MSP Oversight, Service Management, and Team Leadership

• Own the MSP relationship for SOC, Helpdesk, and project support: govern scope, SLAs, escalation paths, and performance against the master services agreement; lead operational and quarterly business reviews.

• Own IT service management processes (incident, problem, change, request, asset) across internal and MSP-delivered services; establish KPIs and reporting; ensure Helpdesk quality for a distributed, 24/7 workforce.

• Define and maintain the MSP/internal division of responsibilities (RACI), escalation paths, and after-hours coverage.

• Lead and develop internal IT operations staff assigned to the role; partner with, but do not administer on behalf of, business and public safety application owners

• Cybersecurity and Risk Management

• Serve as the company's Information Security Officer: accountable to executive leadership for security posture, with authority to set security requirements for all systems and data, and primary point of contact for auditors, regulators, cyber insurance carriers, and law enforcement.

• Own the cybersecurity program-strategy, policies, standards, and risk decisions aligned to NIST CSF/CIS Controls-and direct the MSP-provided SOC that executes monitoring, detection, vulnerability and patch management, and endpoint and email security; set requirements and SLAs and hold the MSP accountable for results.

• Own identity and access governance (Entra ID/Active Directory, MFA, conditional access, privileged access, access reviews) and serve as incident commander for security events, coordinating response with the MSP SOC, cyber insurance carrier, and legal partners.

• Understand and apply CMMC and NIST standards and lead assessment readiness; ensure compliance with HIPAA (where applicable), PCI DSS, and cyber insurance requirements, and manage security awareness training and vendor security risk.

• Infrastructure, Cloud, and Network Operations

• Own the architecture, lifecycle, and operation of networks (LAN/WAN, Wi-Fi, firewalls), servers and virtualization, storage, backup, and cloud platforms (Microsoft 365, Azure).

• Ensure high availability, redundancy, and performance for mission-critical systems at headquarters, fire stations, dispatch, and remote sites.

• Lead backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning and testing with defined recovery time and recovery point objectives.

• Standardize the endpoint lifecycle (Intune/MDM) for office, station, and field devices; drive modernization, automation, and cost optimization.

• Field Operations Technology Modernization (Station Alerting, Radio, and CAD Infrastructure)

• Support modernizing field operations technology, including station alerting systems, radio and dispatch communications, mobile data/MDT connectivity, and the network, server, and integration platforms that CAD and related systems run on.

• Design and deliver resilient, redundant connectivity and infrastructure for fire stations and apparatus (primary and backup WAN, cellular/LTE and FirstNet, Wi-Fi, power protection) so alerting, radio, and CAD services remain available during outages.

• Lead evaluation, selection, and implementation of station alerting platforms and radio system upgrades (e.g., IP-based alerting, radio-over-IP, console and gateway integrations) in partnership with operations leadership, dispatch, and vendors.

• Coordinate maintenance windows, change control, and disaster recovery testing for dispatch-critical infrastructure with operations leadership and vendors.

• Vendor, Budget, Projects, and Governance

• Develop and manage the IT operations budget, procurement, licensing, and contracts; negotiate MSP agreements, statements of work, and renewals.

• Lead infrastructure and security projects, directing MSP project resources and ensuring scope, quality, security, and documentation standards are met.

• Develop and enforce IT policies (acceptable use, access control, data protection, retention, change management); report security posture, risk, and project status to executive leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Seven or more years of progressive IT experience, including three or more years leading IT operations, infrastructure, or security teams (Director level: ten or more years, including five or more years of leadership).
• Experience building or maturing a cybersecurity program, including framework alignment, vulnerability management, identity and access management, and incident response.
• Working knowledge of CMMC and NIST standards, with the ability to interpret controls and assess gaps.
• Microsoft ecosystem experience: Windows Server, Active Directory, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, Azure, Intune, and Defender.
• Strong networking and backup/disaster recovery knowledge.
• ITSM/ITIL experience and vendor, contract, and budget management.
• Excellent communication skills, including translating technical risk into business terms for executives.

Preferred

• Experience managing an MSP or MSSP in a co-managed model, including SLA governance, service reviews, and contract management.
• CISSP, CISM, CompTIA Security+, CCNA/CCNP, Microsoft Azure/Microsoft 365 security, or ITIL certifications.
• CMMC credentials (CCP, CCA, or Registered Practitioner) or experience leading a CMMC Level assessment and remediation program.
• Experience overseeing an outsourced SOC or MDR service; familiarity with SIEM, zero-trust architecture, and security automation.
• Experience in a 24/7, multi-site public safety or other mission-critical environment; familiarity with HIPAA and PCI DSS.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Sets strategic direction for security and infrastructure while remaining hands-on when needed.
• Exercises security authority over systems administered by others without taking over their administration.
• Calm, decisive leadership during incidents and outages; risk-based prioritization of work and investments.
• Drives outcomes through both direct authority and MSP contractual governance.
• Communicates clearly with executives, operational leaders, field personnel, and technical staff; handles sensitive information with discretion.

Position Conditions

• Onsite at company headquarters in Huntsville, AL, with periodic travel to fire stations, dispatch, and operational sites.
• Accountable for 24/7 availability of critical systems; after-hours and on-call escalation availability required.
• Prolonged computer work; ability to lift up to 25 pounds occasionally.
• Employment is contingent on a background check, including CJIS fingerprinting.

Position Disclaimer

This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties required by their supervisor. This document provides an overview of the position currently available and is not an employment contract. RMF reserves the right to modify position responsibilities or position descriptions at any time. Employment with RMF is at-will and either party can terminate the employment relationship at any time with or without cause and with or without notice within the confines of federal and state law.

Rural Metro Fire provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.