IT Operations Director - Data Center

JLL•Spartanburg, SC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

JLL empowers you to shape a brighter way. Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong. Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward. What this job involves This strategic leadership role leads and scales IT operations for a rapidly growing organization in Spartanburg, SC. You'll oversee infrastructure operations, Tier III engineering, and a newly formed network operations center while managing a team of 20+ IT professionals through a site manager. This position requires both strategic thinking and hands-on technical leadership, with responsibility for building high-performing teams, establishing scalable processes, and driving operational excellence across complex technical ecosystems. The role combines executive-level strategic planning with direct involvement in technical operations, serving as the highest level of escalation while partnering with IT leadership on organizational technology planning. Your day-to-day tasks will include: Leading and developing a multi-disciplinary IT Operations organization of 20+ professionals across infrastructure engineering, Tier III escalation, and network operations, while mentoring a site manager who handles day-to-day team operations and staff development Providing executive-level operational leadership by developing organizational structures, establishing communication channels and reporting frameworks, and creating scalable processes that support continued growth across multiple leadership levels Overseeing technical operations including design, maintenance, and optimization of servers, storage, VMware, Microsoft cloud technologies, and related infrastructure to ensure system reliability, performance, and scalability Building and managing a new Network Operations Center responsible for monitoring, alerts, proactive issue identification, and system stability through implementation of tools, metrics, playbooks, and automated response capabilities Serving as technical thought leader and highest level of escalation for complex technical issues, guiding hands-on engineers through advanced troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and timely incident resolution Managing budgets, operational planning, staffing, and resource allocation while driving a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement across all team levels Partnering with IT leadership and communicating complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders at executive and senior management levels to align operational strategy with organizational technology planning

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field, or equivalent professional experience
10+ years of progressive leadership experience within IT Operations with demonstrated success managing large teams of 15+ professionals
Proven experience managing through multiple leadership levels, including site managers or team leads, with capability to scale organizations strategically
Strong technical background with hands-on experience in infrastructure, servers, VMware, cloud technologies, and backup and recovery solutions
Expertise with Microsoft 365 and system monitoring tools in production environments
Demonstrated success with organizational scaling, change management, and building high-performing teams in fast-moving environments

Nice To Haves

Data center industry experience and understanding of data center IT operational requirements
Direct experience building and scaling Network Operations Center (NOC) operations from inception
Professional certifications in relevant technologies such as VMware, Microsoft Azure/365, or networking (CCNA/CCNP)
Experience with ITIL or similar service management frameworks and implementation of structured IT service delivery
Previous experience successfully leading teams through rapid organizational growth and expansion phases
Advanced degree (Master's in IT Management, MBA) or executive leadership training programs

Responsibilities

Leading and developing a multi-disciplinary IT Operations organization of 20+ professionals across infrastructure engineering, Tier III escalation, and network operations, while mentoring a site manager who handles day-to-day team operations and staff development
Providing executive-level operational leadership by developing organizational structures, establishing communication channels and reporting frameworks, and creating scalable processes that support continued growth across multiple leadership levels
Overseeing technical operations including design, maintenance, and optimization of servers, storage, VMware, Microsoft cloud technologies, and related infrastructure to ensure system reliability, performance, and scalability
Building and managing a new Network Operations Center responsible for monitoring, alerts, proactive issue identification, and system stability through implementation of tools, metrics, playbooks, and automated response capabilities
Serving as technical thought leader and highest level of escalation for complex technical issues, guiding hands-on engineers through advanced troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and timely incident resolution
Managing budgets, operational planning, staffing, and resource allocation while driving a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement across all team levels
Partnering with IT leadership and communicating complex technical concepts to technical and non-technical stakeholders at executive and senior management levels to align operational strategy with organizational technology planning