IT Operations Technical Lead

ABOUT THE ROLE 

We are seeking an experienced IT Operations Technical Lead to serve as the primary technical authority for our infrastructure, network operations, endpoint management, and client connectivity and servers The successful candidate will take ownership of the organization's IT systems, ensuring their security, reliability, performance, and scalability across both cloud and on-premises environments. Working alongside a small IT team, the Technical Lead will lead by example through active involvement in system administration, network troubleshooting, automation, security hardening, and infrastructure optimization while mentoring team members to foster a proactive, accountable, and result-driven culture. The role requires strong technical problem-solving skills, operational discipline, and the ability to independently manage complex IT environments with minimal supervision while maintaining accurate documentation and compliance standards.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Infrastructure, Networking & Client Connectivity

• Network Reliability & Triage: Own the end-to-end connectivity path for 300+ agents (both WFH and in-office) connecting to US-based client ERP environments.
• Network Security: Manage user accounts, role permissions and access controls. Administer and maintain active directory, group policy and DHCP and DNS Services. Implement and monitor firewalls and security hardening standards
• Proactive Diagnostic Engineering: Deeply analyze network performance using packet loss, latency jitter, hop-by-hop traceroutes, and endpoint resource metrics to isolate issues between local home ISPs, office firewalls, and client VPNs.
• Routing Strategy: Implement and maintain split tunneling, QoS, dual-ISP failover mechanisms, and bandwidth optimization across distributed environments
• Backup and Disaster Recovery: Develop, maintain, and update disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity documentation. Conduct periodic backup and lead the DR simulations and post-incident reviews.

2. Cloud, Endpoints & Security Posture

• Azure & M365 Administration: Own the administration of Azure AD/Entra ID, Microsoft 365, conditional access policies, and hybrid infrastructure.
• Endpoint & Device Management (MDM): Enforce strict endpoint compliance using Microsoft Intune/SCCM, automated OS patching, disk cleanup policies, local admin rights restrictions, and hardware lifecycle management for remote laptops.
• AI Integration & Security: Support the secure rollout of AI productivity tools (e.g., Claude Cowork, internal APIs) by enforcing strict sandboxing, M365 data loss prevention (DLP) rules, read-only API scopes, and protection against prompt injection risks.

3. Technical Leadership & Culture Shift (Player-Coach)

• Lead by Doing: Act as the primary technical escalation point for complex infrastructure, networking, and cloud issues. You are expected to personally troubleshoot and resolve high?priority incidents alongside your team.
• Transform Team Mindset: Shift the team culture from reactive "order-takers" to proactive systems owners who identify and fix root causes before they impact operations.
• Granular Mentorship: Conduct daily stand-ups, review ticket diagnostics line-by-line with junior analysts and establish clear accountability and metric-driven SLA targets.

REQUIRED SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Proven Technical Superiority: You must possess deeper hands-on technical skills than everyone on your team in order to earn their respect and mentor them effectively.
• Hands-on Scripting & Automation: Proficiency in PowerShell, Python, or CLI tools to automate routine IT helpdesk tasks, endpoint configuration, and infrastructure provisioning.
• Deep Networking Diagnostics: Ability to interpret ping payload responses (packet loss/jitter), traceroute latency spikes, routing loops, and firewall/VPN logs to diagnose last-mile ISP vs. core network failures.
• Cloud & Systems Expertise: Practical experience managing Azure, Intune, Active Directory, Cisco/Meraki or Fortinet firewalls, and modern ITSM tooling (ServiceNow, Jira, or Freshservice).
• High Operational Urgency: A relentless focus on system uptime, rapid incident resolution, and zero tolerance for recurring unaddressed bugs.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience in Systems Administration, Network Engineering, or DevOps, with at least 2+ years leading small technical teams or acting as an L3 Lead Engineer.
• Environment Background: Experience in a fast-paced or high-growth tech environment handling multi-tenant client setups is highly preferred.
• Certifications (Preferred): Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator / Enterprise Administrator, CCNA, or ITIL v4 Foundation.