IT Operations Manager

Below is a professionally rewritten, client-neutral version suitable for a job specification or candidate brief.

IT Operations Manager

Key Responsibilities

1. Infrastructure & Network Operations

• Own the operation, optimisation, maintenance, and lifecycle management of enterprise network infrastructure.
• Manage network architecture, segmentation, firewall configurations, and network security controls.
• Ensure high levels of connectivity, system availability, performance, and reliability across all sites and environments.
• Implement and maintain infrastructure monitoring capabilities, proactively identifying and resolving potential issues before they impact the business.

2. Cloud Infrastructure & Hosting

• Manage cloud-based infrastructure environments (Azure, AWS, or equivalent) and associated hosting platforms.
• Ensure infrastructure supports application availability, scalability, performance, and resilience requirements.
• Monitor cloud expenditure and drive initiatives focused on infrastructure modernisation, optimisation, and cloud adoption.

3. Service Delivery, End-User Support & Identity Management

• Lead the internal IT service desk function, including request intake, triage, prioritisation, escalation, and resolution within agreed service levels.
• Oversee endpoint management, device provisioning, patch management, hardware standards, and lifecycle processes.
• Administer identity and access management platforms, including Entra ID (Azure Active Directory), Active Directory, and Microsoft 365 environments.
• Manage employee onboarding and offboarding processes from a systems, access control, and security perspective.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the end-user experience through increased self-service capability, reduced incident volumes, and faster resolution times.

4. Incident Management, Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery

• Own and govern the incident management process, including classification, escalation, communication, resolution, and post-incident review.
• Lead major incident response activities and ensure root cause analysis and corrective actions are completed and tracked.
• Maintain and regularly test backup, recovery, and disaster recovery capabilities against established RTO and RPO objectives.
• Ensure business continuity readiness through documented recovery procedures, operational runbooks, and testing exercises.
• Coordinate after-hours support and on-call arrangements to ensure operational coverage when required.

5. Security, Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)

• Embed governance, risk, and compliance principles across all operational technology environments.
• Manage firewall policies, privileged access controls, access management processes, and security enforcement mechanisms.
• Oversee vulnerability management, patch governance, remediation tracking, and security monitoring activities.
• Ensure technology environments comply with applicable security standards, regulatory obligations, and data privacy requirements, including POPIA.
• Maintain strong data governance practices and appropriate security segregation within shared technology environments.

6. DevOps & Development Environment Support

• Ensure secure, stable, and scalable platforms are available for development, testing, and production workloads.
• Support CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices in partnership with engineering and development teams.
• Maintain robust change management processes that balance agility with operational stability and governance requirements.

7. Team Leadership & Vendor Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop an established IT Operations team, fostering a culture of accountability, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Manage workload planning, performance management, skills development, and succession planning.
• Oversee relationships with third-party technology vendors, service providers, telecommunications partners, and licensing suppliers.
• Manage the operational technology budget, software licensing expenditure, contract renewals, and forecasting activities.

8. Operational Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and maintain meaningful operational reporting across infrastructure, service delivery, security, and risk domains.
• Define and track key performance indicators, including system availability, incident trends, SLA performance, capacity utilisation, and operational risk.
• Provide clear and actionable reporting to leadership teams, enabling informed decision-making.
• Identify opportunities for automation, monitoring enhancements, and operational efficiency improvements to reduce manual effort and recurring issues.

Required Skills & Experience

Networking

• Strong hands-on experience in enterprise networking, including architecture, connectivity, segmentation, performance optimisation, and troubleshooting.

Firewall & Network Security

• Demonstrated expertise in firewall administration, network access controls, security policy implementation, and network security governance.

Cloud Infrastructure

• Proven experience managing cloud environments such as Azure, AWS, or similar platforms, including hosting, scalability, optimisation, and cost management.

Identity & Workplace Technology

• Experience administering Microsoft 365, Entra ID (Azure Active Directory), Active Directory, endpoint management solutions, and workplace technologies at scale.

Service Delivery

• Proven track record managing internal IT support functions and service desks against defined SLAs, with measurable improvements in service quality and user satisfaction.

Incident & Resilience Management

• Experience leading incident management processes, root cause analysis activities, business continuity planning, and disaster recovery testing.

Leadership

• Successful experience leading technical teams, setting standards, delegating effectively, and delivering results through others.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Working knowledge of IT governance, risk management, cybersecurity controls, and compliance requirements within regulated environments.

Reporting & Performance Management

• Ability to create meaningful operational dashboards, metrics, and reporting frameworks that provide leadership with visibility into technology performance and risk.

Desirable Skills

• Experience supporting software engineering teams, DevOps practices, and CI/CD environments.
• Knowledge of infrastructure automation and Infrastructure-as-Code technologies such as PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible, or similar tools.
• Familiarity with industry frameworks and standards including ITIL, ISO 27001, COBIT, or related methodologies.
• Relevant technical certifications in networking, cloud computing, cybersecurity, or IT service management.
• Experience leveraging AI-powered tools to improve operational efficiency, including:
  • Alert triage and noise reduction
  • Automated documentation and runbook generation
  • Anomaly detection and monitoring optimisation
  • Ticket classification and service desk automation
  • AI-assisted scripting and Infrastructure-as-Code development using tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or equivalent

Candidates should be able to demonstrate practical examples of AI-driven improvements, including measurable business benefits, while understanding the governance, security, and compliance considerations associated with automation.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree, Diploma, or equivalent qualification in Information Technology, Computer Science, Networking, Information Systems, or a related discipline preferred.

Experience

• 6-10 years of experience in IT infrastructure, networking, cloud, or operations environments.
• Minimum of 2-3 years' experience leading technical teams.
• Demonstrated experience across enterprise-scale environments with responsibility for operational continuity, security, and service delivery.

Certifications (Advantageous)

• CCNA, CCNP, Azure Certifications, AWS Certifications
• ITIL Foundation or higher
• Cybersecurity certifications such as CISSP, CompTIA Security+, or equivalent

What Success Looks Like in the First 12 Months

• Trusted infrastructure and service health reporting is established and regularly reviewed by leadership.
• A mature incident management framework is implemented, including consistent root cause analysis and corrective action tracking.
• Backup, recovery, and disaster recovery capabilities are tested against defined recovery objectives, with documented outcomes and improvements.
• Internal service delivery metrics demonstrate measurable improvements in SLA achievement and user satisfaction.
• Team structure, ownership, accountability, and development plans are clearly defined and actively managed.
• Key operational risks are identified, monitored, and mitigated through effective governance and control processes.

Personal Attributes

• Strong sense of ownership and accountability for operational stability, security, and service quality.
• Balances strategic leadership with technical credibility and hands-on capability when required.
• Skilled at delivering results through effective delegation, coaching, and quality assurance.
• Communicates confidently with technical teams, business stakeholders, and executive leadership.
• Remains calm, structured, and decisive during high-pressure incidents and operational challenges.
• Customer-focused and committed to delivering an excellent internal service experience.
• Adaptable and forward-thinking, with an interest in emerging technologies, automation, and AI-enabled ways of working.

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