Director of IT Operations

Founded in 1912 as an adoption agency, Canopy Children's Solutions is Mississippi’s most comprehensive nonprofit provider of children’s behavioral health, educational, and social service solutions. Canopy employs a diverse group of mission-driven individuals committed to honoring the voice of Mississippi children and families. Being an integral part of the Canopy team involves committing to the Core Values that drive our organization forward: The voice of our children and families always comes first Relationships matter and our differences make us stronger We take great joy in service to others Our families and our communities deserve our very best Canopy has been designated a Great Place to Work for the fourth consecutive year, and is one of only eight companies in Mississippi to qualify for this certification in 2024-2025. Canopy’s employees are charged with building a healthy work culture within their teams, that focus on trust, and the collective goal of helping kids thrive and families to overcome extraordinary challenges. We offer a comprehensive benefits package for all eligible full-time employees. Benefits include, but are not limited to: Competitive Compensation 403b Retirement Plan with Match Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance PTO/Vacation Employee Wellness Program and Counseling Services Director of IT Operations Overview: The Director of IT Operations provides both strategic leadership and hands-on management of the organization’s technology landscape, encompassing IT infrastructure, service delivery, and operational support. The Director of IT Operations oversees hybrid cloud and on-premises environments, enterprise SaaS platforms, and IT Service Desk functions ensuring reliable, secure, and scalable systems. The Director is accountable for driving and maintaining operational excellence, optimizing service performance, and aligning IT initiatives and strategies with organizational priorities and long-term business objectives. The Director of IT Operations collaborates with executives, solution directors, and operational leaders to strengthen the organization’s IT capabilities and services. The role oversees the integration and management of all critical information systems—including Access Control and Video Surveillance, Telephony, Intranet, and Donor Management—while ensuring security, compliance, and reliable access across the enterprise. The Director of IT Operations drives innovation by anticipating future technology needs, exploring emerging solutions, and delivering proactive strategies that enable the organization to achieve its long-term objectives. Job Responsibilities: Lead and motivate high-performing IT teams, fostering strong cross-functional collaboration and partnerships. Manage multiple complex projects concurrently in a fast-paced, rapidly evolving environment. Oversee hybrid IT environments (on-premises, cloud, and SaaS), including virtualization, networking, storage, and endpoint management. Ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical IT services by driving operational excellence, with strong focus on high availability and disaster recovery for mission-critical systems. Provide mentorship to IT staff, establish clear performance metrics, and promote continuous learning and professional development. Implement ITIL frameworks for incident, problem, and change management to maintain structured and accountable IT operations. Oversee EHR systems, donor platforms, Office 365, and collaboration tools, ensuring interoperability and scalability. Stay current with advancements in cloud-native services, AI-driven solutions, and cybersecurity trends to inform IT strategy. Manage enterprise infrastructure planning, procurement, deployment, and lifecycle management across servers, workstations, Cisco networking, wireless networks, and mobile devices. Support enterprise security operations, including firewall management, endpoint protection, intrusion detection/prevention, and malware defense systems. Ensure compliance with data privacy mandates, regulatory requirements, and cybersecurity frameworks in coordination with the security team. Define, track, and analyze KPIs and operational metrics to measure IT service delivery, system reliability, and overall performance. Maintain comprehensive hardware, software, and asset inventories to support lifecycle management, licensing compliance, and audit readiness. Develop and manage strategic vendor partnerships, including SaaS providers, third-party service partners, and support platforms, to optimize performance, compliance, and cost efficiency. Contribute to IT strategic planning through organizational, project management, and time management expertise. Identify and operationalize emerging technologies in alignment with organizational priorities and under the guidance of the Senior Director of IT. Lead vendor partnerships, ensuring performance, compliance, and cost-effective delivery of IT solutions that support operations. Perform other duties as assigned.  Required Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in information technology (IT), Computer Science, or a related discipline required. Minimum of 10 years’ progressive IT leadership experience required; progressive IT leadership experience in healthcare or nonprofit sector preferred. Robust knowledge of healthcare IT systems including EHR and/or nonprofit technology platforms. Excellent leadership, management, strategic thinking, and vendor management skills. Must have a solid grasp of project management principles, practices, and methodologies. Strong familiarity with compliance standards such as HIPAA, HITECH, FERPA, and other compliance frameworks applicable to healthcare IT Strong communication and collaboration skills. Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, accessible language for non-technical audiences required. Proven track record of delivering effective support across diverse solutions required. Must be Mission-oriented with the capacity to drive innovation while maintaining cost-effectiveness. Occasional travel is required.