Job Title: Head of IT Operations and Infrastructure

Location: Kothrud, Pune

Job Summary:

The Head of IT Operations and Infrastructure will lead the strategic and tactical management of the university's entire IT infrastructure. This role requires a seasoned professional with a minimum of 10 years of experience in overseeing complex IT environments, ensuring reliable and secure operations across networks, servers, data centers, cloud services, and telecommunications. The incumbent will be responsible for aligning IT infrastructure with the university's academic, research, and administrative needs, ensuring high availability, scalability, and compliance with security standards.

Key Responsibilities:

- Lead the design, implementation, management, and continuous improvement of the university's IT infrastructure including networks, servers, storage, telecommunications, cloud platforms, and data centers.

- Develop and enforce IT policies, architectural standards, and best practices to ensure infrastructure stability, security, and performance.

- Provide strategic guidance to university leadership on IT infrastructure investments, initiatives, and risk management.

- Manage day-to-day IT operations to ensure seamless service delivery, proactive maintenance, and rapid resolution of infrastructure issues.

- Lead a multi-disciplinary team responsible for infrastructure management, including network, system administration, and technical support.

- Oversee large-scale infrastructure projects such as upgrades, migrations, and disaster recovery implementations.

- Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal IT security policies.

- Manage vendor relationships, negotiate contracts, and administer budgets related to IT infrastructure.

- Drive innovation through adoption of new technologies, automation, and optimization of IT operations.

- Collaborate with academic, research, and administrative departments to understand and support their IT infrastructure needs.

- Provide leadership in business continuity planning, disaster recovery, and risk management frameworks.

Qualifications:

- Master's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field is mandatory.

- Minimum 10+ years of experience in IT infrastructure management and operations, preferably in a large enterprise or university environment.

- Proven experience leading IT infrastructure teams and managing complex, multi-site infrastructure environments.

- Strong expertise in network architecture, server management, cloud services, storage solutions, and telecommunications.

- Demonstrated ability to plan and execute large infrastructure projects, including migrations and system upgrades.

- Experience with IT security standards, compliance frameworks, and disaster recovery planning.

- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

- Budget management and vendor negotiation experience.

- Relevant certifications (e.g., ITIL, PMP, CISSP) are advantageous.

Key Competencies:

- Strategic IT infrastructure planning and execution

- Team leadership and development

- Risk and compliance management

- Vendor and contract management

- Problem-solving and decision-making

- Strong communication and collaboration skills

This role reports directly to the university's Registrar or equivalent senior technology leadership and is pivotal in ensuring that the university's IT infrastructure supports its mission of education, research, and administration efficiently and securely.