Director of IT – Development, Operations and Security (Permanent – Hybrid – Frisco, TX)

An opportunity has come through our network for a Director of IT – Development, Operations and Security at a family-owned food manufacturer based in Frisco, Texas. This permanent position, with a hybrid work model (4 days on-site per week), offers a competitive compensation range of $180,000 – $240,000. Reporting directly to the CIO, this role is absolutely pivotal in guiding the organization’s entire technology operations. You’ll combine strategic leadership in software development, infrastructure management, and cybersecurity, ensuring all systems seamlessly align with business goals and operate securely and efficiently.

What You’ll Be Doing: Guiding Technology Across Development, Operations, and Security

As the Director of IT, you will be the driving force behind the organization’s technological landscape. Your responsibilities will encompass strategic leadership, meticulous operational oversight, robust project and resource management, and unwavering commitment to cybersecurity and compliance.

• Strategic Leadership: You will inspire and guide a dedicated team of IT professionals, fostering a service-oriented and high-performance culture across all IT functions. You’ll lead the planning and execution of enterprise-wide technology initiatives, including critical application development projects and essential infrastructure upgrades, ensuring they align with long-term business objectives. A key aspect of your role will be to collaborate closely with business leaders across various departments, ensuring that IT strategies not only support but actively enable overarching organizational priorities. You’ll continuously monitor service delivery metrics and strive to improve performance standards, ensuring IT consistently meets and exceeds expectations. Furthermore, you will stay ahead of industry trends, actively researching and recommending forward-thinking solutions that provide a competitive edge and prepare the organization for future technological demands.
• Operational Oversight: You will manage the day-to-day operations across a broad spectrum of IT domains, including software development lifecycle, networking infrastructure, server management, and intricate data systems. This involves supervising both internal IT staff and external partners to ensure seamless service delivery, consistent operational uptime, and efficient problem resolution. You’ll oversee the meticulous implementation of secure, stable, and scalable infrastructure solutions that can support the organization’s growth and evolving business needs. A critical responsibility will be to ensure continuous compliance with legal and regulatory standards related to IT operations and data security, mitigating risks. You will also develop and rigorously test disaster recovery protocols to guarantee business continuity in the face of unforeseen disruptions, safeguarding critical operations.
• Project & Resource Management: You’ll provide expert guidance on strategic hardware and software investments, ensuring optimal technology adoption and resource utilization. You will lead complex cross-functional projects from concept to completion, effectively balancing immediate short-term needs with long-term strategic goals to achieve comprehensive outcomes. This includes maintaining detailed project plans, meticulously prioritizing initiatives based on their business impact, and managing IT budgets and resource allocation in close collaboration with executive leadership. Your ability to deliver projects on time and within budget will be paramount to the organization’s success.
• Cybersecurity & Compliance: You will hold ultimate responsibility for ensuring strict adherence to internal policies and external regulations related to data protection and privacy, a critical function in the modern business landscape. You’ll partner closely with internal and external auditors and risk teams to proactively identify and remediate vulnerabilities across all IT systems, strengthening the organization’s security posture. Furthermore, you will actively promote a pervasive culture of security awareness across the entire organization, implementing best practices that safeguard digital assets and ensure all employees understand their role in maintaining a secure environment.

What You Bring to the Table: Qualifications for Strategic IT Leadership

To excel as Director of IT, you’ll need a robust blend of extensive experience in IT leadership, deep technical knowledge, and proven abilities in financial and vendor management.

• Education: You must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field. This academic foundation provides a strong theoretical understanding of IT principles, software development, and system architecture.
• Extensive Leadership Experience: You bring over a decade of verifiable experience leading IT development and infrastructure teams. This extensive background demonstrates a seasoned leader capable of managing diverse technical functions, driving team performance, and overseeing complex IT projects in an enterprise environment.
• Proven Management Abilities: You have a proven ability to manage budgets, ensuring financial discipline and optimal allocation of IT resources. Your expertise extends to managing vendors, overseeing contracts, and ensuring external partners deliver on their commitments. Furthermore, you are skilled at managing cross-functional teams, fostering collaboration and alignment across different departments to achieve unified IT and business objectives.
• Deep Technical Knowledge: You possess deep knowledge of IT architecture, understanding how various systems and components integrate to form a cohesive IT landscape. This includes a strong command of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP), their services, and their security implications. You also have expertise in cybersecurity frameworks (ee.g., NIST, ISO 27001) and enterprise systems, demonstrating your ability to design and secure complex IT environments.
• Familiarity with Industry Standards and Technologies: You have strong familiarity with industry standards such as NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), and OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project). This indicates your commitment to best practices in security and quality. You also have a strong understanding of key technologies including firewalls, encryption, identity management, and network protocols, enabling you to oversee critical security and infrastructure components.

If this Director of IT – Development, Operations and Security role in Frisco, TX, aligns with your strategic leadership experience, your expertise in IT development, operations, and cybersecurity, and your passion for driving technological excellence in a manufacturing environment, then this is an exceptional permanent, hybrid opportunity to make a profound impact.