IT Operations Manager

Excolo.; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Excolo. is seeking an IT Operations Manager to lead day-to-day IT operations across service desk, infrastructure, telephony and asset management in Australia. The role emphasizes building structure and governance from the ground up while coordinating internal teams, the MSP, and external resources.

You will drive ITIL maturity, integrate telephony with enterprise systems, refresh applications, and participate in AI pilots. Strong leadership and stakeholder communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Track record leading an IT operations function across service desk, infrastructure and end user technology.
• Strong process improvement mindset with documented governance.
• Experience onboarding or managing MSPs and external providers.

Responsibilities

• Onboard the incoming MSP and lift ITIL maturity through governance.
• Integrate telephony platform across systems and build operational support.
• Refresh applications footprint and retire legacy systems.
• Contribute to AI pilots and strategy, including Claude integration.
• Lead IT Operations across service desk, infrastructure, telephony and asset mgmt.
• Establish daily stand-ups, incident reviews, and weekly performance tracking.
• Own infrastructure including servers, networks, cloud, and endpoints.
• Oversee Level 1/2 service desk and drive automation to reduce tickets.
• Manage incident, problem and change mgmt with RCA.
• Manage vendor relationships and IT budget; recruit and develop team.

Skills

IT operations leadership

Process improvement

Microsoft 365

Azure

Networking

ITIL

Vendor management

Stakeholder communication

Team leadership

Job description

We're partnering with a growing Australian organisation looking to bring on an IT Operations Manager on a permanent basis. A hands-on leadership role owning day to day IT operations across service desk, infrastructure, telephony and asset management, with real scope to build process and governance from the ground up.

The environment is close to greenfield on the process side, so this suits someone comfortable working through ambiguity and building structure where little exists today. The emphasis is on delivering through the internal team, the incoming MSP and external resources rather than taking it all on directly.

The Opportunity

• Onboard the incoming MSP and use that engagement to lift ITIL maturity, alongside a broader uplift of internal processes and service management practice
• Integrate the newly implemented telephony platform across the wider systems landscape and build out the operational side around it
• Refresh the business applications footprint, retiring legacy systems, bedding in recently purchased platforms and building out a clearer service catalogue
• Contribute to a live AI pilot and the broader AI strategy, including integrating Claude with business applications and AI embedded across telephony and other services
• Lead the IT Operations function across service desk, infrastructure, telephony and asset management
• Establish operational rhythms including daily stand-ups, incident reviews and weekly performance tracking
• Own the infrastructure environment across servers, networks, cloud services and endpoints, including monitoring, patching, backup and disaster recovery
• Oversee Level 1 and 2 service desk delivery and SLA compliance, driving down ticket volume through self-service and automation
• Own incident, problem and change management, including major incident response and root cause analysis
• Manage vendor relationships across MSPs, telephony providers and hardware suppliers, holding them to contracted SLAs
• Own IT asset lifecycle, procurement, licensing and the operational IT budget
• Work with the cyber and technology risk team to embed security standards across operations
• Recruit, lead and develop the team so operational delivery does not depend on any one person

What We're Looking For

• Track record leading an IT operations function across service desk, infrastructure and end user technology
• Strong process improvement mindset, with evidence of lifting operational maturity through documented process and governance
• Comfortable working in ambiguity and building structure where little exists
• Experience onboarding or managing MSPs and holding external providers to account
• Technical credibility across Microsoft 365, Azure, networking and infrastructure, enough to challenge and validate vendor work
• Experience with ITIL aligned incident, problem and change management
• Track record delivering through internal teams, vendors and contractors rather than defaulting to hands-on execution
• Exposure to telephony and unified communications platforms and their integration with enterprise systems
• People leadership experience including recruiting, developing and setting performance standards
• Clear communicator, credible with both technical teams and senior stakeholders

Nice to Have

• Experience in a regulated environment such as financial services, insurance, healthcare or government
• ITIL certification
• Exposure to AI adoption or automation initiatives