Global Director, IT Infrastructure & Operations

Solas IT Recruitment; Dublin; On-site; EUR 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Solas IT Recruitment is seeking a Global Director, IT Infrastructure & Operations in Dublin to lead strategy, delivery and evolution of a global infrastructure estate. You will shape the technology foundation for a complex international business, spanning cloud platforms, networks, data centres and OT environments.

You will own end-to-end responsibility for cloud, networks, data centres, workplace technologies and 24/7 operations, partnering with senior leaders to translate strategy into

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the global IT infrastructure strategy aligned with business and technology objectives.
• Define and maintain infrastructure roadmaps across cloud, networking, data centres, manufacturing sites, workplace technologies, monitoring, identity and core platforms.
• Drive the modernisation, standardisation and simplification of infrastructure services across global operations.
• Translate business requirements into secure, scalable and cost-effective infrastructure capabilities that support growth and operational performance.
• Lead the operational management and performance of global infrastructure services supporting corporate, commercial and manufacturing operations.
• Ensure high availability, resilience and operational excellence across business-critical services operating within a 24/7 environment.
• Establish and manage SLAs, KPIs, operational dashboards and service reporting.
• Drive continual improvement through proactive monitoring, incident management, problem management and service recovery.
• Lead the evolution of cloud and hybrid infrastructure with a strong focus on Microsoft Azure.
• Drive automation and Infrastructure-as-Code initiatives to improve operational efficiency and consistency.
• Ensure cloud platforms are designed for resilience, security, performance and cost optimisation.
• Partner with application, digital and business teams to deliver scalable technology platforms that support future business growth.
• Own the strategy and roadmap for enterprise connectivity, including LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, SASE, VPN, Wi-Fi and internet resilience.
• Lead global network modernisation initiatives across corporate and manufacturing locations.
• Oversee end-user computing, collaboration technologies, endpoint management and workplace technology standards.
• Drive improvements in employee technology experience through reliable infrastructure and proactive service enhancement.
• Embed security, resilience and compliance into infrastructure design and operational delivery.
• Ensure alignment with cybersecurity policies, identity management, vulnerability management, IT/OT segmentation and regulatory requirements.
• Lead disaster recovery, backup, business continuity and cyber resilience planning.
• Support audit, assurance and risk management activities through strong governance and operational controls.
• Lead relationships with strategic technology partners, managed service providers and infrastructure vendors.
• Manage supplier performance through governance frameworks, SLAs, KPIs and regular service reviews.
• Oversee infrastructure budgets, cost optimisation, asset lifecycle management and FinOps practices.
• Drive commercial value while ensuring high-quality service delivery.
• Define global infrastructure standards across cloud, networking, compute, storage, monitoring, identity, backup and OT connectivity.
• Ensure infrastructure architecture aligns with enterprise architecture principles, security requirements and long-term technology strategy.
• Drive consolidation and rationalisation of legacy infrastructure, platforms and tooling where appropriate.
• Lead and develop a globally distributed Infrastructure & Operations function across multiple international locations.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Build strong relationships with executive stakeholders and act as a trusted technology advisor.
• Lead infrastructure workstreams across major transformation programmes, ensuring solutions transition successfully into stable, supportable operations.
• Drive the ongoing maturity, resilience and efficiency of infrastructure services through automation and modern operational practices.
• Evaluate emerging technologies including AIOps, observability, edge connectivity and modern workplace capabilities.
• Use operational metrics, service trends and user feedback to identify improvement opportunities and enhance service quality.

Job description

Global Director, IT Infrastructure & Operations

Location: Dublin

Our client is seeking an experienced Global Director, IT Infrastructure & Operations to lead the strategy, delivery and continual evolution of its global infrastructure estate.

This is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping the technology foundation of a complex international business, ensuring infrastructure services are secure, resilient, scalable and aligned to long-term business objectives. The successful candidate will have end-to-end responsibility for a global IT and Operational Technology (OT) infrastructure estate spanning cloud platforms, enterprise networks, data centres, manufacturing site infrastructure, workplace technologies, end-user computing and infrastructure operations.

Working closely with senior technology and business leaders, you will translate business strategy into clear infrastructure roadmaps while driving cloud transformation, network modernisation, automation, operational resilience and service excellence across multiple international locations.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the global IT infrastructure strategy aligned with business and technology objectives.
• Define and maintain infrastructure roadmaps across cloud, networking, data centres, manufacturing sites, workplace technologies, monitoring, identity and core platforms.
• Drive the modernisation, standardisation and simplification of infrastructure services across global operations.
• Translate business requirements into secure, scalable and cost-effective infrastructure capabilities that support growth and operational performance.

Infrastructure Operations & Service Reliability

• Lead the operational management and performance of global infrastructure services supporting corporate, commercial and manufacturing operations.
• Ensure high availability, resilience and operational excellence across business-critical services operating within a 24/7 environment.
• Establish and manage SLAs, KPIs, operational dashboards and service reporting.
• Drive continual improvement through proactive monitoring, incident management, problem management and service recovery.

Cloud, Platforms & Automation

• Lead the evolution of cloud and hybrid infrastructure with a strong focus on Microsoft Azure.
• Drive automation and Infrastructure-as-Code initiatives to improve operational efficiency and consistency.
• Ensure cloud platforms are designed for resilience, security, performance and cost optimisation.
• Partner with application, digital and business teams to deliver scalable technology platforms that support future business growth.

Network, Workplace & End User Services

• Own the strategy and roadmap for enterprise connectivity, including LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, SASE, VPN, Wi-Fi and internet resilience.
• Lead global network modernisation initiatives across corporate and manufacturing locations.
• Oversee end-user computing, collaboration technologies, endpoint management and workplace technology standards.
• Drive improvements in employee technology experience through reliable infrastructure and proactive service enhancement.

Security, Resilience & Compliance

• Embed security, resilience and compliance into infrastructure design and operational delivery.
• Ensure alignment with cybersecurity policies, identity management, vulnerability management, IT/OT segmentation and regulatory requirements.
• Lead disaster recovery, backup, business continuity and cyber resilience planning.
• Support audit, assurance and risk management activities through strong governance and operational controls.
• Lead relationships with strategic technology partners, managed service providers and infrastructure vendors.
• Manage supplier performance through governance frameworks, SLAs, KPIs and regular service reviews.
• Oversee infrastructure budgets, cost optimisation, asset lifecycle management and FinOps practices.
• Drive commercial value while ensuring high-quality service delivery.
• Define global infrastructure standards across cloud, networking, compute, storage, monitoring, identity, backup and OT connectivity.
• Ensure infrastructure architecture aligns with enterprise architecture principles, security requirements and long-term technology strategy.
• Drive consolidation and rationalisation of legacy infrastructure, platforms and tooling where appropriate.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead and develop a globally distributed Infrastructure & Operations function across multiple international locations.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Build strong relationships with executive stakeholders and act as a trusted technology advisor.
• Lead infrastructure workstreams across major transformation programmes, ensuring solutions transition successfully into stable, supportable operations.
• Drive the ongoing maturity, resilience and efficiency of infrastructure services through automation and modern operational practices.
• Evaluate emerging technologies including AIOps, observability, edge connectivity and modern workplace capabilities.
• Use operational metrics, service trends and user feedback to identify improvement opportunities and enhance service quality.
• Proven senior leadership experience leading global IT Infrastructure & Operations functions within complex, multi-site organisations.
• Strong expertise across enterprise infrastructure, cloud platforms, networking, workplace technologies, identity, resilience and operational support.
• Demonstrated success delivering cloud transformation, infrastructure modernisation, automation and operational excellence initiatives.
• Strong Microsoft Azure and hybrid cloud experience.
• Experience leading globally distributed teams, managed service providers and strategic technology partners.
• Proven experience managing infrastructure budgets, vendor governance, SLAs, KPIs, cost optimisation and FinOps.
• Strong understanding of infrastructure security, cyber resilience, disaster recovery, business continuity and risk management.
• Excellent executive communication, stakeholder engagement and people leadership skills.
• Experience supporting manufacturing and Operational Technology (OT) environments, including IT/OT integration, network segmentation and operational resilience, is highly desirable.

This is an excellent opportunity to lead the strategy and transformation of a global infrastructure function, driving modernisation, resilience and operational excellence while supporting business-critical services across a complex international organisation.