Director, IT Operations & Security

Year Up United; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Mentorship opportunities with students

Job summary

Year Up United is seeking a strategic leader to guide IT operations and security across a national, 20+ location footprint. This hybrid role demands strong vendor leadership and a vision for AI-enabled infrastructure that scales with growth.

You will own multi-year roadmaps, negotiate MSP contracts, and partner with the CIO and Exec Team to drive cost efficiency, security posture, and a superior technology experience for staff and students.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in IT infrastructure/operations with 5+ years of senior leadership.
• Proven experience managing large MSP relationships and contracts.
• Hands-on with AI/automation to improve IT delivery and margins.
• Expertise in ServiceNow platform ownership and strategy.
• Cloud, identity, and multi-location network/security know-how.

Responsibilities

• Own strategic vision and multi-year roadmaps for national infra, delivery, and security.
• Lead vendor relationships, MSP governance, SLAs/OLAs, and contract negotiations.
• Direct security operations and incident response with CIS controls as baseline.
• Develop and mentor a team and foster ownership and continuous improvement.
• Drive automation initiatives to improve experience and reduce costs.
• Collaborate with CIO and Exec Team on strategy and investments.

Skills

IT Leadership

Vendor Management

Security Architecture

Cloud (AWS/Azure)

AI/Automation

ServiceNow

Executive Communication

Job description

Position Summary

Year Up United is a $160M national workforce development nonprofit operating in 20+ locations, closing the Opportunity Divide for tens of thousands of young adults every year. The Director of IT Operations & Security is the organization's technology infrastructure and security thought leader — accountable for the vision, strategy, and execution of a resilient, secure, AI-enabled technology environment that scales with a national footprint.

Hybrid Model

This is not a keep-the-lights-on role. The organization runs a hybrid model of internal staff and large-scale managed service provider (MSP) partnerships — including service desk, security operations, and device-as-a-service — and this leader owns the strategy, performance, and economics of those partnerships. A core mandate of the role is using AI and automation to streamline IT service delivery, reduce cost, and improve organizational margin, while continuously raising the bar on security posture and employee/student technology experience.

The ideal candidate combines deep technical credibility with genuine external-facing vendor leadership: someone who has negotiated and managed multiyear, large-scale MSP contracts, modernized legacy environments, and can speak with authority to the CIO and Executive Team about where infrastructure and security are headed next.

This is a hybrid role requiring regular in-person engagement. Applicants must live within a reasonable commutable distance to a Year Up United location.

In keeping with Year Up United's values, this leader also can engage directly with students as a mentor and advocate.

What You'll Do

Strategic Leadership & Innovation

• Own the strategic vision and multi-year roadmap for infrastructure, service delivery, and security across a national, 20+ location organization
• Serve as the organization's internal thought leader on emerging infrastructure, security, and AI/automation trends — translating them into practical roadmap decisions
• Identify and lead AI- and automation-driven initiatives that streamline IT operations, reduce vendor and support costs, and improve organizational margin
• Support the CIO in preparing executive and board-level briefings on security posture, technology strategy, and major infrastructure investments
• Partner with the Senior Director of IT Architecture & Applications to align infrastructure and cloud strategy with application and platform roadmaps

Vendor & Managed Services Leadership

• Own strategy, performance, and economics for all outsourced infrastructure and security services — including service desk, security operations center (SOC), device-as-a-service (DaaS), network management, and data center services
• Partner with the CIO on contract negotiation, renewal, and governance for multiyear, large MSP engagements, holding vendors accountable to SLAs/OLAs and driving continuous improvement
• Serve as the accountable technical and business owner of ServiceNow, including platform strategy, roadmap, and the vendor relationship supporting it
• Build and manage a portfolio approach to vendor relationships that balances cost, quality, and scalability as the organization grows

Security & Risk

• Direct internal and external (MSP-delivered) security operations to continuously mature Year Up United's security posture, using the CIS Controls as a baseline framework
• Own the organization's incident response program and serve as escalation point for high-severity security events
• Partner with senior leadership and Legal, as part of the Enterprise Risk Committee, to develop and maintain security policy
• Provide written quarterly security program updates to the CIO in support of executive briefings to the Board of Directors
• Ensure technology and business processes meet applicable privacy and compliance requirements (e.g., FERPA)

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 5 direct reports across infrastructure, service delivery, and security, plus indirect leadership of MSP-supplied resources
• Set clear goals, accountabilities, and development plans; build bench strength and succession depth on the team
• Foster a culture of ownership, customer service, and continuous improvement

Service Delivery & Customer Experience

• Own service levels and customer satisfaction for infrastructure, security, and support delivery across ~600 staff, thousands of students, and 20+ physical and virtual locations
• Drive root-cause problem management and preventive action across recurring issues
• Serve as executive escalation point for business-impacting incidents, including off-hours as needed
• Lead automation initiatives that improve the employee and student technology experience while reducing manual support burden

Learning Community

• Serve as a coach/mentor to a small group of current students
• Participate in weekly group sessions, staff meetings, and training as part of the broader Learning Community

What You'll Bring

• 10+ years of progressive IT infrastructure/operations experience, including 5+ years in senior IT leadership managing multiple teams
• Demonstrated experience owning large-scale managed service provider relationships (service desk, security, infrastructure, or device-as-a-service) including contract negotiation and vendor performance management
• Hands‑on experience using AI or automation tools to streamline IT service delivery, reduce cost, or improve operational margin
• Deep expertise in ServiceNow platform ownership and strategy
• Strong understanding of modern cloud environments (AWS and/or Azure), identity (Okta/Active Directory), and multi-location network and security architecture
• Track record of leading significant infrastructure initiatives on time and on budget (cloud migrations, data center consolidation/relocation, voice/UC modernization)
• Ability to translate business requirements into scalable technology solutions and communicate them credibly to the CIO and executives
• A passion for the mission of Year Up United and belief in the potential of young adults navigating the Opportunity Divide

Preferred

• Experience in nonprofit, education, or workforce development environments
• Relevant certifications: CISSP, CISM, ITIL v4; PMP a plus
• Familiarity with modern endpoint and device-as-a-service management (Intune, Jamf, or equivalent)
• Exposure to Zero Trust architecture and cloud cost/FinOps optimization
• Prior experience presenting directly to a CIO and/or executive committee

Additional

• Occasional travel to organizational sites; occasional lifting of equipment (up to 50 lbs) during data center or site work
• Ability to work occasional off‑hours for planned maintenance or high‑severity escalations

Salary Range

$140,000 - $160,000

Working At Year Up United

Starting January 5, 2026, employees are expected to work on‑site at least two days per week (Monday through Thursday dependent on job requirements). To be eligible for employment, candidates must live and work in a state (or an approved proximate state*) where Year Up United operates. For a list of eligible locations, please visit: https://www.yearup.org/job-training/locations

• Approved proximate states where Year Up United operates are: Connecticut, Indiana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina and Virginia.

Compensation & Benefits

• Year Up United has established salary ranges for each of our sites, which allows us to pay employees competitively, equitably and consistently in different geographic markets. For roles in which the location is listed as flexible, the range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Salary offers take into account a candidate’s skills, experience, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.
• Benefits: Comprehensive healthcare options and dental coverage; 401(k) match for eligible participants.
• Vacation: Earn three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year.

** This is an exempt role (paid on a salaried basis). **

Organization Description

Year Up United is a national 501(c)3 workforce development organization committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults—no matter their background, income, or zip code. Employers face a growing need for talent while millions of talented young adults lack access to meaningful careers. These inequities only further perpetuate the opportunity gap that exists in our country—a gap that Year Up United is determined and positioned to close through three interconnected strategies: providing targeted skills training and connections to livable-wage employment for students and alumni; empowering others to serve and support young adults, and changing systems that perpetuate the opportunity gap. Year Up United’s intensive training program utilizes a high expectations, high support model where students learn in‑demand technical and professional skills and apply them during a corporate internship. Year Up United has directly served more than 40,000 young adults since its founding in 2000. Year Up United's nationwide presence includes Arizona, Austin, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City/Jersey City, Pittsburgh, Puget Sound, Rhode Island, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Wilmington.

Voted one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For in the country by The NonProfit Times, Year Up United is a rewarding and impactful place to work. Our staff is passionate, supportive, mission‑driven, and committed to positive change and continuous learning. We set high standards for both ourselves and our students and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and potential of our young people. The work we do is life‑changing, and we know that our team is the greatest asset in achieving our mission.

Commitment To Diversity

Year Up United embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. All aspects of employment, including the decision to hire, promote, discharge, or discipline, are based on meritocracy. We do not permit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local laws. Learn more about our commitment to diversity: http://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/commitment-to-diversity/

Year Up United is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Your recruiter can provide details regarding the expected work environment and any physical requirements. Please let our hiring team know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process. Information received relating to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.

We respectfully request no phone calls.