Information Technology Operations Manager

Citadel Electric Group, Inc.; Kansas City (MO); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Citadel Electric Group, Inc. is seeking an IT Operations Manager to lead the performance, security, and improvement of technology across its 250+ employee electrical contracting business serving commercial, industrial, and federal markets.

The role requires hands-on depth in Microsoft 365 and cybersecurity, with responsibility for supervising the IT team, managing outside vendors, setting standards, and ensuring reliable, secure technology.

Qualifications

• Seven or more years of progressive IT experience, including leading people, vendors, or an internal IT function.
• Clear background check and ability to meet applicable federal customer requirements.
• Strong hands-on experience administering Microsoft 365 in a business environment, with practical depth in Entra ID, Intune, Conditional Access, MFA, Defender, Exchange Online, administrative roles, and endpoint management.
• Experience supervising technical employees and establishing clear service, performance, and documentation expectations.
• Experience managing an MSP or other significant technology vendors and holding them accountable for measurable results.
• A proactive approach — anticipates problems, identifies risks and improvements before they become issues, and follows through without prompting.
• Ability to diagnose difficult technical issues, evaluate and challenge technical recommendations, and explain technical risks and decisions in plain business terms.

Responsibilities

• Own the reliability and responsiveness of Citadel’s IT function, set service expectations, escalation paths, and priorities.
• Lead administration and security of Microsoft 365, including Entra ID, Intune, Conditional Access, MFA, Defender, Exchange Online, Purview, administrative roles, device compliance, logging, and secure administration practices.
• Directly supervise the IT team, set responsibilities, priorities, documentation standards, and performance expectations.
• Own relationships with the MSP and other technology vendors, define scope, expectations, approvals, and documentation standards.
• Set standards for computers, mobile devices, software, licensing, networking, and peripherals; maintain asset inventory and lifecycle plans.
• Own onboarding, role changes, terminations, administrative and privileged accounts, access reviews, and least-privilege access.
• Validate backup, recovery, logging, retention, and continuity capabilities; ensure tested procedures.
• Own cybersecurity operations including incident response, vulnerability management, access governance, risk tracking, and security awareness training.
• Coordinate CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 readiness with outside consultants and federal customers, and maintain required documentation and evidence.
• Maintain a practical IT roadmap and manage budgets; promote responsible adoption of Microsoft Copilot, Power Automate, and related capabilities.

Skills

Team Leadership

Vendor Management

Microsoft 365

Cybersecurity Operations

Identity & Access Management

CMMC/NIST Readiness

Tools

Microsoft 365

Entra ID

Intune

Job description

Reports To: President/CFO

Travel: Limited

JOB SUMMARY

Citadel Electric Group is hiring an IT Operations Manager to lead the performance, security, and improvement of technology across a growing 250+ employee electrical contractor with significant commercial, industrial, and federal work.

This management role requires real technical depth. The IT Operations Manager will supervise the IT team, manage outside technology vendors, establish standards, and ensure employees have reliable, secure, and well-supported technology.

This person is not the routine help desk, but must be able to validate technical work, step in when needed, and resolve difficult issues.

Microsoft 365 is the center of our technology environment, and hands-on administrative depth in it is required.

The role also owns routine cybersecurity operations and coordinates Citadel’s CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 readiness, working with outside consultants where specialized expertise or independent assessment support is needed.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

• IT Operations and Service Delivery — Own the reliability and responsiveness of Citadel’s IT function. Set service expectations, escalation paths, and priorities. Identify root causes of recurring issues and correct the underlying systems or processes.
• Microsoft 365 Administration and Security — Lead administration and security of Microsoft 365, including Entra ID, Intune, Conditional Access, MFA, Defender, Exchange Online, Purview, administrative roles, device compliance, logging, and secure administration practices.
• Team Leadership — Directly supervise the IT team. Set responsibilities, priorities, documentation standards, and performance expectations.
• Vendor and MSP Management — Own relationships with Citadel’s managed service provider and other technology vendors. Define scope, service expectations, approval requirements, and documentation standards, and hold vendors accountable for measurable outcomes.
• Technology Standards and Lifecycle — Set standards for computers, mobile devices, software, licensing, networking, and peripherals. Maintain an accurate asset inventory and replacement and disposal plans.
• Identity and Access Management — Own onboarding, role changes, terminations, administrative and privileged accounts, periodic access reviews, and least-privilege access.
• Backup, Recovery, and Resilience — Validate backup, recovery, logging, retention, and continuity capabilities. Ensure critical systems have owners, recovery expectations, and tested procedures.
• Cybersecurity Operations and Incident Response — Own endpoint and identity protection, vulnerability management, access governance, risk tracking, security reviews, incident response, and practical security awareness training. Lead major incidents through containment, recovery, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and reporting.
• Federal Compliance Coordination — Serve as Citadel’s internal coordinator for CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 readiness. Work with outside consultants, assessors, counsel, federal customers, and the MSP to define the CUI environment, establish responsibilities, close identified gaps, and maintain required documentation and evidence.
• Planning, Automation, and Business Partnership — Maintain a practical annual IT roadmap and manage spending within approved budgets. Lead responsible adoption of Microsoft Copilot, Power Automate, and related capabilities. Partner with Finance, Operations, Safety, and HR on technology selection, integration, security, and data access. Functional departments retain ownership of their business systems.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be a U.S. person, as required for access to export-controlled technical data and certain federal customer systems.
• Clear background check and ability to meet applicable federal customer requirements.
• Seven or more years of progressive IT experience, including leading people, vendors, or an internal IT function.
• Strong hands-on experience administering Microsoft 365 in a business environment, with practical depth in Entra ID, Intune, Conditional Access, MFA, Defender, Exchange Online, administrative roles, and endpoint management.
• Experience supervising technical employees and establishing clear service, performance, and documentation expectations.
• Experience managing an MSP or other significant technology vendors and holding them accountable for measurable results.
• A proactive approach — anticipates problems, identifies risks and improvements before they become issues, and follows through without being prompted.
• Ability to diagnose difficult technical issues, evaluate and challenge technical recommendations, and explain technical risks and decisions in plain business terms.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with Microsoft Purview, Sentinel, Power Platform, Power Automate, or Microsoft Copilot.
• Experience supporting a construction, manufacturing, engineering, or federal contracting business with field operations.
• Familiarity with CMMC Level 2, NIST SP 800-171, applicable DFARS cybersecurity clauses, SPRS, or C3PAO assessments, and with CUI, ITAR, EAR, or other controlled technical information.
• Experience supporting GCC, GCC High, or another regulated Microsoft 365 environment.
• Relevant Microsoft, cybersecurity, or IT service management certifications, or equivalent demonstrated experience.

AUTHORITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

The IT Operations Manager makes normal operating decisions on IT standards, user access, security controls, devices, approved software, vendors, support priorities, and budget execution within approved plans.

Material spending, major system replacements, significant cybersecurity risks, and decisions affecting company strategy or contractual commitments are escalated to executive leadership.

This position is accountable for outcomes, not activity.

CANDIDATE FIT

The right person is an operator who takes ownership, follows through, and closes open issues — equally comfortable managing an employee, holding a vendor accountable, reviewing a Conditional Access policy, and explaining technology risk in plain business terms.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Competitive base salary commensurate with experience and capabilities, performance bonus opportunity, company-paid medical and dental insurance, and a 401(k) plan with company contributions and discretionary profit-sharing contributions.

SAFETY

It is Citadel Electric Group, Inc.’s policy to require safe operations and practices from all employees and to ensure our management team focuses on maintaining a safe working environment, including when work occurs in hazardous construction environments.

TRAVEL

Primarily local during the business day, with occasional travel to Citadel facilities, jobsites, vendor meetings, training, and federal customer or compliance engagements. Limited overnight travel may be required.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Citadel Electric Group, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.