Strategic Network Operations Leader

Vanguard University of Southern California; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 98,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard University is seeking a Network Operations Manager to lead the campus network and ensure reliable LAN/WAN services. The role includes supervising the network operations team, managing security, licenses, and cloud integrations, and collaborating with the Sr. Director of IT.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, problem solving, and a commitment to continuous improvement, with experience in enterprise networking and higher-education tech environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT, CS, IS, engineering or related field required.
• Minimum five years in network infrastructure, systems administration, or enterprise tech ops.
• At least three years of supervisory or leadership experience.
• Experience with enterprise networking tech, wireless, routing, switching, firewalls and security.
• Microsoft tech proficiency: M365, Active Directory, Azure/Entra ID, Exchange, Teams, SharePoint.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, supervision, mentoring, and professional development for Network Operations staff.
• Oversee design, implementation, monitoring, and support of campus network infrastructure.
• Partner on cybersecurity, risk management, and incident response planning.
• Support enterprise systems and cloud services, including AD, M365, virtualization, and backups.
• Co-lead infrastructure modernization projects and manage vendor relationships and licensing.
• Communicate status, risks, and recommendations to university leadership and staff.

Skills

Strong analytical skills

Troubleshooting

Excellent communication skills

Team leadership

Customer service orientation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Microsoft 365

Active Directory

Azure/Entra ID

Exchange

Teams

SharePoint

M365 CoPilot

Windows Server

Job description

Vanguard University is seeking a Network Operations Manager to lead the campus network and ensure reliable LAN/WAN services. The role includes supervising the network operations team, managing security, licenses, and cloud integrations, and collaborating with the Sr. Director of IT.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong leadership, problem solving, and a commitment to continuous improvement, with experience in enterprise networking and higher-education tech environments.