Director of Application Managed Services and IT Operations

Company Description Who We Are AIR Communities is a Real Estate Investment Trust headquartered in Denver, CO. We are one of the country's largest owners and operators of multifamily housing, managing high-quality properties in most major markets. At AIR, we value integrity, respect, collaboration, customer focus, and performance. These values are brought to life by our teammates, who are ultimately responsible for our success. When you join our team, you'll work alongside the most dedicated professionals in the industry and open the door to unlimited career opportunities. We seek motivated professionals who excel in customer service and thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. If you're inclined towards more challenging tasks and aspire to exceed expectations, our environment may align better with your ambitions, join us! Where You Will Work Our corporate office is located in the Denver Tech Center. Our office spans the top two floors of the building and features expansive views of the mountains and the downtown skyline. AIR values relationships and the benefits from working side by side with teammates, therefore this position will be in-office 5 days a week to support the team. Job Description About the Role The Director, Application Managed Services and IT Operations connects AIR's in scope application managed service providers, support teams, and technology partners into a single operational model that delivers reliable business outcomes. You'll own the operational health of the application portfolio, not by personally running every technical function, but by bringing together the teams that do. You'll partner closely with infrastructure, cybersecurity, architecture, engineering, data, and business teams to ensure applications remain available, secure, supportable, and ready to scale. You know the entire technology stack. You understand how applications, integrations, data platforms, infrastructure, identity, observability, and cybersecurity controls fit together. You know enough to identify risks, ask the right questions, drive accountability, and ensure operational requirements are addressed before they become business problems. This role also owns the relationship with our managed service providers and offshore support teams. You'll hold partners accountable, drive continuous improvement, and ensure AIR receives measurable value from every support dollar invested. You have likely spent time in application development, enterprise platforms, service management, or technology operations. You've delivered systems, managed complex environments, and learned how technology actually works. Today, you're the person leaders trust to make sense of operational complexity, keep teams aligned, and ensure the organization is ready for what's next. Operational Strategy We run technology operations to keep AIR’s business moving, maintaining reliable systems, responsive support, clear ownership, and consistent service for residents and team members. You’ll Guide Daily Operating Decisions With Practical Questions Are services stable, available, and performing as expected?Are incidents, risks, and recurring issues being addressed with clear ownership?Are residents and team members receiving the service experience they need?Are support processes efficient, repeatable, and easy to execute?Can the operating model scale without creating unnecessary complexity? These questions provide the guiding framework for how we manage operations, focus improvement efforts, and keep the operating model simple, accountable, and scalable. Managed Services Strategy We leverage internal teams and strategic partners to create a scalable operating model. You'll Continuously Evaluate What capabilities should remain internal?What capabilities should be provided by managed service providers?Where can automation improve service quality?How do we maximize value from vendor investments?How do we build a support model that scales without sacrificing accountability? What You'll Do Application Operations Leadership Own operational excellence across AIR's enterprise application offshore counterpart landscape.Ensure offshore counterpart applications remain reliable, supportable, secure, and aligned with business requirements.Drive incident, problem, change, release, and operational readiness practices across the relevant offshore portfolio.Partner with offshore delivery teams to ensure solutions are designed for long-term supportability, not just successful implementation.Create visibility into application health, operational risks, service quality, and improvement opportunities. Service Integration Bring together applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, architecture, engineering, data, and vendor teams around shared operational outcomes.Ensure requirements related to resiliency, observability, disaster recovery, identity management, vulnerability remediation, and operational controls are incorporated into solution delivery.Coordinate complex issues that span multiple technology domains.Drive accountability when ownership crosses organizational boundaries.Translate technical risks into business impact and business priorities into operational action. Vendor & Offshore Team Leadership Own AIR's operational relationship with TCS and other strategic technology partners.Establish clear expectations, measurements, and accountability mechanisms for vendor performance.Lead governance reviews, escalations, service improvement initiatives, and operational planning sessions.Create a high-performing model across distributed and offshore support teams.Ensure support organizations operate with urgency, ownership, strong communication, and measurable outcomes. Technology Change & Operational Readiness Partner with product, engineering, and business teams to prepare new capabilities for production.Ensure operational requirements are addressed before systems are released.Drive adoption of SAFe, Agile, and service management practices across operational teams.Lead transition planning for new platforms, enhancements, upgrades, and modernization initiatives.Reduce operational complexity through standardization, automation, and continuous improvement. Senior Leadership Visibility & Governance Build senior leadership-level reporting that tells the story behind the metrics.Provide clear views of operational health, vendor performance, risk exposure, service quality, and investment priorities.Establish a practical governance rhythm across vendor and internal IT operations processes, including incident, problem, change, release, access, backup, disaster recovery, vulnerability remediation, and operational controls.Periodically review operational processes to validate alignment with approved policies, standards, procedures, control expectations, and contractual obligations.Surface emerging issues before they become business disruptions.Present decision-ready recommendations to technology and business leadership.Create alignment across teams with competing priorities and dependencies. Qualifications What You'll Bring Technical Foundation You understand modern enterprise technology because you've worked in it. 10+ years of experience across enterprise applications, software delivery, managed services, service management, or technology operations.Strong understanding of application architecture, integrations, cloud platforms, data services, identity management, observability, and enterprise support models.Working knowledge of infrastructure, cybersecurity, resiliency, disaster recovery, vulnerability management, SAST, DAST, and operational controls.Ability to connect business objectives with technical realities. Operational Leadership Experience leading application support organizations, managed services teams, or complex technology operations.Experience working within SAFe and Agile delivery environments.Strong change management and operational readiness experience.Demonstrated success improving reliability, service quality, and operational efficiency.Experience managing cross-functional initiatives with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities. Vendor & Business Acumen Experience managing strategic technology vendors and offshore delivery organizations.Strong understanding of governance, service-level management, financial accountability, and performance management.Ability to assess tradeoffs and focus investment where it creates the most business value.Comfortable operating with incomplete information and driving decisions forward. Executive Presence & Stakeholder Leadership Build trust quickly with executives, engineers, architects, support teams, and business leaders.Turn operational complexity into simple, actionable narratives.Influence without direct authority.Know when to challenge, when to escalate, and when to let teams execute.Communicate confidently in writing, in meetings, and during critical operational events. Success Looks Like Key applications remain stable, supportable, secure, and ready to scale.Vendors and offshore teams operate as accountable extensions of the AIR technology organization.Infrastructure, cybersecurity, engineering, and applications teams work as a coordinated ecosystem rather than isolated functions.Operational risks are identified early and addressed before they disrupt the business.Technology initiatives enter production with strong operational readiness and clear ownership.Leaders have a trusted view of operational health, service quality, risks, costs, and improvement opportunities.The company sees technology operations as an enabler, not a bottleneck or a performance inhibitor. Additional Information What We Offer: AIR offers attractive total compensation packages designed to recognize and reward performance including: Expected pay rate of $175,000- $205,000 plus annual target bonus. You will be provided a pay rate that is in line with your skills and experience as they relate to the requirements of the job.25% Rent Discount at any AIR community (a rental application is required, and certain exclusions apply).Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance options, HSA/FSA plans, short and long-term disability paid by the company.401(k) plan with employer contribution.Paid time off including vacation, sick time, and 14 holidays.Paid parental leave of up to 16 weeks.Tuition assistance program and up to 100% reimbursement for job-related certifications and licenses.15 hours of paid time annually for community service.Commuter benefits and pet insurance.Consumer discounts on various products and services.Opportunities for ongoing professional development, leadership training, and career growth. What You Need To Know Application Deadline: The initial deadline for applications is 9/1/2026. Applications submitted after this date may still be considered on a rolling basis until the position/program is filled. We encourage all interested candidates to apply as early as possible. If a final decision has not been made by the initial deadline, subsequent applications will be reviewed as they are received. Candidates extended an offer will be required to undergo pre-employment screening that includes checking references, a four-panel drug screening that excludes marijuana testing, employment verification & criminal background check. AIR values diversity and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. AIR prohibits 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 characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.