Head of IT Operations / VP of IT Operations/Director of IT Operations

About the role

Execute enterprise-wide IT strategy, long-term technology planning, and partner closely with the CIO to accomplish organizational vision. Maintain strict alignment with NYDFS, FFIEC, and cybersecurity standards; prepare and present reports to internal/external auditors and federal examiners. Oversee core IT service uptime, reliability, and lead major incident response, root cause analysis (RCA), and remediation. Manage IT budgets, forecasts, heavy financial modeling in Excel, technology investments, and resource allocation. Deliver clear, high-level presentations and documentation using advanced PowerPoint and Excel for senior leadership and branch stakeholders.

Candidate Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field (Master’s or MBA strongly preferred for the business acumen aspect).

• 10 to 15 years of progressive IT experience strictly within banking or regulated financial services
• 4+ years in senior IT leadership (Director, VP, or Senior Manager level) with the capacity to step in for or work side-by-side with the CIO
• Familiarity with banking platforms (e.g., Summit, Montran, Swift, Midas, Actimize) and IT frameworks (COBIT, NIST, ISO 27001)
• Solid grounding in infrastructure management, Windows/VMware, Dell PowerStore, Cohesity, networking, and ITSM

The role requires a leader who can understand business requirements and possess sufficient technical knowledge and experience to evaluate technology options, challenge proposed solutions, identify appropriate architectures and approaches, and provide effective direction to technical teams. The ideal candidate must bridge the gap between business and technology, translating business needs into practical, secure, and sustainable technology solutions. Seek a candidate with broader business acumen and demonstrated experience transforming IT from a traditional technical support function into a strategic business partner who can engage with business leaders, anticipate needs and challenges, and translate them into appropriate technology strategies and solutions.