Managing Director, Technology Operations

About the role

We’re building a unified technology operations center—a single control room for all of Associated’s technology. Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, you will form our new Technology Operations function, responsible for the reliability and performance of the technology of Associated, the continuity of business functions, and the productivity of our users.

Associated Electric operates one of the most technologically sophisticated electric systems in the country, including two data centers, cloud platforms, modern enterprise applications, AI tools, and hundreds of critical technology systems supporting 24-7 generation, transmission, and energy trading. We’ve built operations centers for cyber and physical security, with our cyber operations center providing managed services to over 50 member cooperatives. Your role will transform our IT operations by integrating these capabilities into one cohesive organization and building a platform that doesn’t yet exist—a control system for enterprise technology.

Responsibilities

• Form Technology Operations: Bring cyber operations and physical security operations together for the first time, and fuse them with platform, product, and workforce technology support into one organization with a shared mission and culture.
• Run the Operation: Lead operations from day one to ensure reliability, including handling incidents (e.g., grid control center or trading floor technology failures at 3 a.m.) and minimizing productivity disruptions (e.g., SharePoint outages).
• Define the Operating Model: Establish workflows across teams that have never worked as one, including tiers and escalation, handoffs between protection and business operations, central vs. field response, and service definitions the business can depend on.
• Build the Control System: Own the platform powering Technology Operations, including vision, roadmap, funding, and long-term evolution. Develop pipelines, alarms, dashboards, and AI-infused playbooks/automation for real-time enterprise health monitoring and response.
• Onboard the Enterprise: Create an intake path for hundreds of systems, including consulting services to help product teams instrument their systems, define ownership, thresholds, and runbooks, and prioritize onboarding.
• Expand the Services: Grow beyond monitoring and response into enterprise business continuity, disaster recovery, operational readiness, proactive health/capacity management, and coordination with technology partners.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in technology, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of experience and relevant certifications.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in technology operations, security, infrastructure, or enterprise-scale technology environments, including experience leading through managers.
• 7+ years of people leadership experience with full responsibility for direct reports.
• Demonstrated success leading and improving 24/7 monitoring, incident response, and support capabilities across complex systems.
• Proven experience leading high-stakes incident and crisis response, coordinating cross-functional teams, and restoring operations under pressure.
• Strong understanding of cybersecurity, infrastructure, and enterprise systems, including networks, identity, hosting environments, and endpoint technologies.
• Experience building and evolving operational systems and capabilities, including observability, automation, and incident management platforms.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to make decisions in ambiguous, time-sensitive situations and communicate clearly with technical teams, business leaders, and senior/executive leadership.

Skills

• Startup Mindset: Experience building something from nothing and driving adoption, including making thoughtful tradeoffs and managing operational risk.
• Customer Centric: Measure success by customer experience, not just dashboards. Proven ability to partner with customers, build roadmaps, and maintain trust.
• Operationally Disciplined: Experience running 24/7 operations, building disciplined teams, clear procedures, strong incident management, and leaders who remain calm under pressure.
• Security Driven: Led security operations (cyber and physical) and understand how analysts work, detection improves, and operational discipline reduces risk.
• Product Builder: Think in terms of products, capabilities, roadmaps, and adoption. Experience defining vision, partnering with engineers, and building solutions people want to use.
• Culture Enhancer: Enjoy developing people, guiding organizations through change, and leaving teams stronger. Excited to model and enhance Associated’s IT culture of Creativity, Craftsmanship, Community, Communication, and Change.

Benefits

• Top pay with a total compensation package reflecting your experience and contributions.
• Robust 401(k) program with a generous employer match.
• Paid time off (PTO) and paid holidays for work-life integration.
• Premier healthcare plan (medical, dental, and vision) starting on your first day, covering you and your family.
• Career development opportunities in an environment where your contributions are valued.