Sr. Director, IT Operations

Sr. Director, IT Operations

Location: Rockville, MD

Onsite: Yes (on an as needed basis) 

Be Part of One Team, One Purpose.

At Emmes Group, we’re shaping the future of clinical research—where human intelligence meets cutting-edge technology to drive meaningful advancements in healthcare. With over 47 years of scientific excellence, we’ve led groundbreaking research in cell and gene therapy, vaccines, infectious diseases, ophthalmology, rare diseases, and neuroscience.

Through our two business units—Emmes, a full-service CRO, and Veridix AI, our technology, data, and analytical solutions —we are modernizing clinical trials and accelerating the development of life-changing therapies.

We believe that every clinical breakthrough starts with people—people who are passionate, purpose-driven, and ready to make an impact. At Emmes Group, we bring People, Science, and Technology together to collaborate with our customers and deliver global health impact. Our culture is built on integrity, collaboration, and innovation, ensuring that every challenge is met with perseverance and accountability.

Primary Purpose

The Sr. Director, IT Operations is the senior operational technology leader for the enterprise, accountable for the strategy, delivery, and reliability of global IT operations, including the IT service desk, end-user computing and device management, Microsoft 365 collaboration services, enterprise identity and access administration, and hybrid Azure and on-premises infrastructure across all business units and offices. The role sets the multi-year IT operations roadmap, establishes standards and service levels, and owns the operations budget and vendor portfolio. Leading a distributed, follow-the-sun organization across the Americas, India, and Europe, the Sr. Director ensures the availability, performance, and security of core systems; delivers a fast, consistent support experience; and continuously improves the user computing experience across devices. The role drives standardization and automation of operations, institutes documented playbooks with redundant coverage by both time zone and technical specialization, and ensures on-site support at global office locations as needed. Operating in a regulated life sciences environment, the Sr. Director partners with senior business and technology leaders, delivers major IT programs with strong transparency and communication, and reports to the Head of IT.

Strategy, Standards & Governance

• Set and own the multi-year IT operations strategy and roadmap, aligned to enterprise objectives and the broader technology vision.
• Establish operational standards, service levels, and policies, and set target-state architecture direction for IT operations in partnership with the principal architect.
• Own the IT operations budget and the vendor and managed-service-provider portfolio, balancing cost, risk, and service quality, and report on operational performance to senior leadership.

Service Desk & End-User Support

• Own the global IT service desk on Jira Service Management, setting SLAs and driving first-contact resolution and a consistently fast, high-quality support experience for staff worldwide.
• Direct the service-desk operating model, including the helpdesk portal, request catalog, and knowledge base, to make support easier to reach and quicker to resolve.
• Ensure around-the-clock coverage across time zones, including through managed-service providers for after-hours and weekend support.

End-User Computing & Device Management

• Direct management of the Windows and macOS device fleet through Microsoft Intune, including zero-touch provisioning, self-service application delivery, configuration, patching, and remote wipe.
• Continuously improve the end-user computing experience across devices, standardizing hardware, images, and configurations and driving down recurring issues.
• Govern endpoint least-privilege and local-admin controls (LAPS via Intune), authentication posture (Windows Hello/PIN, MFA), and lifecycle asset management from procurement through retirement.

Microsoft 365 & Collaboration Services

• Own administration and governance of the Microsoft 365 tenant and collaboration services (Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, OneDrive).
• Direct Microsoft 365 Copilot readiness and rollout, including sensitivity-label and data-classification hygiene, in partnership with security and governance stakeholders.
• Govern Microsoft and related SaaS licensing (M365, Copilot, and CSP-billed subscriptions), right-sizing seat counts and optimizing spend.

Identity, Access & Platform Administration

• Own enterprise identity and access operations through Microsoft Entra, including provisioning, UPN and alias management, group and profile assignment, and single sign-on.
• Govern operational platform configuration across enterprise systems (SSO, service accounts, API credentials, and license provisioning) and the SSL/TLS certificate lifecycle.

Infrastructure, Resilience & Continuity

• Direct operation of hybrid Azure and on-premises infrastructure, including server and host administration, storage, backup, and network and firewall operations, with on-site support where a physical presence is required.
  Govern scheduled maintenance windows, patching, and change management to keep systems current while minimizing disruption to the business.
• Ensure redundant coverage of core systems across time zones and technical specializations, maintain operational playbooks and runbooks, and own business-continuity and disaster-recovery readiness.                                        

Automation, Service Management & Delivery

• Drive automation of routine IT operations to improve speed, consistency, and cost across provisioning, access, and support.
• Own IT service-management processes (incident, problem, change, and request) aligned with ITIL, and define and track KPIs and SLAs to drive continuous improvement.
• Sponsor and deliver major IT operations programs on scope, schedule, and budget, with clear, transparent status reporting to leadership.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead a globally distributed IT operations organization through subordinate managers and senior individual contributors, fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Build organizational depth and redundancy through cross-training, documentation, succession planning, and knowledge sharing across regions.
• Partner with security, applications, and business leaders to align operations with organizational goals, regulatory requirements, and audit readiness.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years progressive IT operations experience across hybrid cloud and on-premises environments, spanning service desk, end-user computing, Microsoft 365 administration, and infrastructure, including accountability for operational strategy and budgets.
• 8+ years leading a distributed, follow-the-sun IT operations organization across multiple regions, including managing subordinate managers, budgets, and vendor/MSP relationships.
• 5+ years experience in a regulated industry, ideally life sciences or clinical research (GxP, GAMP 5, computer system validation).
• Proven ability to set IT operations strategy and standards and to translate them into reliable, measurable day-to-day delivery.
• Strong financial acumen, including ownership of an IT operations budget and optimization of vendor, MSP, and software-licensing spend.
• Demonstrated success leading a distributed, follow-the-sun organization through subordinate managers, with strong talent development and succession planning.
• Strong knowledge of end-user computing and device management with Microsoft Intune (provisioning, app delivery, configuration, patching, LAPS, remote wipe) across Windows and macOS.
• Hands-on expertise administering Microsoft 365 and Entra (Teams, SharePoint, Exchange, identity, SSO, licensing) and familiarity with Microsoft 365 Copilot and sensitivity-label governance.
• Demonstrated ability to run an IT service desk to high standards of responsiveness and quality, including ITSM tooling (e.g., Jira Service Management) and ITIL-aligned processes.
• Solid understanding of hybrid Azure and on-premises infrastructure, including server, network, and firewall operations, patching, and scheduled maintenance windows.
• Track record of automating routine IT operations and establishing playbooks with redundant coverage across time zones and specializations.
• Strong identity and access governance
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills, including senior-leadership reporting, and knowledge of business continuity, disaster recovery, and operational controls in a regulated life sciences setting.

If you’re looking for a career where your work advances global health and where scientific excellence meets real-world impact, join us and be part of something bigger. One Team, One Purpose.

Why work at Emmes?

At Emmes, your actions and hard work will have a direct impact on public health initiatives, both globally and in our local communities with opportunities for volunteerism through our  Emmes Cares  community engagement program.   We offer a competitive benefits package focused on the health and needs of our growing workforce, including:

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The Emmes Company, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability or protected veteran status.