Director, IT Infrastructure & Operations Research

Position Purpose

Are you passionate about being a thought partner of infrastructure and operations leaders? Are you compelled to help others stop fighting the same fires day after day? If so, you could be Info-Tech’s next Research and Advisory Research Director on the Infrastructure & Operations team.

The Research Director - Infrastructure & Operations, creates and delivers client-driven, project-based, practical research and advisory that helps IT leaders drive measurable results in their organizations. They are responsible for research projects and advisory operations primarily in the domains of core infrastructure strategies and roadmaps, cloud technology and operations, service desk management and operations, disaster recovery and business continuity planning, end user computing, operations process management and governance, etc.

The Research Director will maintain an active pulse on the needs of members as well as industry development, deliver exceptional service via calls and workshops, collaborate with others across the Research department and organization, and ensure they deliver high quality Infrastructure & Operations research and solutions.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Using your knowledge and experience to help IT Management take a leading role in guiding their organizations towards success through thought-provoking research and best-practice deliverables.
• Using practical experience and knowledge to help IT Management cultivate Infrastructure & Operations strategies.

• Identifying technology trends and proposing research topics.

• Advising IT management on how to best fulfill their mandates and show back value to the business through calls and facilitation of workshops.
• Enabling IT Management with the tools and methods that they need to support the business both strategically and operationally.
• Development of research project outlines, scoping documents, and other related documentation.
• Completing primary & secondary research.

• Design and build of research content for publication, in keeping with established research process & quality guidelines.

• Successful execution on commitments agreed upon in workshop Statements of Work (SOW) and in alignment to expectations negotiated with clients.
• Provide verbal & written information to Info-Tech Consulting teams as needed.
• Provide recommendations to Sales Representatives/Directors on potential client workshops and other means of client engagement.
• Respond & provide written collateral to Sales Representatives/Directors and Global Services (formerly Executive Services) staff in a timely manner.
• Design and build of high-quality keynote/other presentations, and successful delivery of presentations as needed.

Areas of focus for this role includes:

• Research.  Writing and publishing research designed to provide our members with what they need to be world-class CIOs.
• Utilization. Leverage our research to assist Info-Tech members through the process of executing on their key initiatives. Maximize utilization through a series of structured calls, structured one-week workshops, or custom consulting engagements.
• Service Quality. Provide measurable value to our clients through the various services provided: research, calls, workshops, and consulting.
• Account Renewal Rate. Work jointly with account managers to reengage customers with low service levels through targeted campaigns and outreach.  
• Commercial Results. Identify opportunities to provide value to clients through workshops and consulting engagements and work with our commercial teams to define the scope and project outcomes.  

 Education and Experience

• Undergraduate degree required (business or technology). An MA, MBA, or MSc beneficial.
• Professional certifications in ITIL and COBIT 5 ideal; other industry specific certifications (i.e. AWS or Azure Cloud, DRP/BCP, relevant vendor certifications) preferred
• Practical experience (5-10+ years) working in one or more of the following domains necessary:
  • Core infrastructure (servers, storage, networking)
  • IT operations (ITIL or COBIT aligned)
  • Disaster recovery and business continuity planning
  • End user and mobile computing and management
  • Service desk and service management
  • Microsoft/Office 365 management

• Infrastructure & Operations Strategy Skills; demonstrated understanding and application of IT operations principles and processes, infrastructure architecture, and core infrastructure technology knowledge.
• General IT Domain Knowledge; detailed level of knowledge across multiple IT domain areas, and general knowledge across all domains; understanding of business and IT capability, strategy, and governance.
• Presentation and facilitation experience demonstrated through prior client-facing workshops, training sessions, and consulting engagements.
• History of strong relationship building and management skills. Experience gaining and maintaining trusted advisor status with senior management and C-level executives.

• Must be flexible and have ability to travel frequently to deliver workshops onsite at client locations both within and outside of North America, when it is safe to do so.

• Must be eligible to obtain appropriate work Visa for cross-border work within North America and globally.

• Must be available for after-hours work periodically to service APAC clients.

               

Skills

• Inclusion. Contributes to an environment in which all employees feel a sense of belonging, valued for their differences, and empowered to participate and contribute freely.
• Domain Expertise. Must have strong knowledge of some combination of core infrastructure architecture, cloud IaaS/PaaS administration and management, IT operations, end user computing, service management.
• Client Interaction and Facilitation. Ability to build rapport and communicate effectively with clients both virtually and in-person, when safe to do so.
• Event Speaking. Ability to develop keynote/other presentations that will be delivered credibly, articulately, and confidently at Info-Tech’s own events or at external events and conferences.
• Knowledge Application, Problem Solving & Decision Making. Can make relevant recommendations on next steps and helpful resources in response to indirect and direct cues and topics discussed during member interactions. Uses critical thinking to evaluate problems, gather information, understand causes, and identify best possible solutions. Invests time in planning, discovery, and reflection to drive better decisions and more efficient implementations.
• Project Management. Manage project scope and report on project progress within a timely manner.  Ability to manage client expectations.
• Writing Ability. Ability to craft and word deliverables in a clear and concise manner. Achieve an aesthetically appealing outcome that is polished and professional.
• Business Development. Generate advisory sales leads from interactions with clients, whether during analyst calls or during project work, and proposing Info-Tech Research Group’s services to fulfill Member’s needs.
• Research. Apply primary and secondary research, along with superior analytical and written communication skills, to lead the team in producing high-quality, published research for our members.
• Managing Through Change & Uncertainty. Adjusts thinking and behavior to resiliently face change and uses experience to fuel growth. Embraces failure as a learning opportunity for themselves and others. Enables the process of change and transition while helping others deal with the effects of change.
• Dynamic Learning Mindset. Continuously seeks opportunities to learn, questions the applicability of past approaches in the current environment, owns growth, and embraces failure as a learning opportunity.

ITRG is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are pleased to consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected factors. To that end, upon request, ITRG will ensure, to the extent possible, that accommodation be made available to applicants throughout the recruitment and hiring process


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