Director, IT Operations - CMU Miami

A New Campus. A New Model. A Bold New Chapter: Carnegie Mellon University Miami

Carnegie Mellon University is building a new campus in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, creating a unique opportunity to help shape the technology environment for a growing academic and research community from the ground up.

The Opportunity:

Computing Services is seeking a Director of IT Operations – CMU Miami to serve as a key on-site technology partner for the Miami campus. This role will connect campus needs with Carnegie Mellon’s central Computing Services organization in Pittsburgh while being hands-on as well as coordinating local vendors, contractors, facilities partners, and service providers. The Director will report to the Deputy Chief Information Officer in Computing Services. During the startup period, the Director also works under the day-to-day direction of the Computing Services leader for the Miami technology workstream.

The Director will work closely with Pittsburgh-based Computing Services leaders and technical teams that own and operate university-wide technology services. The role will provide critical local context, be hands on as well as coordinate implementation and operational activities in Miami, identify emerging needs and risks, and help ensure that centrally delivered services work effectively in the Miami environment.

This role will change as the campus grows. At the start, the Director will be the first on-site technology staff member and will do much of the work personally: setting up spaces, installing and testing equipment, supporting the first faculty, staff, and students, and resolving problems as they arise. In doing so, the Director will work with the Pittsburgh technology community and with local contracted and term resources in Miami. As on-site technology staff is hired over the first year, the Director will recruit, onboard, and lead that team. The role will shift toward operational leadership of campus technology services. The successful candidate will be effective in both modes.

Build What’s Next in Miami. Help Shape a Better Future.

Learn more about CMU Miami: https://miami.cmu.edu/

What You’ll Do

• Serve as the primary on-site Computing Services representative and technology point of contact for CMU Miami, including initially acting as the Security Point of Contact for the Miami campus, working with the Information Security Office.
• Partner closely with Computing Services leaders and service owners in Pittsburgh to understand Miami requirements and support the delivery of university-wide technology services to the campus.
• Bring local campus context, operational requirements, risks, and opportunities into central IT planning and decision-making.
• Coordinate implementation activities in Miami for services including networking, identity, security, endpoint computing, audiovisual technology, enterprise applications, research computing, and other technology capabilities.
• Represent Computing Services in campus planning, building activation, renovation, construction, and facility turnover activities, engaging the appropriate Pittsburgh-based technical teams and service owners as needed.
• Coordinate local technology vendors, contractors, telecommunications providers, and managed service partners in partnership with central IT teams.
• Assess technology needs for offices, conference rooms, classrooms, laboratories, research environments, and other campus spaces and communicate those needs to the appropriate service owners.
• Provide hands-on technical support, installation, testing, and troubleshooting when local presence is required.
• Support incident response by assessing issues on site, coordinating with central support and engineering teams, and helping drive issues to resolution.
• Identify technology risks, dependencies, readiness gaps, and emerging campus needs and work collaboratively with central IT and campus partners to address them.
• Establish and maintain local operational procedures, documentation, inventory practices, and support processes consistent with broader Computing Services standards.
• Contribute to the development of the long-term Miami IT operating model, including recommendations regarding central services, local support, contractors, and managed services.
• Build strong relationships with faculty, researchers, staff, students, Facilities Management Services, campus leadership, and Pittsburgh-based Computing Services teams.
• Support campus events, executive visits, research activities, and other high-visibility initiatives where dependable on-site technology is critical.
• Recruit, onboard, and lead on-site technology staff as the Miami team grows, and set the standards and practices for local support.

Who You Are

You are a versatile technology professional who enjoys building new capabilities, solving practical problems, and connecting people across teams and organizations. You thrive in a dynamic environment where priorities evolve, requirements may be ambiguous, and success depends on collaboration across geographic and organizational boundaries.

You bring broad technical knowledge across enterprise IT services, including networking, wireless, endpoint computing, audiovisual technology, identity and access management, information security, and IT service management. You are comfortable balancing strategic technology planning with hands-on implementation and troubleshooting, whether coordinating with central IT teams, working with vendors and contractors in an active construction environment, or resolving technology issues directly.

You understand how to operate within a larger enterprise IT organization, advocating for local needs while leveraging shared services, established standards, and institutional expertise. You can translate operational needs into clear technical requirements, engage the right subject-matter experts, and identify when local conditions warrant an adapted approach, all while maintaining alignment with Carnegie Mellon University's broader technology environment.

An effective communicator and relationship builder, you work confidently with senior leaders, faculty, engineers, construction teams, contractors, vendors, and end users. You bring strong project coordination and organizational skills, sound technical judgment, and the flexibility to navigate competing priorities while helping establish reliable, scalable technology services for a growing campus.

To be successful in this role you should demonstrate:

• A collaborative approach to delivering technology services across multiple technical teams and organizational units.
• Broad working knowledge of enterprise IT infrastructure and services, with the hands-on skills to troubleshoot issues, evaluate solutions, and support technical implementation.
• Experience coordinating technology vendors, contractors, telecommunications providers, or managed service providers.
• Strong project coordination, communication, organizational, and relationship-management skills.
• The ability to translate local operational needs into actionable requirements for central technology teams and service owners.
• Sound judgment in balancing enterprise standards and shared services with the unique needs of a developing campus.
• A willingness to work in the field, including in active construction and renovation environments.
• The adaptability and initiative to navigate ambiguity, competing priorities, and rapid change while building collaborative relationships and practical, sustainable solutions.

Qualifications

Required

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, engineering, information systems, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience: 10+ years of IT operations, infrastructure, service delivery, or related technology roles, including previous experience supervising and leading technical staff, preferably during significant periods of change (or clear readiness to build and lead a small team)

A combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.

Preferred

• Experience supporting technology in higher education, research, or another complex decentralized organization.
• Experience working within a central IT or shared-services operating model.
• Experience launching or supporting a new campus, office, facility, laboratory, or major site expansion.
• Experience participating in building construction, renovation, commissioning, or facility turnover projects.
• Experience supporting research environments or specialized academic technology.
• Experience coordinating services delivered through a combination of central teams, local resources, contractors, vendors, and managed services.

Why This Role Matters

The Director of IT Operations will provide an essential connection between Carnegie Mellon’s Miami campus and the university’s central Computing Services organization.

As the campus develops, central IT teams in Pittsburgh will continue to provide the expertise, platforms, services, standards, and strategic direction that support Carnegie Mellon broadly. The Director will help ensure those capabilities translate effectively to the Miami environment by providing local knowledge, coordinating implementation, identifying issues early, and supporting execution on the ground.

For someone who enjoys working across teams, helping build new environments, and turning enterprise technology capabilities into effective local services, this role offers the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the development of Carnegie Mellon’s new Miami campus.

Requirements:

• Successful completion of a pre-employment background check; including a drug and alcohol screening
• Sponsorship: Applicants for this position must be currently legally authorized to work for CMU in the United States. CMU will not sponsor or take over the sponsorship of an employment visa for this opportunity. Carnegie Mellon is not a qualifying employer for the STEM OPT benefit: only the 12-month OPT may be used to work at Carnegie Mellon.
• Ability to work primarily on site in Miami and travel periodically to Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh campus and other locations as needed.

Additional Information:

• This is a full-time (37.5 hours/week), salaried position based in Miami, Florida.
• Work Posture: On-site
• Plans for the campus are subject to necessary regulatory approvals.

Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits.

Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions. Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance. 

Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and much more!

For a comprehensive overview of the benefits available, explore our Benefits page.

At Carnegie Mellon, we value the whole package when extending offers of employment. Beyond credentials, we evaluate the role and responsibilities, your valuable work experience, and the knowledge gained through education and training. We appreciate your unique skills and the perspective you bring. Your journey with us is about more than just a job; it’s about finding the perfect fit for your professional growth and personal aspirations.

Are you interested in an exciting opportunity with an exceptional organization?! Apply today!

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