Job Summary:
Reporting to the Executive Director of Infrastructure Services, the Director of Network Services is responsible for the CPS Network Services, which span over 600 distinct facilities with over 400,000 end-user devices. This position ensures that CPS Infrastructure Standards are followed for all Network and Security Infrastructure projects. The Director of Network Services supervises a highly technical staff of over sixty (60) employees and consultants and works closely with all CPS schools, departments, charter schools, CPS Capital Improvement Program, and other City of Chicago Agencies. The Director of Network Services is responsible for the effective utilization of internal and external resources.
The Director of Network Services will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:
- Set the strategic direction for the organization's network and network security infrastructure under the direction of the Executive Director of Infrastructure Services in support of critical district business needs.
- Oversee the selection, development, deployment, monitoring, maintenance, and enhancement of the district’s network and network security infrastructure.
- Provide leadership, motivation, coaching, professional development, and day-to-day support to foster an engaged work environment with a focus on customer service.
- Oversee, monitor, and report progress on complex and/or multiple network services projects relative to schedules, budgets, and quality.
- Ensure maximum uptime of the network especially during student assessment windows and other key business windows.
- Monitor performance of direct reports, providing timely feedback and completing the RISE performance review process for network services teams by the established deadlines.
- Monitor Vendor performance and service levels to ensure adherence to established standards and objectives.
- Ensure all critical network and network security infrastructure are up to the latest recommended patch levels.
- Ensure that all production changes applied to the network and security infrastructure tier adhere to CPS ITS change management standards.
- Conduct Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to prevent recurrences and identify potential process, technological, or training improvements.
- Ensure timely and enterprise-wide communication in the event of a major network or network security infrastructure-related outage.
- Establish service level agreements and monitor progress toward service delivery key performance indicators (KPI’s) or metrics.
- Use methods and tools to conduct vulnerability assessments, testing internal and external network perimeters for accessibility.
- Be a consensus builder and persuasive leader with a strong commitment to teamwork and knowledge sharing who effectively communicates technical concepts to a broad range of technical and non-technical staff.
- Develop methods and processes to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and security of the network services functions.
- The fulfillment of critical, mission-aligned training opportunities for key enterprise application staff members.
- Manage the development and delivery of IT standards, best practices, architecture, and systems to ensure information system security across the network services functions.
- Ensure that all network services production changes consistently follow a Best Practice release management process and adhere to local standards set forth by the ITS Change Manager.
- Partner with Procurement to ensure that the services and performance of major partners are examined through a quarterly business review.
- Negotiate favorable network services’ vendor contracts and review and analyze contract terms and conditions.
- Ensure the Network Services’ budget is tightly managed and not exceeded.
- Quality assurance of all network and network security-related proposals and submissions to the CPS Board of Education.
- Other duties as assigned.
In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Director of Network Services must possess the following qualifications:
Education Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field from an accredited college or university.
Experience Required:
- Minimum of seven (7) years of professional leadership experience managing network services in a large enterprise environment.
- Minimum of three (3) years of experience in a supervisory/management position responsible for leading teams of direct reports in the ITS or technology field.
- Experience administering federally funded initiatives such as the E-Rate program; inclusive of the management of all application and reporting deadlines.
- ITIL, PMP, and Cisco certifications are a plus.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Proven ability to provide supervisory guidance for troubleshooting and/or debugging issues with local and wide area networks, and perimeter security.
- Familiarity with the principles of project management, including but not limited to experience with both Waterfall and AGILE project management methodologies.
- Familiarity with the detailed practices of the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).
- Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
- Proactive, decisive, action-oriented individual with a strong attention to detail.
- Ability to advise stakeholders in a non-technical manner.
- Exceptional organizational, problem-solving skills, and project management skills.
- Experience balancing and leading the prioritization of new project efforts.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to facilitate presentations to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Ability to deliver in a fast-paced environment, respond immediately to multiple constituencies, and meet established deadlines.
- Ability to work in a team, with technical and non-technical personnel, and across departmental boundaries.
- Ability to define problems, analyze data, and outline valid conclusions and action steps.
- Capable of following Company policies and practices while representing CPS in an ethical and professional manner in all interactions with employees, governmental agencies, vendors, contractors, suppliers, students, and the Chicago community.
Conditions of Employment
As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:
- Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
- Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $115,000.00 - $153,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Professional development assistance
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Compensation package:
Experience level:
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
Ability to Relocate:
- Bridgeport, IL: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person