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JOB TITLE
Associate Director, Systems Engineering and Operations

LOCATION
Worcester

DEPARTMENT NAME
CISO

DIVISION NAME
Worcester Polytechnic Institute - WPI

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
The Associate Director, Systems Engineering Operations leads the planning, implementation, and daily management of WPI's enterprise systems infrastructure. This includes oversight of Windows and Linux environments, virtualization platforms, cloud services, and device integrations.

Reporting to the Chief Information Security & Technology Officer, the Associate Director manages a team of Systems Engineers and Systems Administrators who support the core systems that keep the university running. This role is responsible for setting standards, creating repeatable processes, and ensuring secure, reliable, and efficient IT services.

The Associate Director plays a key role in identifying and implementing new technologies, guiding team development, and collaborating with IT and academic departments. This position balances strategic planning with hands-on expertise to align infrastructure with WPI's mission and compliance needs.

Compensation depends on experience and ranges from $95,000 to $110,000 annually. The role includes a generous benefits package: 4 weeks of paid time off, an extra week off at the end of December, 13 paid holidays, comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, a 9.5% retirement match after one year, disability and life insurance, tuition assistance (including full WPI tuition for dependents after 3 years), free access to the fitness center, wellness resources, flexible summer hours, employee discounts, and opportunities to join employee resource groups.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership - Develop and lead systems operations strategies aligned with institutional goals. Partner with members of Information Technology Services (ITS) Leadership to establish priorities and standards.
• Enterprise Systems Oversight - Lead daily operations and long-term planning for enterprise Windows and Linux servers, virtualization, and backup environments. Maintain system uptime and performance.
• Automation & Infrastructure Tools - Oversee SCCM, Intune, and automation platforms. Drive efficiencies and modern infrastructure practices such as scripting and infrastructure-as-code.
• Endpoint-Integrated Systems Support - Support back-end systems critical to endpoint services including provisioning, patching, and academic lab infrastructure. Collaborate closely with Endpoint and Desktop teams
• Security and Compliance - Ensure system operations meet institutional security policies and compliance requirements. Collaborate with Information Security to maintain secure configurations and audit readiness.
• Team Management - Supervise, mentor, and develop Systems Operations team members. Oversee performance reviews, goal setting, and workforce planning.
• Operational Excellence - Ensure effective documentation, proactive monitoring, and service request fulfillment. Promote continuous improvement and adherence to SLAs.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8 years of related experience.

6 - Professional 3

FLSA STATUS
United States of America (Exempt)

WPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or disability. It seeks individuals from all backgrounds and experiences who will contribute to a culture of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, problem solving, innovation, high performance, and change making. It is committed to maintaining a campus environment free of harassment and discrimination.

To apply, visit: https://wpi.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WPI_External_Career_Site/job/Worcester/Associate-Director--Systems-Engineering-and-Operations_R0003161

About WPI
WPI is a vibrant, active, and diverse community of extraordinary students, world-renowned faculty, and state of the art research facilities. At WPI, we have competitive and comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, long-term care, retirement, tuition assistance, flexible spending accounts, work-life balance and much more.

Diversity & Inclusion at WPI
WPI is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected; a place where every student, faculty and staff member can be themselves, so that they can study, live, and work comfortably, to reach their full potential, and make meaningful contributions in order to meet departmental and institutional goals. WPI thrives on innovative practice and welcomes diverse perspectives, insight, and people from diverse lived experiences, to enhance the community environment and propel the institution to the next level in a competitive, global marketplace.