Associate Director, Infrastructure & Support Services

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an independent, resident-based research institute devoted to foundational issues in theoretical physics at the highest levels of international excellence.  With a mission to advance our understanding of the universe at the most fundamental level, stimulating the breakthroughs that could transform our future. Perimeter also trains the next generation of physicists through innovative programs and shares the excitement and wonder of science with students, teachers and the general public.

The Associate Director, Infrastructure & Support Services is a strategic role on the Technology Services team, supporting IT technologies and services at Perimeter Institute. Reporting to the Director, Information Technology and Security, this role requires strong leadership skills to ensure excellence in customer service, infrastructure, and information security operations.

Responsible for the day-to-day IT service delivery related to end-user and IT infrastructure services. The role of the Associate Director encompasses researching new technologies, procuring and deploying end-user and infrastructure devices, and managing Perimeter’s Help Desk and Infrastructure teams.

In conjunction with the other Technology Services leaders, the Associate Director is responsible for the oversight of the Perimeter’s information security strategic directions. The Associate Director has direct responsibility for monitoring and enforcing information security standards in end-user and infrastructure devices. Additionally, the Associate Director will participate in developing and implementing Perimeter’s information security incident response processes.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 

Leadership Duties

• Provides leadership, motivation, and direction to Perimeter’s Infrastructure and Help Desk teams.
• Partners with Perimeter’s senior leaders and other stakeholders, to define technology requirements required to achieve Perimeter’s research, training, outreach, and administrative strategic goals.
• Creates and executes operational and project work plans and revises as needed to meet Perimeter’s changing IT needs and requirements.
• Works with other Technology Services leaders to develop long-term and annual projects and budgets.
• Continually seeks opportunities to increase customer satisfaction and strengthen client relationships with other Perimeter’s other business units.
• Serves as an escalation point for requests, incidents, and complicated support issues.
• Oversees staff scheduling and task delegation. 
• Conducts performance appraisals and provides coaching and mentoring of the Institute’s Infrastructure and Help Desk teams. 
• Identifies training opportunities and ensures the advancement of team members’ professional and technical skills, fostering ongoing improvements in service delivery.
• Coordinates and communicates effectively the Help Desk and Infrastructure plans and activities with stakeholders throughout the Institute.
• Establishes and cultivates strong business relationships with vendor technical and sales teams.

Technical Duties

• Recommends strategies for the acquisition, maintenance, and support of new technologies that will contribute to the success of Perimeter’s academic, research, teaching, and administrative activities.
• Monitors emerging technologies and industry trends, collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders to develop technology roadmaps. 
• Manages the day-to-day operations of the Help Desks following ITSM best practices in ticket management, incident resolution, and service request fulfillment, ensuring timely and effective responses to end-user requests and technical issues.
• Supports the development, implementation, and delivery of infrastructure technologies, policies, procedures, and protocols. 
• Performs and monitors capacity planning to predict current IT service variations and future requirements. 
• Prepares long- and short-term financial forecasts for end-user and infrastructure services.
• Creates executive reports to monitor metrics and KPIs to identify areas for improvement in Help Desk and Infrastructure services.
• Develops and maintains an inventory management system for end-user and infrastructure devices.
• Manages onboarding and offboarding processes for employees, students and contractors.
• Monitors Perimeter’s data centre and IT closets to ensure they follow environmental standards required for IT operations.
• Manages the procurement process, deployment, and operational support of shared computing, network, and storage systems and services (cloud and on-premises).
• Works closely with the Research Technology team to support research computing and HPC services.
• Monitors and supports Perimeter’s cybersecurity program and ensures alignment with strategic goals.
• Participates in cybersecurity incident response procedures and remediation activities, and performs periodic privacy and security audits.
• Ensures ongoing compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, as well as established IT frameworks.
• Coordinates and participates in on-call rotation.

Required Education, Knowledge and Abilities

• Completed postsecondary degree or diploma in the field of computer science/engineering or working equivalent.
• 3-5+ years experience in IT leadership or management roles with a focus on IT service delivery and customer support.
• Minimum 8-10 years experience in progressive technology roles.
• Extensive experience managing large ITSM environments following ITIL best practices.
• Demonstrated experience in capacity planning, capacity management, development and production deployment of IT services and projects.
• Ability to communicate technology plans and practices to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong customer service orientation to facilitate collaboration with various stakeholders, driving critical decisions and resolving complex issues. 
• Experience developing, monitoring, and managing capital and operational infrastructure budgets.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing business cases, cost estimates, and total cost of ownership models for full system lifecycles.
• Demonstrated experience with procurement processes including RFP/RFQ/RFI processes, vendor management, and contract negotiations.
• Thorough knowledge of current and emerging end-user and infrastructure technologies.
• Strong understanding of information security related to end-user and infrastructure operations.
• Demonstrated experience with MS365 administration, and end-user productivity and collaboration platforms (e.g., MS365 apps, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Dropbox, Zoom, Slack)
• Broad knowledge of end-point operating system administration (window and MACs), services (e.g., Directory Services, DNS, DHCP, VPN, printing), security technologies (e.g., firewalls, antivirus, email filters), and third-party software installation.
• Technical understanding of infrastructure components including:  servers’ hardware and software, virtual environments, storage management, networking technologies (wired and wireless), and telephony. 
• Familiarity with High-Performance Computing (HPC) and research technology environments is considered an asset to success in this role.
• Strong technical knowledge desktop/laptop and server operating systems.
• Familiar with IaaS platforms – Microsoft Azure. 
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; capable of writing proposals and good documentation, training users in complex topics, communicating with vendors, and interacting positively with management.
• Self-motivated with independent problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to lead others and thrive in a team-based environment.

Please submit your resume indicating experience and relevant qualifications before July 20, 2024, in order to ensure full consideration of your application. The posting will remain live until the position is filled. We thank all applicants in advance for their interest in support of Perimeter Institute but will only be connecting with select individuals.

Perimeter Institute is committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons, women, Indigenous/Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Perimeter Institute provides support throughout the application process for applicants with disabilities. We work with you to understand the impact of your disability to appropriately accommodate you during the application/interview process. Please contact [email protected] for assistance.