Senior Manager, IT Operations

POSITION SUMMARY

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The Senior Manager, IT Operations for Optima Tax Relief, LLC (“Optima”) is located in the Santa Ana, California office and reports to the Director, Information Technology. This role is responsible for leading the IT Operations team through leading by example, providing guidance to the team to achieve high-level performance and inspire personal development and growth with Optima employees. This position is responsible for contributions toward maintaining and leading day-to-day IT Operations as well as involvement in technical projects. Managers must also champion Optima’s culture and Core Values and help lead the department to deliver the best customer experience.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following :

Provide direct technical support when necessary; serve as an escalation point for complex IT issues.

Lead, mentor, and manage the Help Desk and IT Operations team, ensuring high performance, accountability, and professional growth.

Monitor KPIs to ensure the team is delivering services in accordance to the company’s requirements.

Accomplish department objectives by managing staff; planning and evaluating department activities.

Perform monthly / quarterly / annual reviews for direct reports. Coach, counsel, and discipline employees.

Conduct regular system and infrastructure health assessments; proactively identify and resolve performance or security issues.

Develop, coordinate, and enforce systems, policies, procedures, and productivity standards.

Establish strategic goals by gathering pertinent business, financial, service, and operations information.

Recognize and address potential changes in staffing based on business needs.

Manage day-to-day IT support operations including ticketing systems, incident resolution, and SLA adherence.

Define objectives, identify and evaluate trends and options, choose a course of action, and evaluate outcomes.

Manage projects, ensuring deadlines are met; includes suggesting improvements to enhance the department’s performance and / or procedures.

Promote a positive work culture to maintain high energy, morale, and continuous motivation.

Exercise wide latitude in determining objectives and approaches to critical assignments.

Thorough knowledge of department processes and protocols.

Serve as the resource to assist with hardware (laptops, printers, etc.), software, and applications issues.

Support and work closely with internal departments.

Optimize IT support workflows, documentation, and standard operating procedures.

Maintain quality service by enforcing quality and customer service standards, analyzing and resolving quality and customer service problems, and recommending system improvements.

Actively participate in Optima culture events and activities.

Oversee IT asset lifecycle, including procurement, deployment, inventory, and decommissioning.

Follow company protocols to ensure the highest level of security to protect the client Personal Identifiable Information (PII).

Other duties as assigned.

In order to be provided the essential training required to be successful in this role, it is mandatory that you are present for and complete all essential / initial training onsite for up to 5 business days (unless prior management approval is provided). Please note that additional onsite training may be required depending on business need.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

7+ years of progressive IT experience, including 2+ years in a leadership or managerial capacity.

Proven experience managing Help Desk or IT support operations.

Knowledge of IT infrastructure (servers, networks, endpoints, cloud environments).

Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.

Experience with Jira ticketing system, Active Directory, O365, Azure AD, Salesforce, Amazon Connect, AWS Workspaces, Druva.

Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively.

Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS,& ABILITIES

Project Management is a must

Experience in the financial or tax services industry

Hands-on experience with Active Directory, O365, Azure AD, Salesforce, Amazon Connect, AWS Workspaces, Druva

Hands-on experience with Windows Server

Hands-on experience with scripting with PowerShell

Hands-on experience with PANOS Devices

Hands-on experience with Cisco and Xyzel networking switches

Ability to define KPIs for IT Operations Team

Experience with backup and recovery practices

ITIL certification or knowledge of ITSM frameworks

Familiarity with compliance and data privacy regulations relevant to financial services