Director of Network Operations

Company Description Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) is the largest school district in New Mexico, serving approximately one-fourth of the state’s public school students. APS operates 143 schools across a wide geographic area of about 1,200 square miles, offering diverse learning environments and educational programs. The district supports a broad range of academic and extracurricular opportunities, with a commitment to student achievement and community engagement. Professionals joining APS contribute to the infrastructure that supports teaching, learning, and administrative services for a large and dynamic public school system.

Role Description The Director of Network Operations is a full-time, on-site role based in Albuquerque, NM, responsible for overseeing the district’s computer network operations and ensuring reliable, secure connectivity across all schools and administrative sites. This role manages the daily operations of network infrastructure, including monitoring performance, troubleshooting issues, coordinating upgrades, and maintaining high availability for instructional and business systems. The Director leads a technical team, assigns priorities, and coordinates resources to support network engineering initiatives, implement best practices, and meet district-wide service level expectations. The position collaborates with other technology and administrative leaders to plan network strategy, manage vendor relationships, develop policies, and ensure compliance with security, privacy, and regulatory requirements. The Director also prepares reports, manages budgets related to network operations, and participates in long-term technology planning to support APS’s mission.

Qualifications

• Strong skills in Network Administration and Computer Network Operations, with experience managing complex, multi-site networks.
• Proficiency in Network Engineering, including design, implementation, optimization, and security of network infrastructure.
• Demonstrated Operations Management abilities, including planning, budgeting, and process improvement in a technology environment.
• Proven Team Leadership skills, with experience supervising technical staff, setting goals, and developing team capabilities.
• Knowledge of network security principles, firewalls, VPNs, wireless technologies, and relevant industry standards.
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; an advanced degree or relevant certifications (e.g., CCNP, CISSP, ITIL) are beneficial.
• Experience in large-scale public sector, education, or similarly complex environments is preferred.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.