Director of IT

Sentinel is seeking a dynamic and experienced Director of IT Infrastructure for a higher education environment in Mobile, AL to lead the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of the university’s enterprise infrastructure. This senior leadership role oversees on-premise and hybrid systems, storage, cloud services, disaster recovery and education-based systems and applications. The Director will provide hands-on technical leadership and direct supervision to the Network Engineer and system administration staff, ensuring secure, scalable, and innovative infrastructure aligned with academic, research, and administrative priorities. This role includes reporting updates, risk assessments and future planning to the CIO and university leadership as needed. This position is a Direct Hire opportunity based in Mobile, AL that will allow for a hybrid work schedule that will require onsite presence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership for infrastructure platforms, including hyperconverged systems (VMware, Nutanix), storage, backup, and virtual environments.
• Lead architecture planning, lifecycle management, and policy development for enterprise systems.
• Oversee disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC) planning, testing, and compliance.
• Manage infrastructure supporting Generative AI (GenAI) applications and Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
• Support research computing workflows, HPC environments, and cloud-based platforms (AWS, Azure).
• Supervise technical staff, conduct performance reviews, and lead vendor negotiations.
• Collaborate with IT leadership on governance, security, and strategic planning.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 7–10 years of enterprise IT infrastructure experience, including 3 years in leadership.
• Hyperconverged infrastructure (VMware, Nutanix) experience required
• Microsoft 365, Azure AD, hybrid cloud knowledge and experience required
• Disaster recovery and business continuity experience is required
• Research computing and GenAI integration experience is required
• Demonstrated supervisory experience managing technical teams and complex projects.
• Certifications (preferred): VMware VCP, Microsoft Azure Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, CISSP.
• Experience in or the ability to adapt to higher education culture; strong communication and team skills.
• The candidate must have a car, as this position requires travel between locations and transportation of equipment.
• A valid driver’s license and proof of vehicle insurance will be required.
• Legally authorized to work in the US without sponsorship
• Must demonstrate a “can-do” attitude
  
  

We focus on candidates that display our “ACE” factor – Attitude, Compassion, and Enthusiasm to deliver quality solutions with exceptional customer service.

Compensation Range:

$95,000 – $110,000 annually, commensurate with experience.

What you get:

• Comprehensive state benefits including health, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement, tuition assistance, and generous PTO.
• Professional development opportunities and access to cutting-edge research infrastructure.