What are the responsibilities and job description for the VP of Infrastructure & Operations position at KWI?
Department: DevOps
Location: Melville, NY
Compensation: $220,000 / year
The Opportunity
Join KWI as our next VP of Infrastructure & Operations and play a pivotal role in shaping the backbone of our growing retail technology platform. Reporting directly to our CTO, you’ll lead the charge in building reliable, scalable systems that power global expansion. This is a hands-on executive role where you’ll drive 24/7 operational excellence, align technology with business impact, and inspire cross-functional teams to deliver at the highest level.
If you thrive in fast-paced environments, love solving complex infrastructure challenges, and are excited to make a direct impact on company strategy, this is your opportunity to define the future of KWI’s technical foundation.
The Company
We are a small team with a big vision: to be the premier provider of cloud technology solutions for retailers. KWI offers a complete, unified commerce solution from a single database, specifically designed to help specialty retailers grow their business. Our portfolio of customers includes Pandora, Bluemercury, Tom Ford and many other globally recognizable brands.
We combine Point of Sale, Merchandising, Order Management, eCommerce, CRM, and Loss Prevention into one cloud-based platform. We are a Values and Mission driven organization, and we believe that if we develop and demonstrate leadership in our strategy, operations, and people, we will continue to drive product innovation and service excellence.
As a VP of Infrastructure & Operations, you excel at the following core competencies
- Leadership Style: Hands-on leader who can "get on the keyboard" during critical situations while building strong teams
- Mindset: Root-cause focused, metric-driven, client-centric with continuous improvement mentality
- Infrastructure & Operations: Architect, maintain, and scale global infrastructure while ensuring 24/7/365 system availability
- Operational Excellence: Implement proactive monitoring, incident response, and metrics-driven decision-making
- Vendor Management: Oversee technology vendor relationships, contracts, and service level agreements
- Team Development: Build and lead high-performing operations team focused on reliability and client experience
- Process Improvement: Drive automation initiatives and operational process improvements to reduce manual efforts
- Compliance & Security: Manage certifications (SSAE, ISO, PCI) and international regulatory compliance
- Strategic Planning: Collaborate with executive team on technology strategy and company direction
- 10 years IT experience, 5 years in leadership
- Proven track record managing mission-critical systems with high uptime requirements
- SaaS environment infrastructure experience required
- International infrastructure setup experience preferred
- 5 years operations in 24/7 high-availability environments
- 3 years with IaC tools (Ansible, Chef, Puppet)
- 5 years administering Linux/Windows platforms
- 3 years with enterprise storage, MySQL, and network routing/switching
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience; relevant certifications preferred
- Full Medical, Dental and Vision
- Annual bonus eligible
- Free gym in the building
- Generous PTO policy
- Summer Fridays....all year round
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Discount from building café
- 401(K) with a 50% company match (up to 6% of employee contribution)
- Employee Referral Program
- (1) Volunteer day each year
We understand that our teams need flexibility, which is why we follow a hybrid schedule. Our in-office days of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and employees are allowed to work remotely on Wednesdays and Friday.
We are also a collaborative group and believe that getting together in person allows our team to do their best work. Together we enjoy monthly events, bagels every Thursday, a state-of-the-art coffee machine, a full snack pantry and many more surprise and delight moments throughout the year.
Our commitment to you
At KWI, we know that cultivating diversity and fostering an inclusive work environment is critical to our impact and success. We create an environment where no individual is advantaged or disadvantaged because of their background. We offer equal opportunity employment regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability status, age, marital status, or protected veteran status.
With a commitment to maintaining a bias-free environment in which harassment is prohibited, we respect cultural diversity and comply with the laws of the places in which we operate. We expect our business partners, suppliers, clients, and all our team members to uphold these commitments.
Salary : $220,000