Director of IT - Infrastructure & Applications

At National Trade Supply, the Director of IT - Infrastructure & Applications, leads the strategy, structure, and execution of our technology function. This role is ideal for a leader who thrives on balancing infrastructure reliability with application development and support.

You’ll oversee IT support, application development, and vendor/consultant partnerships to ensure our systems are secure, scalable, and aligned with business goals. From helpdesk operations to long-term technology roadmaps, your leadership will transform IT from a reactive support model into a proactive, strategic function that anticipates business needs and accelerates growth.

At National Trade Supply, we operate with a shared set of core values that guide how we work and grow together: Grit, Bias for Action, Critical Thinking, Self-Awareness, and Operational Excellence. These principles shape our culture, influence our decisions, and define what it means to succeed on our team.

Key Responsibilities:

IT Strategy & Leadership

• Translate company strategy into a clear IT roadmap that balances infrastructure, applications, and support.
• Lead and mentor IT staff, contractors, and consultants to ensure effective execution.
• Establish clear goals, processes, and accountability across IT functions.

Application Development & Systems Oversight

• Oversee development of custom-built applications (primarily 15) that support e-commerce and internal operations.
• Ensure systems are reliable, scalable, and integrated with business needs.
• Manage technical debt, prioritize enhancements, and evaluate build vs. buy decisions.
• Establish clear ownership and forward-looking roadmaps for all internal systems.
• Build a culture of documentation and knowledge sharing to reduce dependency on tribal knowledge.

IT Support & Infrastructure

• Direct helpdesk operations, ensuring timely and effective support for staff.
• Oversee IT infrastructure (networks, servers, endpoints) for security, uptime, and performance.
• Lead the modernization of infrastructure and workflows to support multi-site growth, resilience, and future flexibility.
• Implement best practices in documentation, monitoring, and disaster recovery.
• Champion a strong security, backup, and compliance posture, ensuring risks are identified, owned, and addressed.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Identify and manage relationships with consultants, agencies, and contractors to augment internal capabilities.
• Negotiate vendor contracts and evaluate third-party solutions to support scale and cost-effectiveness.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with e-commerce, operations, and leadership teams to ensure IT priorities align with business needs.
• Play an active role in shaping business strategy by ensuring technology considerations are part of early planning and prioritization discussions.
• Engage early in business initiatives as an embedded thought partner - co-creating solutions and driving outcomes.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on technology risks, opportunities, and investments.

The Outcome We Are Seeking

To succeed in this role, the Director of IT – Infrastructure & Applications must establish a clear technology roadmap, build scalable systems, and design the right team structure to support long-term growth. This role is about creating a foundation that allows IT to scale with the business - ensuring systems, people, and processes are aligned for efficiency, reliability, and innovation.

Performance will be measured by:

• A well-defined IT roadmap that aligns technology priorities with business objectives.
• Development and/or implementation of systems that are scalable, reliable, and adaptable to evolving business needs.
• A clear IT department structure with defined roles, responsibilities, and processes that enable effective execution.
• Stronger collaboration between IT and business units, ensuring technology directly enables organizational goals.

Why Choose Us?

• Competitive salary and benefits designed to support your well-being.
• A culture that’s always striving to learn, improve, and grow - together.
• Opportunities for professional development, mentorship, and career growth.
• True work-life balance: we believe great work happens when people have the space to recharge and take care of themselves outside of work.
• Direct access to leadership and decision-makers - your ideas won't get lost in layers of bureaucracy.
• A role where your work will make a real, measurable impact - building scalable systems, shaping the IT roadmap, and creating the structure that enables long-term business growth.
• A collaborative environment where everyone's voice matters and innovative thinking is encouraged.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• 8 years of progressive IT leadership experience, with proven success overseeing infrastructure, support, and application development functions.
• Demonstrated experience leading transformational projects that align technology strategy with business growth.
• Strong track record of coaching, mentoring, and providing constructive feedback to develop high-performing teams.
• Ability to design and evolve IT department structures, aligning roles and responsibilities with organizational needs.
• Skilled at building a culture of accountability, operational excellence, and proactive problem-solving.
• Familiarity with managing custom-built applications (PHP and .NET or similar environments) and navigating technical debt.
• Knowledge of IT infrastructure, security, and helpdesk operations with an emphasis on scalability and reliability.
• Proven ability to evaluate and integrate external partners, consultants, or contractors when specialized expertise or additional capacity is required.
• Strong ability to translate business strategy into IT roadmaps and measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrated success in balancing strategic vision with tactical execution.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills for engaging with leadership, cross-functional teams, and external partners.
• Adept at prioritization, resource allocation, and delivering best-in-class support to internal teams.

Interview Process

We take hiring seriously because every person we add must have a meaningful impact on our culture, our work, and our team. As a small and growing company, we are intentional about who we bring on board, and we don’t compromise on that standard for the sake of speed.

Our interview process includes the following steps:

• Online application
• Predictive Index behavioral and cognitive assessments
• Phone screen
• 1:1 interview with hiring manager
• Panel interview with cross-functional team members
• Final offer

As part of our hiring process, we ask candidates to complete Predictive Index (PI) behavioral and cognitive assessments. These tools help us better understand your natural work style, communication preferences, and problem-solving approaches. They’re not used to “pass” or “fail” candidates - rather, they give us a more complete picture of how you might fit within the team and where you can thrive. We believe great hiring is about more than just skills; it's about setting people up for success from day one.

Throughout the process, you’ll meet with several people from across the organization - including senior leadership, members of the IT department, and internal stakeholders who will be key partners in this role. We believe that great hiring is a two-way street, and our process is designed to give you a real feel for who we are and how we work.

We understand that this level of engagement won’t be the right fit for everyone, and that’s okay. Candidates who aren’t comfortable with any part of the process may find a better fit elsewhere, and we genuinely wish them the best. For those who are excited to engage fully, we’re just as excited to get