IT Operations Manager

Brief Description

Position Summary

The Manager, IT Operations is responsible for the strategic oversight and hands-on execution of the organization’s IT operations within a hybrid delivery model that includes both internal IT staff and an outsourced Managed Service Provider (MSP). This role ensures the availability, security, and performance of enterprise IT services while maintaining direct technical engagement during critical incidents, escalations, and infrastructure changes.

The IT Operations Manager serves as the service owner for core IT services, providing governance, leadership, and escalation management across internal teams and external partners while ensuring IT services align with business needs and are continuously evaluated for opportunities to improve performance, efficiency, and user experience.

About Unrivaled Teamwear

Unrivaled Teamwear serves as the parent company of Champion Teamwear, Gear for Sports, and Knights Apparel, each an industry leader in the sports and team apparel space. Our family of brands know what goes into great decorated garments, using top-quality fabrics and offering creative decoration options. Each brand offers customers a premier selection and exceptional service for all their sportswear needs, from t-shirts and caps to fleece, performance wear, and outerwear.

Key Responsibilities

IT Operations & Service Delivery

• Own day-to-day IT operations across internally delivered services and MSP-supported functions, with a continuous focus on improving service quality, reducing resolution times, and eliminating recurring issues.
• Act as Service Owner for core IT services, establishing performance baselines, tracking KPIs, and driving measurable improvements in service availability, reliability, and user satisfaction regardless of delivery model.
• Lead and actively participate in incident response, using each incident as an opportunity to identify systemic gaps and drive structural improvements that reduce future impact and recovery time.
• Conduct post-incident reviews with a structured root cause focus, converting findings into prioritized service improvement initiatives tracked to completion.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify service pain points, define optimization priorities, and ensure IT capabilities continuously evolve to support operational and strategic goals.
  
  

Infrastructure & Systems Management

• Provide hands-on leadership for Windows and Linux server environments, continuously evaluating patch cadence, configuration standards, and automation opportunities to improve operational efficiency.
• Manage and optimize virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware vSphere), identifying consolidation, right-sizing, and automation opportunities that improve resource utilization and reduce operational overhead.
• Oversee storage systems, file services, and physical server hardware, with an ongoing focus on capacity planning, lifecycle optimization, and reducing infrastructure technical debt.
• Act as escalation point and technical authority for MSP-supported infrastructure services, using escalation trends to evaluate service gaps and drive targeted improvements in MSP delivery quality.
• Maintain hands-on capability to validate, troubleshoot, and improve infrastructure during incidents, audits, and major changes, ensuring operational standards are consistently met and refined.
  
  

Microsoft & Identity Services

• Own and continuously optimize Microsoft and identity-related services including email, Entra ID, and access management platforms, ensuring configurations stay current, efficient, and aligned with best practices.
• Define, enforce, and periodically review access standards to reduce complexity and risk, coordinating day-to-day administration with internal staff and MSP resources to ensure consistent execution.
• Serve as escalation point for identity, access, and authentication issues, using recurring patterns to drive process improvements that reduce friction for business users.
• Continuously improve identity lifecycle processes — including provisioning, deprovisioning, and access review workflows — to reduce manual effort, eliminate gaps, and improve security posture.
  
  

Network & Communications

• Act as service owner for network and communications services, including VLANs, Wi-Fi, firewalls, and telephony, regularly reviewing performance metrics and driving configuration improvements to enhance reliability and throughput.
• Coordinate with MSP and vendors for network operations, evaluating service delivery against defined performance targets and actively pursuing optimization opportunities in network design and tooling.
• Lead response to network incidents and performance degradation events, applying structured analysis to translate each event into actionable improvements that reduce recurrence and minimize business impact.
• Ensure secure, optimized connectivity for on-site and remote users, continuously benchmarking performance and making proactive improvements before issues impact productivity.
  
  

Cybersecurity & Operational Risk

• Lead operational cybersecurity efforts including phishing response, malware remediation, and ransomware preparedness, integrating security improvements into the broader IT service optimization roadmap.
• Coordinate security monitoring and response with the MSP, regularly reviewing detection coverage and response effectiveness to identify tooling, process, or configuration improvements that strengthen the organization’s security posture.
• Champion a culture of security awareness, turning training and phishing simulation outcomes into measurable improvements in user behavior and risk reduction over time.
• Ensure security controls are executed consistently and continuously evaluated against evolving threats, proactively closing gaps before they become incidents.
  
  

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and mentor internal IT staff, instilling a continuous improvement mindset where team members actively identify inefficiencies, propose solutions, and take ownership of service quality outcomes.
• Balance delegation to internal staff and MSP resources with direct technical involvement during critical incidents or high-risk changes, using each engagement to reinforce standards and improve team capability.
• Act as primary escalation point for operational, technical, and service delivery issues, leveraging escalation patterns to identify systemic improvement opportunities across teams and providers.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and shared accountability across internal teams and external partners, where service improvement goals are clearly defined, tracked, and celebrated.
  
  

Vendor, Financial, & Service Governance

• Manage MSP and vendor relationships with a focus on continuous service improvement, holding partners accountable to SLAs and driving regular performance reviews that surface optimization opportunities and close delivery gaps.
• Oversee IT procurement, licensing, and asset lifecycle management, applying a value-optimization lens to eliminate redundant tooling, right-size licensing, and ensure every investment actively supports service delivery goals.
• Lead IT budgeting, forecasting, and cost optimization, identifying opportunities to reinvest efficiency savings into service improvement initiatives that deliver measurable business value.
• Ensure vendor-delivered services are continuously evaluated for quality and fit, driving integration improvements that reduce handoff friction and strengthen end-to-end service delivery.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• 10 years of experience in IT leadership, service management, infrastructure & systems management, and/or IT operations, with a demonstrated track record of improving service quality, reducing operational overhead, and driving measurable outcomes.
• Experience operating within a hybrid IT model (internal teams outsourced MSP), with a focus on optimizing how work flows across delivery boundaries to reduce gaps and improve consistency.
• Demonstrated ability to lead service improvement initiatives while remaining technically hands-on, with credibility to both guide strategy and validate execution at a detailed level.
• Strong understanding of incident response, problem management, and operational change, with experience using structured frameworks to convert reactive firefighting into proactive service improvement.
• Experience applying structured IT service management frameworks (e.g., ITIL) to define, measure, and continuously improve service performance across a mixed delivery environment.
• Experience supporting mixed Windows and macOS environments.
• Experience managing IT services across multiple locations or hybrid infrastructures.
• Relevant technical certifications (Microsoft, networking, virtualization, or cybersecurity) .
• Manufacturing and apparel experience preferred.
  
  

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the associate. Other duties will be assigned as needed.

EOE/AA: Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing as well as participate in E-Verify.