Dir – IT Infrastructure

As a D&IT Infrastructure Director at Polaris, this role has direct leadership accountability over: Global Service Desk and On-site Client Support Teams (spanning across our global corporate and operations footprint). The Director will lead a ~50 person geographically diverse team delivering multi-platform technology support across Service Desk and End User Technology. In addition, the Director will strategically lead as the Digital Product Leader, overseeing the vision and advancement of D&IT’s Service Management systems, including the ServiceNow application, to enhance automation, business process maturity, and cost-effectiveness.. This role will report directly into our VP, IT Infrastructure, Quality & Ops and reside on the infrastructure senior leadership team.

This role requires the ability to focus on the bigger picture by applying the right mix of operational discipline to systematize routine practices and clear hurdles to enable the Digital & Information Technology (D&IT) organization to thrive/perform under the best possible circumstances.  You will be accountable to ensure proper global support coverage, manage and build a high performing team, execute and report on critical KPIs that ensure efficient and agile operational performance, and oversee the budget for the resources/work in your space. This role will also serve as the project leader for large-scale Infrastructure enhancements, upgrades and go-lives across our global footprint, including partnership with Corporate Facilities/EHS&S for delivery of corporate initiatives.

Strategic Planning and Leadership:

• Develops and maintains portfolio of IT Service Management policies and operating procedures

• Accountable for standard Senior D&IT report-outs: Operating Review, Exec MOR, ITOM, Long-range planning, financial budget planning and forecast updates, and project reviews, as applicable

• Translates strategy into efficient and effective goals and operating plans

• Recommends SLAs to internal stakeholders, solicits approval, and adheres to approved SLAs on all components of service delivery

• Develops and owns the Service Management systems roadmap, including ServiceNow capability long-range plan and strategic improvements. Partners with Service Desk manager and broader D&IT team to drive automation deliverables and plan and execute work strategies

Operations Management:

• Works across Infrastructure leadership team to establish processes and policies to build a high-performing organization while ensuring efficient and effective business outcomes

• Drives CoE governance structure in partnership with IT Business partners and IT delivery teams including dashboards, standards and metrics

• Manages IT infrastructure and supports purchases, agreements, and vendor relationships to ensure cost-effectiveness and alignment with company goals

• Leads with a continuous improvement mentality, set goals for your teams to drive process improvements, and provide metrics to confirm the ROI

• Prioritizes department requests and oversees their direct report management team to ensure that schedules and work plans are developed and managed for projects and operational tasks, and that the team delivers to their commitments.

• Delivers actions and initiatives associated with control and compliance objectives

• Implements solutions to prevent, detect, and remediate information security and internal compliance risks

Team Management:

• Empower and support your direct report management team to efficiently and effectively lead their functional/regional span and scope

• Manages Infrastructure team members with responsibilities including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, safety compliance, and performance management

• Ensures global team is right-sized with experienced, motivated, and highly technical employees

• Proactive management of career advancement and development opportunities for global team

• Be a representation of Polaris values and maintain standards across the team

Project & Financial Management:

• Plans, Manages and Executes Projects within your Department within timelines and budget

• Manages OPEX and Capital budgets within your department

• Drive establishment and adherence to Project Management methodologies across the Infrastructure team

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, MIS, Computer Science, Industrial Design, Business, or other technical related fields

• 15+ years of progressive IT infrastructure experience; both technical depth and proven leadership

• 7+ years of dynamic IT infrastructure leadership experience, managing leaders and individual contributors across core areas of infrastructure, ideally within global service desk and on-site client support teams spanning production/operation sites and corporate offices

• Direct experience and/or oversight across these technologies or similar: ServiceNow, Jira, Kanban, Microsoft Teams strongly preferred

• Proven process and operations mindset; establish and drive outcomes to critical KPIs, comprehensive process and policy foundation

• Ability to take charge and orchestrate work, facilitate decisions, and collaborate with infrastructure leadership to drive the actions necessary to achieve desired results

• Strong leadership, customer focus and analytical skills with outstanding written and oral communication skills

• Ability to lead, collaborate, influence, and coordinate activities in a cross functional, team-oriented environment to deliver technology applications or technical products

• Demonstrated ability to understand and discuss infrastructure concepts, manage trade-offs and evaluate opportunistic new ideas with internal and external partners

• Demonstrated results showing ability to thrive in a growth-driven and fast-paced organization

• Role based out of Medina, MN. Hybrid working model (in office/WFH). Onsite schedule based on business need

• Travel to Polaris locations up to 25% (domestic and Int’l)

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