Director of IT Operations

Job Title: Director, IT Operations

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Chicago, Nashville, Raleigh

About Playground Pediatrics:

At Playground Pediatrics, we believe every child deserves the highest quality care. We are building a multi-state, outpatient pediatrics practice by collaborating with dedicated pediatricians to enhance the patient and provider experience while optimizing clinical and financial outcomes through a value-based care model. Together, our goal is to create a more supportive, seamless, and comprehensive approach to meet the unique needs of every child entrusted to our care.

Position Overview:

The Director of IT Operations oversees the development and implementation of the strategic vision for information technology across multi-states and multiple practices. This role will oversee the planning, coordination, and execution of all IT operations, ensuring secure, reliable, and efficient systems that support clinical and administrative needs. The IT Director ensures all onboarding and offboarding processes are standardized, systems are optimized, and technology resources are responsive, scalable, and secure for this fast-growing organization.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning and Leadership:

• Develop and implement IT operational and partnership strategies that align with the business objectives of the healthcare services portfolio.
• Lead and manage the IT operations team, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with senior management to establish standards and processes, create IT governance structure, and create documentation and training for education and compliance.

IT Infrastructure and Systems Management:

• Oversee the management, maintenance, and optimization of IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, cloud environment, data centers and on-going support.
• Ensure the reliability, performance, and security of all IT systems and applications across the multi-site platform.
• Partner with functional leaders in the evaluation, selection, and implementation of functional and enterprise IT solutions.
• Implement and manage disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
• Manage budgets for IT services and functions.

Project Management:

• Lead IT projects, from planning and execution to monitoring and completion, ensuring on time delivery, within scope, and on budget.
• Coordinate with various stakeholders to ensure project alignment with business goals and user needs.
• Perform comprehensive IT assessments of partner practices and create plan to align with practice policies and procedures and develop plans for IT portfolio management and migration.

Security and Compliance:

• Develop and enforce IT security policies and procedures to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with healthcare regulations (e.g., HIPAA).
• Conduct and/or direct regular security assessments, develop continuous monitoring plans, and establish auditing process to identify and mitigate risks.
• Assist with investigations and data extractions as requested.

Vendor Management:

• Manage relationships with external IT vendors and managed service providers, ensuring the delivery of high-quality services and support.
• Negotiate contracts and manage budgets related to IT operations.
• Facilitate systems integration process with vendors and Playground engineering team.

Multi-Site Operations Management:

• Coordinate IT operations across multiple healthcare facilities, ensuring consistent and efficient service delivery.
• Address site-specific IT challenges and ensure standardized practices are implemented company wide.
• Oversee on-site and virtual support of technical systems supporting business operations.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting:

• Monitor and analyze the performance of IT systems and services, using key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive improvements.
• Prepare and present regular reports on IT operations, performance, and initiatives to senior management.

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., ITIL, PMP, CISSP) are a plus.
• Minimum seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in IT with a multi-site, multi-state facility required.

Healthcare Industry Knowledge:

• HIPAA, HITECH, and other regulatory frameworks
• Understanding of EMR/EHR systems (e.g., Epic, eCW, Allscripts)
• Knowledge of clinical workflows, patient data flows, and interoperability
• Familiarity with healthcare-specific threats (e.g., ransomware targeting PHI)

High Growth, M&A Integrations and Scaling IT Operations

• Experience with rapid growth, scalability, and acquisition integration
• IT due diligence for M&A and standardization and integration (pre- and post-acquisition)
• Knowledge of budget optimization, tech debt reduction, and vendor negotiation

Infrastructure Architecture

• Data center strategy (on-prem, colocation, cloud hybrid)
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and IaaS/PaaS/SaaS models
• Network architecture, SD-WAN, VPN, firewalls, and MPLS
• Virtualization: VMware, Hyper-V
• Backup & disaster recovery (DRaaS, RTO/RPO planning)

Cybersecurity

• Security architecture design
• Identity and Access Management (IAM), Zero Trust frameworks
• Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)
• Incident response planning and tabletop exercises
• Compliance auditing and remediation