Interim IT Infrastructure & Security Operations Director

Interim IT Infrastructure & Security Operations Director Our client is a long-standing healthcare non-profit based in Melbourne, FL, with a team of 600+ employees serving members nationwide. Their environment holds protected health information, card payment data and banking records, which makes availability and security daily priorities.
This contract engagement runs through May 2027 and reports directly to the CIO. You will own security operations, infrastructure and end-user support. Priority one is operational stability: dependable systems, a service desk that responds quickly, a secure environment, and on-schedule delivery of several large technology initiatives wrapping up in spring 2027. Priority two is partnering with the CIO to build and carry out an aggressive, AI-driven strategy that strengthens the organization's security posture, modernizes the service desk, and moves the server, storage and network environment toward agentic management.

Running the Infrastructure

• Partner with software engineering so the infrastructure is in place before new applications go live.
• Direct the teams responsible for network, servers, virtualization, telephony and the service desk, covering 700+ users across headquarters and remote sites.
• Oversee lifecycle management for hardware and software, along with licensing and the infrastructure operating budget.
• Hold accountability for availability, monitoring, capacity planning, patching and change management across both internal applications and platforms that members use.
• Keep DR, backup and continuity plans current, test them regularly, and have the Melbourne site prepared for hurricane season.
• Keep phone and voice systems in the contact center dependable, since member service depends on them.

Security Leadership

• Provide security guidance to IT and business stakeholders on vendor selection, new systems and network changes.
• Direct incident response whenever a security event takes place.
• Supervise information security staff and their day-to-day program, which covers endpoint protection, email security, vulnerability management, privileged access, encryption, continuous monitoring and user awareness training.
• Brief the CIO on risk and security posture using clear, measurable reporting.
• Lead audit response and remediation work tied to HIPAA, SOC 2 and PCI-DSS.
• Own the security policy set, standards and control framework across on-prem, SaaS and cloud environments, and run periodic access reviews.

Automation, AI and Cost Discipline

• Spot overlap among tools and vendors, consolidate where it makes sense, and renegotiate contracts to capture savings.
• Pinpoint IT tasks ripe for automation or simplification, including user provisioning, monitoring, patching and ticket routing.
• Advise on where AI tools, managed services or cloud platforms can reduce manual effort and spend.
• Serve on the internal AI governance group and help define security guardrails for AI adoption, from AI-assisted coding to automated business workflows.

Major Projects and Transition

• Prepare internal managers to own the work after May 2027, backed by solid documentation of runbooks, systems and vendor relationships.
• Partner with the PMO to keep the infrastructure and security pieces of large in-progress initiatives on track.

• Available to be onsite for the entire engagement in Melbourne, FL.
• 12+ years of IT experience, including at least 5 years managing teams of 15+ in IT operations or infrastructure.
• Bachelor's in information systems, computer science, cybersecurity or a similar field (equivalent experience also considered).
• Hands-on depth in hybrid environments, including VMware, Cisco networking, Entra ID and Active Directory, Windows Server, Microsoft 365, and AWS or Azure.
• Track record of supervising information security staff or running a security program, with direct incident response experience.
• 5+ years in environments governed by two or more of the following: HIPAA, HITRUST, PCI-DSS, SOC 1/2.
• Demonstrated savings or reduced manual effort from applying automation or AI to IT operations.
• Ownership of a $2M+ IT operations budget.
• Practical knowledge of current security tooling such as EDR, privileged access management, vulnerability scanning, automated penetration testing and email security.

• Earlier interim or contract leadership roles.
• Credentials like CISM, CISSP, ITIL or cloud architecture certifications.
• Industry background in financial services, benefits administration or healthcare payer organizations.
• Familiarity with Citrix.
• Experience with contact center or enterprise telephony platforms, for example Cisco UCCX.