Director Information Technology Operations (Kansas City)

Position : IT Operations Director Data Center & AI Infrastructure

Duration : 6 months to hire

Location : Kansas City, MO

Position Overview : The IT Operations Director is responsible for leading, managing, and evolving the organizations data center ecosystem, ensuring high availability, security, scalability, and operational excellence across traditional and AI-optimized infrastructure. This role oversees all aspects of data center operationsincluding compute, storage, networking, power, cooling, and capacity planningwhile driving modernization, automation, and alignment with business and AI workload demands.

This position requires deep expertise in enterprise-class data centers, cloud and hybrid architectures, and the emerging requirements of AI / ML environments. The Director will lead cross-functional teams, optimize operational processes, manage vendors, and ensure adherence to industry best practices and compliance standards.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Planning

• Own the vision and roadmap for enterprise and AI-focused data center infrastructure.
• Drive strategy for high-density AI compute clusters, GPU infrastructure, and next-generation cooling and power systems.
• Define capacity planning models for compute, storage, and network resources aligned with business and AI workload growth.
• Partner with executive leadership, security, DevOps, and data science teams to ensure the data center can support evolving AI and cloud initiatives.
• Evaluate new technologies to improve efficiency and competitiveness.

Data Center Operations Management

AI / High-Performance Infrastructure

Team Leadership & Development

Technology & Automation

Budgeting & Vendor Management

Risk Management, Security, & Compliance

Required Qualifications

Deep expertise in :

Preferred Qualifications

Soft Skills