IT Manager

VISION, MISSION, AND CULTURE

The mission of Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch is to help at-risk children and their families succeed in the name of Christ, and our vision is that all children and families achieve greater success in life. We intentionally strive for and cultivate a culture of purpose, caring, and learning. The accepting and compassionate work environment unites employees around our shared mission. Ranch team members are encouraged to learn new things, share new ideas, and explore alternatives. As a team, our goal is to create a warm, collaborative, and inviting work environment that supports teamwork, trust, and positive relationships.

POSITION SUMMARY

The IT Manager oversees the day-to-day operation, reliability, and security of technology across the Ranch, serving as the primary technical authority on networking, telephony, and physical security systems. This position provides day-to-day leadership and supervision of the IT team, including the Systems Administrator and IT Coordinators. The IT Manager works closely with the IT Director to translate technology strategy into reliable, secure, well-documented operations, delegating execution to the team where appropriate while retaining accountability for outcomes. This role also collaborates with clinical, operational, facilities, and administrative departments to understand technology needs and ensure effective delivery of IT services.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The essential functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

Culture and Organizational Commitment

• Demonstrate a commitment to the Ranch mission and vision, its culture of purpose, caring, and learning, and the Ranch Culture in Action statements, applying a trauma-informed approach in interactions with staff, colleagues, and the broader Ranch community.
• Follow administrative directives, policies, and procedures.
• Support other members of the team in carrying out organizational goals and activities.
• Display respect for all voices, cultures, and perspectives.

Team Leadership and Operations

• Develop annual infrastructure and technology operating plans aligned with organizational goals and approved budgets.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for help desk operations, infrastructure reliability, cybersecurity, network performance, and project delivery.
• Provide regular operational and infrastructure status reports to the IT Director and organizational leadership.
• Directly supervise the IT team, which includes the Systems Administrator and IT Coordinators, including assigning and prioritizing daily work, coaching, and performance management.
• Monitor work quality and consistency across the IT team through regular check-ins and ticket/project review.
• Assist in the development and management of the IT operating and capital budgets, including lifecycle replacement planning, technology forecasting, and expenditure monitoring.
• Own the day-to-day operation of the help desk/ticketing system, ensuring timely response and resolution, and identify recurring issues for proactive resolution.
• Manage IT hardware deployment and lifecycle processes, including procurement coordination, imaging/provisioning standards, and asset tracking.
• Manage project scope, resources, budgets, timelines, risks, and vendor deliverables for infrastructure and technology initiatives.
• Serve as an escalation point for technical issues beyond the scope of the IT Coordinators.

Network and Infrastructure Engineering

• Design, deploy, and maintain the Ranch's wide-area and local-area network across all sites, including firewalls, switching, wireless access points, and site-to-site connectivity.
• Own the configuration, security posture, and lifecycle management of perimeter firewalls and related network security appliances.
• Plan and execute network capacity, performance, and resiliency improvements, including monitoring for utilization, outages, and anomalies.
• Maintain accurate network documentation, including topology diagrams, IP addressing, and change records.
• Lead evaluation and rollout of new network sites, including planning for local infrastructure, wireless coverage, and remote access.
• Monitor emerging technologies and industry trends; provide input to the IT Director on strategic technology upgrades and infrastructure roadmap planning.
• Manage infrastructure change processes to ensure technology modifications are documented, tested, communicated, and implemented with minimal operational disruption.

Telephony and Unified Communications

• Administer and maintain the Ranch's phone system, including voicemail, call routing, and system upgrades or migrations.
• Serve as the primary technical contact for telephony vendors and carrier/SIP trunk relationships.
• Evaluate and recommend improvements to communications infrastructure, including video conferencing and unified communications tools.

Physical Security Systems

• Own the configuration, maintenance, and lifecycle of the Ranch's video surveillance/camera systems across all sites.
• Own the configuration and administration of door access control (card/fob) systems.
• Serve as the primary technical contact for camera and access control vendors and integrators.

Server, Virtualization, and Core Systems

• Partner with the Systems Administrator on the architecture, performance, and reliability of virtualization, storage (SAN), and backup/disaster recovery infrastructure.
• Ensure core infrastructure systems are patched, monitored, and documented in accordance with Ranch security standards.
• Own disaster recovery and business continuity planning for core infrastructure, including defining recovery objectives (RTO/RPO) and validation cadence; the Systems Administrator executes backup configuration and restore testing.
• Own operational oversight, security posture, and service availability for Microsoft 365 and cloud infrastructure services (collaboration platforms, cloud security controls); the Systems Administrator executes day-to-day user/mailbox/license administration.

Security, Vendor, and Compliance Support

• Develop, document, and maintain IT operational policies, procedures, and standards (e.g., acceptable use, equipment provisioning, patch management), in alignment with Ranch compliance requirements and the IT Director's strategic direction.
• Implement and maintain technical security controls (e.g., endpoint protection, network segmentation, patching) and coordinate vulnerability management, security monitoring, incident response, and remediation efforts.
• Participate in cybersecurity risk assessments and assist in developing and executing security improvement initiatives.
• Execute technical configuration changes requested through the IT Director's identity and access management or EMR governance processes; does not independently grant or approve access to clinical or financial systems.
• Manage relationships, contracts, service agreements, and performance expectations for technology vendors, consultants, carriers, and managed service providers.
• Support audit and compliance activities (HIPAA, CARF, PCI) by providing technical documentation and evidence related to network, infrastructure, and physical security controls.

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTS

• Directly supervises the IT team, which includes the Systems Administrator and IT Coordinator positions, in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable employment laws.
• Develops and maintains a stable, progressive, caring, diverse, and efficient workforce to support operations. Creates a workplace environment that demonstrates commitment to the Ranch’s mission and its culture of purpose, caring, and learning. 
• Effectively manages and delegates duties to direct reports. Sets expectations for behaviors and communications that align with and support the Ranch's mission and culture. 
• Actively develops team members and emerging leaders to meet the current and future needs of the organization.

COMPETENCIES

• Leads and develops a small technical team; balances hands-on technical work with people management and delegation.
• Communicates clearly with both technical staff and non-technical stakeholders.
• Interacts appropriately and professionally in difficult or emotionally charged situations.
• Interacts sensitively with the cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of the people the Ranch serves.
• Has strong supervisory and leadership skills.
• Manages multiple concurrent projects and priorities across a multi-site organization.
• Demonstrates strong technical credibility in networking, security, telephony, and physical security systems, with the judgment to make sound architecture decisions independently.
• Identifies problems proactively and drives them to resolution.
• Demonstrates sound judgment regarding data security, privacy, and appropriate access boundaries.
• Demonstrates a commitment to continuous learning; stays current on emerging technologies and industry trends relevant to networking, security, and infrastructure.
• Is proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. A minimum of five years of progressive information technology experience is required, including substantial hands-on experience with enterprise networking (firewalls, switching, wireless) and at least two years in a lead, supervisory, or senior engineering capacity. Experience with multi-site network architectures is required.

Experience: Required experience includes: enterprise firewall administration; managed switching infrastructure; managed wireless access points; business telephone/VoIP systems administration; network video surveillance systems; electronic door access control systems; Windows Server; Active Directory; Microsoft 365/Entra environments; and server virtualization.

Preferred experience includes: prior supervisory or team-lead experience in an IT environment; healthcare or human-services IT experience, including familiarity with HIPAA requirements; experience with remote access platforms; and relevant technical certifications (e.g., CCNA, Security+, or vendor-specific network/firewall certifications).

Language Skills: Ability to read and interpret written information. Communicates effectively by conveying necessary information accurately, listening effectively, and asking questions when clarification is needed. Ability to write accurately and professionally. 

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the public.

Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent; and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with various concrete variables in situations with limited standardization. Ability to interpret various instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and to talk or hear.
• The employee is frequently required to walk, sit, stand, reach with hands and arms, use ladders, and work in small or confined spaces.
• May occasionally lift or move items up to 50 pounds.

Working Conditions

• Typically indoor work activities, with occasional exposure to outdoor conditions while traveling between sites or working on outdoor network infrastructure.
• Noise level is typically quiet (classrooms, residences, general office spaces, congregate areas), with occasional exposure to mechanical/server room environments.

Travel Expectations

• A valid driver's license and clean driving record are required.
• Travel between Ranch locations is required and may include overnight trips, estimated at 20–40% depending on active projects.

PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

Within the first year, the IT Manager will be expected to:

• Maintain secure, stable, and highly available infrastructure services.
• Meet established help desk response and resolution targets.
• Maintain accurate infrastructure documentation.
• Successfully deliver assigned technology projects.
• Demonstrate effective leadership and development of the IT team.
• Support compliance requirements related to HIPAA, CARF, PCI, and organizational policies.

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