IT Director

About BBDS Bull Bear Defense Solutions is a tribally owned, SBA 8(a)-certified federal IT and cybersecurity firm that is focuses on delivery of modernized IT solutions, program management, and cybersecurity services to commercial clients, federal agencies, including the Department of the Interior.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced, highly customer-service-oriented Director of Information Technology to lead and oversee technology operations, infrastructure, cybersecurity, business systems, and IT support services.

This position is based in Ketchikan, Alaska, and requires a regular local presence. Candidates must currently reside in Ketchikan or be willing to relocate to the Ketchikan area.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical knowledge with exceptional customer service, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills. This individual should view IT as a service organization and technology as a means of helping employees perform their jobs effectively.

The IT Director will work closely with leadership, employees, vendors, and other stakeholders to understand their needs, resolve technology challenges, improve the user experience, and ensure technology services are reliable, secure, responsive, and easy to use.

This is a hands-on leadership position requiring someone who is equally comfortable discussing technology strategy with senior leadership and working directly with employees to resolve operational technology challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction for day-to-day IT operations and longer-term technology initiatives.
• Build and maintain a customer-service-oriented IT culture focused on responsiveness, professionalism, communication, and accountability.
• Serve as a trusted and approachable technology partner to leadership and employees.
• Ensure employees receive timely, professional, and respectful technology support.
• Establish expectations for response times, communication, escalation, and issue resolution.
• Regularly engage with users to understand technology needs, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
• Identify recurring technology frustrations and develop practical, sustainable solutions.
• Oversee technology infrastructure, networks, systems, endpoints, applications, communications, and cloud services.
• Ensure technology resources are reliable, appropriately maintained, and secure.
• Oversee cybersecurity, access management, backup, recovery, risk management, and business continuity activities.
• Manage IT personnel, contractors, vendors, and service providers.
• Manage technology budgets, contracts, licensing, procurement, and equipment lifecycle planning.
• Evaluate existing technologies and recommend improvements or modernization initiatives.
• Lead technology projects from planning through implementation.
• Maintain appropriate IT policies, procedures, documentation, inventories, and operational processes.
• Communicate technology issues, outages, projects, risks, and recommendations clearly to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational efficiency and employee experience through technology.
• Develop service metrics and use employee feedback to continuously improve IT services.

Customer Service Expectations

Customer service is a central responsibility of this position. The IT Director is expected to create an environment where employees view IT as an accessible, responsive, and dependable partner.

The successful candidate will:

• Be visible, approachable, and available to employees.
• Listen to users and understand how technology issues affect their ability to perform their jobs.
• Take ownership of problems and ensure appropriate follow-through.
• Communicate proactively when issues cannot be resolved immediately.
• Treat users professionally and respectfully regardless of their level of technical knowledge.
• Work collaboratively with departments rather than operating IT in isolation.
• Balance security and technical requirements with usability and operational needs.
• Seek feedback and continuously look for ways to improve the employee technology experience.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Cybersecurity, Business, or a related field; equivalent education and substantial relevant professional experience may be considered.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible information technology experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading IT operations, projects, teams, or service providers.
• Strong record of delivering high-quality customer service in an IT environment.
• Experience supporting users with varying levels of technical knowledge.
• Experience with IT infrastructure, networks, cloud services, business applications, cybersecurity, and end-user technology.
• Experience managing technology vendors, contracts, budgets, or procurement activities.
• Strong organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate technical issues clearly to nontechnical audiences.
• Must reside in or be willing to relocate to Ketchikan, Alaska.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten or more years of progressively responsible IT experience.
• Previous IT leadership or management experience.
• Experience leading or improving IT support or service delivery operations.
• Experience supporting organizations with multiple departments, facilities, or operational functions.
• Experience developing or improving IT operations, governance, cybersecurity, or service management programs.
• Relevant professional certifications in information technology, cybersecurity, project management, or IT service management

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a service-oriented technology leader who is visible, approachable, responsive, and willing to be present where the work is happening.

They take ownership of issues, communicate proactively, follow through on commitments, and understand that successful IT is ultimately measured by how effectively technology supports the people and organization it serves.

The successful candidate will have the technical judgment necessary to protect and modernize the organization while maintaining a practical, collaborative, and customer-focused approach to technology.

This position requires residency in the Ketchikan, Alaska area and is not intended to be a fully remote position.

Work Location

In person