Manager of Network Operations at Biola University

Job description

Position Description The Manager of Network Operations is responsible for overseeing the architecture, engineering, administration, and ongoing support of voice and data network systems. This leadership role includes managing a team of network engineers and administrators, coordinating with cross-functional IT and university departments, and ensuring the seamless operation, performance, and security of enterprise network infrastructure. The Manager will lead network engineering initiatives, ensure network reliability, security, and scalability, and align technical strategy with organizational goals. This role requires strong technical expertise in enterprise network architecture, project management skills, and the ability to coach and develop technical staff. Alignment with Theological Positions The person who fills this position must be someone who personally agrees with Biola’s Articles of Faith and who is supportive of the positions taken by Biola as contained in its Statement of Biblical Principles and Eschatology Teaching Position. As such, this person may not speak against or act in a manner inconsistent with these positions during the course of their employment at Biola. Department Information Technology Supervisor The Manager of Network Operations reports to the Chief Information Officer (CIO). Educational & Experience Requirements Education: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience). Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of hands-on experience in enterprise network engineering and administration, with at least 2–3 years in a supervisory or leadership role. Certifications: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), Certified Wireless Network Administrator (CWNA), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), CompTIA Network+, or equivalent network architecture/engineering certifications preferred. Work Requirements Full-time – 40 hours/week, 12 months per year. This position requires personal attendance at Biola’s campus in La Mirada, California. Essential Duties Management & Leadership Duties Serve as an active member of the IT leadership team, contributing to department-wide operational planning and strategic goals. Build, mentor, and manage the Network Operations team. Conduct regular 1-on-1 meetings, support professional growth, and provide coaching and performance evaluations. Coordinate team workflows, project tasks, and operational assignments based on strategic priorities. Establish team performance metrics, accountability standards, and service level targets within budgetary guidelines. Collaborate with institutional business partners to gather technical requirements, prioritize requests, and communicate status updates. Architecture, Engineering & Administration Duties Lead the strategy, design, implementation, and administration of enterprise voice and data network architecture. Oversee network performance monitoring, capacity planning, and proactive tuning across enterprise LAN, WAN, WLAN, firewall, and VPN infrastructure. Ensure high availability, redundancy, fault tolerance, and robust security posture across all network systems. Lead network engineering projects, including system upgrades, security posture enhancements, and architectural modernizations. Partner with systems and security teams to design, implement, and maintain network security controls, policies, and best practices. Maintain comprehensive documentation of network architecture, topology diagrams, routing policies, and standard operating procedures. Serve as an escalation point for complex enterprise network outages and high-priority technical incidents. Coordinate with external telecommunications carriers, hardware vendors, and service providers for enterprise circuit and hardware support. Participate in on-call escalation rotation for critical operational outages as required. Required Skills & Qualifications In-depth knowledge and operational expertise in network arch