Director, Information Technology

About Us:

Karman Space & Defense provides concept-to-production solutions for mission-critical systems on spacecraft, launch vehicles, missiles, hypersonics, and integrated defense systems. We believe that solving the industry’s most complex and mission-critical challenges requires relentless determination and a willingness to push the boundaries of possibility. Karman Space & Defense brings to bear unparalleled production capabilities, unmatched engineering expertise, and unflinching analysis to render the impossible, possible.

Key Responsibilities:

Enterprise IT Operations & Infrastructure

• Lead enterprise IT operations across company sites, including infrastructure, networks, telecom, endpoints, collaboration tools, and end-user support.
• Ensure IT services are reliable, secure, scalable, and responsive to business needs.
• Improve operational discipline through ticketing, service levels, documentation, asset management, change control, monitoring, and performance metrics.
• Drive continuous improvement in IT support responsiveness, issue resolution, user experience, and operational transparency.
• Establish practical standards for infrastructure, endpoint management, access control, backup, disaster recovery, and system availability.

 

Cloud, Identity & Platform Operations

• Lead operational execution and administration of Microsoft 365, Azure, Entra ID, Intune, endpoint management, and related enterprise platforms.
• Support secure adoption and management of regulated cloud environments, including Azure GCC High where applicable.
• Strengthen identity and access management practices, including account provisioning, privileged access, device compliance, and lifecycle management.
• Partner with cybersecurity and compliance stakeholders to ensure cloud and endpoint platforms support company security and regulatory requirements.
• Help standardize tools and platforms across sites to reduce complexity, improve supportability, and increase operational efficiency.

 

Cybersecurity, Compliance & CMMC Support

• Partner with cybersecurity and compliance leadership to implement and maintain technical controls supporting CUI, ITAR, DFARS, NIST 800-171, and CMMC Level 2 readiness.
• Support remediation activities, evidence collection, documentation, and executive status reporting related to IT-owned compliance deliverables.
• Help ensure infrastructure, endpoints, identity, logging, backup, and access control processes align with security and compliance expectations.
• Promote disciplined operational evidence practices across IT, including documentation, control execution, and audit readiness.
• Support incident response, vulnerability remediation, risk tracking, and security-related operational improvements as needed.

 

Multi-Site Standardization & Integration

• Lead IT standardization efforts across business locations, including infrastructure, endpoints, collaboration tools, service processes, and operational procedures.
• Support post-acquisition IT integration planning and execution, including users, systems, vendors, networks, devices, and support processes.
• Identify integration risks, dependencies, cost impacts, and sequencing needed to support business continuity.
• Balance the need for standardization with practical business realities, site-specific requirements, and operational priorities.

 

Vendor, Budget & Service Management

• Manage key IT vendors, service providers, contracts, renewals, and performance expectations.
• Partner with finance and leadership to support IT budgeting, forecasting, cost tracking, and vendor accountability.
• Evaluate opportunities to simplify the technology environment, reduce duplication, improve service quality, and optimize spend.
• Ensure vendors and managed service providers are held accountable for performance, responsiveness, documentation, and deliverables.

 

Leadership & Business Partnership

• Lead, develop, and mentor IT team members while building a culture of ownership, service, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Partner effectively with Operations, Engineering, HR, Finance, Security, Compliance, and Business Systems teams.
• Translate business needs into practical IT priorities, execution plans, and operational improvements.
• Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Provide concise, accurate status updates on IT operations, risks, priorities, and progress.

 

Candidate Profile:

The successful candidate will be a practical and business-oriented IT leader who can operate at both the strategic and hands-on level. This individual should be comfortable improving day-to-day operations while also helping build scalable processes, standards, and platforms for a growing aerospace and defense company.

The ideal candidate brings strong enterprise IT operations experience, a service mindset, disciplined execution, and enough cybersecurity and compliance awareness to support a regulated environment without needing to be the company’s dedicated cybersecurity executive.

 

Core Competencies:

Enterprise IT Operations

Strong working knowledge of infrastructure, networks, endpoints, cloud platforms, telecom, identity, monitoring, backup, disaster recovery, and end-user support.

 

Microsoft & Cloud Platforms

Experience with Microsoft 365, Azure, Entra ID, Intune, endpoint security, collaboration tools, and enterprise identity platforms. GCC High experience is strongly preferred.

 

Cybersecurity & Compliance Support

Familiarity with CUI, ITAR, DFARS, NIST 800-171, CMMC Level 2, access controls, logging, vulnerability management, incident response, and audit readiness.

 

Multi-Site Operations

Proven ability to support distributed business operations, standardize IT services across locations, and improve operational consistency.

 

Post-Acquisition Integration

Experience supporting IT integration activities related to acquired businesses, systems, users, infrastructure, vendors, and support processes.

 

Operational Governance

Strong discipline in documentation, ticketing, service management, change control, asset management, vendor governance, and executive reporting.

 

Leadership & Communication

Effective leader and communicator who can build trust with executives, functional leaders, technical teams, vendors, and end users.

 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline; master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive IT experience, including meaningful leadership responsibility.
• Experience leading IT operations in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, engineering, or another regulated environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success supporting multi-site infrastructure, cloud platforms, IT support, cybersecurity readiness, and operational standardization.
• Experience with Microsoft 365, Azure, Entra ID, Intune, endpoint management, networking, infrastructure, and IT service management.
• Familiarity with CMMC, NIST 800-171, DFARS, CUI, and ITAR requirements strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting post-acquisition IT integration, systems standardization, or operational transformation preferred.
• PMP, ITIL, CISSP, CISM, Security+, Microsoft, Azure, or related certifications preferred.
• U.S. Person status may be required based on access to export-controlled information.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, certain positions may require applicants to be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

Minimal travel may be required for this position

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

As a federal contractor, Karman Space & Defense is committed to compliance with all federal employment eligibility requirements. We participate in E-Verify, a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States. As an E-Verify employer, federal compliance mandates that we require documentation to verify your identity and employment authorization upon hire.

 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: 

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Karman is committed to equal employment opportunity. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis (“protected class”) including, but not limited to race; color; religion; genetic information; national origin; sex; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; age; disability; citizenship status; uniform servicemember status; or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law. Our management is dedicated to ensuring the fulfillment of this policy with respect to hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, recruitment advertising, pay, and other forms of compensation, training, and general treatment during employment