Director, IT Infrastructure

company information

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based nutrition company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and dairy products to nourish consumers.

With more than $3B in annual retail sales, fairlife's portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife ultra-filtered milk; Core Power High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife nutrition plan, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation. To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.

job purpose:

We are seeking a strategic and hands-on Director of IT Infrastructure & Support Services to lead the design, implementation, and support of enterprise and operational technology (OT) infrastructure across our manufacturing and corporate environments. This role is critical in ensuring the reliability, scalability, and security of our IT backbone, with a strong emphasis on enterprise and OT networking, Nutanix-based virtualization, Microsoft technology stack, and end-user support services. The ideal candidate will bring a blend of deep technical expertise, operational leadership, and executive presence, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into business-relevant language for stakeholders at all levels. This leader will also play a pivotal role in enabling innovation and unlocking value from existing and emerging technologies in mobile, IoT, and AI.

responsibilities:

Infrastructure Strategy & Architecture

* Define and execute the infrastructure roadmap aligned with business and manufacturing objectives.

* Lead the design and governance of enterprise and OT networks (Cisco), ensuring high availability, security, and performance.

* Oversee Nutanix-based virtualization platforms, ensuring optimal compute resource utilization and scalability.

* Evaluate and implement emerging technologies to drive innovation and operational efficiency.

Microsoft Technology Stack Leadership

* Own and optimize the Microsoft ecosystem including M365, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Power Platform, and Azure services.

* Drive adoption, training, and user awareness of Microsoft productivity tools across the organization.

* Partner with business units to identify opportunities for automation and collaboration using Microsoft tools.

* Ensure governance, licensing optimization, and security compliance across the Microsoft environment.

Operational Technology (OT) Integration

* Partner with manufacturing and engineering teams to ensure secure and reliable OT network infrastructure.

* Develop and enforce standards for OT/IT convergence, including segmentation, monitoring, and incident response.

Support Services & Help Desk

* Lead the company wide IT support function, ensuring high-quality, responsive service to end users across all locations.

* Establish and monitor SLAs, KPIs, and continuous improvement initiatives for help desk operations.

* Drive user satisfaction through proactive communication, training, and support strategies.

Innovation Leadership

* Provide thought leadership in the adoption and integration of emerging technologies and AI tools across infrastructure and business operations.

* Collaborate with data and analytics teams to identify and enable use cases for AI-driven automation, predictive maintenance, and intelligent support.

* Evaluate and pilot emerging mobile, IoT, and AI technologies to enhance productivity, decision-making, and operational efficiency across the enterprise & manufacturing.

Leadership & Collaboration

* Build and lead a high-performing team of infrastructure and support professionals.

* Collaborate with business leaders, plant managers, and cross-functional IT teams to align infrastructure services with business needs.

* Present infrastructure strategies, risks, and investments to executive leadership in clear, business-centric terms.

* Drive a collaborative and service oriented culture of accountability across the team

Governance, Risk & Compliance

* Ensure infrastructure and support services comply with industry regulations, cybersecurity standards, and internal policies.

* Lead disaster recovery and business continuity planning and testing.

skills/qualifications required:

Technical Skills:

* 10+ years of progressive IT infrastructure experience, with at least 5 years in a senior technology leadership role.

* Proven expertise in:

- Enterprise and OT networking (Cisco, Palo Alto, VLANs, firewalls, segmentation)

- Nutanix virtualization and hyperconverged infrastructure

- Microsoft 365 suite, Azure, Power Platform, and Teams administration

- ITSM tools and help desk operations

* Experience in manufacturing environments, preferably in the CPG Food & Beverage industry.

Soft Skills:

* Strong executive presence with the ability to influence and communicate effectively at all levels.

* Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

* Ability to simplify and articulate complex technical solutions in business terms.

* Strategic thinker with a hands-on, service-oriented mindset.

Preferred Qualifications:

* Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.

* Relevant certifications (e.g., CCNP, Nutanix NCP, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator, ITIL, CISSP).

* Experience with cloud infrastructure (Azure, AWS) and hybrid environments.

* Familiarity with AI tools and platforms (e.g., Microsoft Copilot, Azure AI, OpenAI APIs).

position location: Chicago, IL

reports to: Vice President, IT

exempt/nonexempt: Exempt