Head -  IT Hardware & Infrastructure

Head - IT Hardware & Infrastructure

Location:

Department:

Experience:

About the Company:

We are India’s leading network of 110+ K‑12 schools delivering excellence through innovation, technology, and holistic education. To power our growing footprint, we are seeking a seasoned Head – IT Hardware & Infrastructure to architect, deploy, and maintain a resilient, secure, and scalable technology backbone across all campuses and corporate offices.

Role Summary:

You will own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of all on‑premise hardware and core infrastructure—desktops, laptops, workstations, servers, network equipment, cabling, UPS & power conditioning, and data‑centre environments. You will lead a multi‑location team and vendor ecosystem to ensure high availability, optimal performance, and cost‑effective expansion of IT assets that enable seamless learning and operations.

Key Responsibilities:

Infrastructure Strategy & Roadmap

• Define short‑ and long‑term hardware & network roadmaps aligning with academic calendars, new campus launches, and digital initiatives.
• Evaluate emerging technologies (Wi‑Fi 6/6E, SD‑WAN, hyper‑converged, edge computing) for scalability and ROI.

Hardware Lifecycle Management

• Oversee procurement, deployment, imaging, asset tagging, patching, warranty / AMC, and secure disposal for ~8,000+ endpoints (desktops, laptops, thin clients, tablets, interactive panels).
• Standardise hardware configurations and establish SLA‑driven support models.

Network & Connectivity

• Design and manage campus LAN/WAN—including switches, routers, firewalls, Wi‑Fi controllers, structured cabling, fibre links, and ISP relationships.
• Implement monitoring (SNMP, NetFlow) and redundancy to achieve >99.5 % uptime.

Server, Storage & Power Infrastructure

• Maintain on‑prem and co‑lo servers (AD, file, print, application), NAS/SAN storage, backup, DR, and UPS/generator power systems.
• Plan capacity, firmware upgrades, and preventive maintenance schedules.

Security & Compliance

• Collaborate with InfoSec to deploy endpoint protection, NAC, patch management, and compliance controls (ISO 27001, GDPR‑equivalent).
• Ensure physical security of racks, server rooms, and critical network equipment.

Vendor & Budget Management

• Own RFPs, commercials, and contracts for OEMs, SI partners, AMC & field‑support vendors.
• Track budgets, optimise TCO, and drive cost savings via consolidation and volume discounts.

Team Leadership & Support Operations

• Lead a distributed team of engineers & technicians; set KPIs (MTTR, first‑call resolution, asset utilisation).
• Establish ITIL‑aligned service‑desk processes and self‑service knowledge bases.

Project & Roll‑out Management

• Drive new campus IT fit‑outs—from BOQ & network design to go‑live sign‑off.
• Manage upgrades (Windows, macOS, Linux) and technology refresh cycles with minimal disruption.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• 5+ years of progressive experience managing enterprise hardware, networks, or data‑centre infrastructure; multi‑site background strongly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of desktops/laptops, servers, switches, routers, Wi‑Fi, cabling, UPS, and related monitoring tools.
• Hands‑on expertise with Windows & macOS deployment, Active Directory, virtualization (VMware/Hyper‑V), backup & DR solutions.
• Proven track record in vendor negotiation, budgeting, and asset lifecycle optimisation.
• Strong leadership, project management, and documentation skills.
• Certifications such as CCNA/CCNP, CompTIA Network+/Server+, MCSE, ITIL are advantageous