IT Manager – Temporary

Overview

The Bronx Defenders (BxD)—an innovative, progressive, holistic defense office in the South Bronx—seeks an Information Technology (IT) Manager for a temporary (~6 months) assignment.

Founded in 1997, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that has developed a nationally recognized model of representation called holistic defense, which provides people with teams of lawyers, social workers, and advocates to defend them zealously in court as well as to address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement.

Since opening our doors, we have grown into an organization of more than 400 staff members defending nearly 20,000 New Yorkers each year in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings who face incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation, among other devastating consequences.

Today we are reimagining the role of public defense even further, using community organizing and engagement, legislative advocacy, and impact litigation to partner with the communities we represent to bring about long-lasting systemic change.

We also share our model and lessons learned with current and future public defenders, run two legal clinics at NYC law schools and train public defenders throughout the country on how to move to a holistic model of representation.

Information Technology

Our Information Technology (IT) department is our first line of support in assisting our dedicated staff of attorneys, advocates, social workers, and administrative professionals. Our onsite help desk is a collaborative space for our staff to seek technical advice and access IT support. Ultimately, the work of our department helps to advance the needs of our clients and facilitate the process by which their legal teams support and advocate for them to reach their goals. As the leading office in providing holistic representation, we stay abreast of innovative technological tools and resources that are used to support our staff and clients as they navigate the criminal, family, immigration, and civil court systems. The IT department also plays an active role in onboarding new employees, conducting company-wide training on using our services to support clients, and proactively mitigating and defending the organization against cybersecurity risks.

Description

Reporting to the Director of IT, the Temporary IT Manager is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the IT department, ensuring reliable technology services, effective staff management, and consistent service delivery across the organization.

The Temp IT Manager is expected to maintain broad visibility across IT operations beyond the service desk, including Microsoft 365, identity and access management, endpoint management, asset lifecycle, telecommunications, infrastructure, vendors and managed service providers, operational security, onboarding and offboarding, automation, documentation, and IT service-management practices. This position requires a hands-on understanding of technology but is primarily a management and IT operations role. The successful candidate will know how to manage people, processes,

service providers, technology services, and competing organizational priorities without

becoming the primary technician for every issue.

Responsibilities

• Manage the day-to-day operations of the IT department, ensuring reliable and responsive technology services across the organization.
• Supervise, coach, and support IT staff, establishing clear expectations and accountability for performance, service quality, and professional development.
• Oversee IT service management and ensure the IT Supervisor effectively manages the support queue, staff coverage, escalations, and day-to-day service delivery.
• Monitor service levels, ticket trends, recurring incidents, and other operational metrics to identify and address service or performance issues.
• Oversee the effective operation of core technology services, including Microsoft 365, identity and access management, endpoints, telecommunications, networking, and related systems.
• Utilize internal resources, external contractors, managed service providers, and subject matter experts to resolve issues and implement sustainable technology solutions.
• Oversee key operational processes including onboarding and offboarding, asset lifecycle management, account administration, documentation, and technology inventory.
• Identify opportunities to improve IT services and business processes through standardization, automation, training, and new technologies.
• Ensure IT policies, procedures, security practices, and operational standards are consistently followed and aligned with organizational requirements.
• Communicate effectively with IT staff, organizational leadership, vendors, and colleagues across BxD regarding technology services, priorities, incidents, and operational needs.

Qualifications

To be eligible, applicants must have:

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• A minimum of 6 years of progressively responsible IT experience, including at least 2 years supervising IT staff or managing IT operations or service delivery.
• Experience managing an IT service-management environment, including service desks, SLAs, escalations, incident management, and service-performance metrics.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft 365 environments, including Entra ID, Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Intune.
• Broad knowledge of endpoint management, identity and access management, networking, telecommunications, cybersecurity, and cloud-based technology services.
• Experience managing technology vendors, contractors, or managed service providers.
• Experience with IT asset-management and technology lifecycle processes.
• Strong people-management, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a high-volume environment.
• Ability to independently manage operational issues, exercise sound judgment, and recognize when escalation to senior leadership or specialized technical resources is appropriate.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and a demonstrated ability to work effectively with technical and nontechnical staff.

Candidates must demonstrate

• Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate and connect with people with various backgrounds
• Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with lawyers and nonlawyers
• Ability to lead and develop staff while establishing clear expectations and accountability.
• Ability to organize and manage IT operations without requiring continuous direction.
• Ability to think critically, identify recurring problems, and develop practical and sustainable solutions.
• Strong customer-service orientation and the ability to balance staff needs with operational, security, and organizational requirements.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters.

Preferred but not required

• Experience working in a non-profit, legal, or social justice setting
• Experience supporting a mid-sized or large organization with multiple locations.
• Familiarity with ITIL or other IT service-management practices.
• Experience with workflow automation, process improvement, or Microsoft Power Platform.
• Relevant Microsoft, ITIL, CompTIA, or other technology certifications.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50lbs of network/computers and related equipment

Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 6 - 8 years of directly relevant

experience, the salary range for this position is $110,000 - $125,000 annually. Full-time

employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to

medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; a generous

vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy. This is a temporary position to last

approximately 6 months

Approximately 70% of The Bronx Defenders' staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are

represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO). This position is

not within the bargaining unit. This position is exempt. By law, nonexempt employees are

compensated hourly based on their annual rate and therefore are entitled to overtime, whereas

exempt employees are not.

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter in one document. Your resume will be used

to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional

experience and should include all relevant professional experience. Applications without a

cover letter will not be considered.

The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a

workplace that embraces staff with a diversity of backgrounds, identities, and

experiences. We acknowledge the ways in which systemic oppression and injustice can

undermine access to professional opportunities and are committed to conducting hiring

and promotion processes that are equitable and accessible to those commonly excluded

from the workforce. We do not discriminate against and in fact specifically encourage

applicants from marginalized communities to apply, including those who identify as Black,

Indigenous, people of color, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled,

neurodivergent, and those directly impacted by criminal, civil, family, and immigration

legal systems. We value lived as well as professional experience and particularly welcome

applications from the Bronx community that we serve.