Senior IT Manager Role Overview

A well-established financial services firm is hiring a Senior Information Technology Manager in Palo Alto, CA to lead the day-to-day running of its technology operations, infrastructure, cybersecurity program, and end-user support. The role keeps the technology environment secure, reliable, and efficient in support of the firm’s business objectives.

This role suits an experienced technology professional who enjoys balancing hands-on technical leadership with team coordination, vendor management, and continuous improvement. It blends operational ownership with the judgment to identify technology needs and put practical solutions in place across the firm.

Palo Alto sits at the center of Silicon Valley, where financial services firms operate under heightened expectations for cybersecurity and technology risk management. Leaders in this market work alongside frameworks such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, with strong controls for access management, endpoint security, and business continuity.

Key Responsibilities of the Senior IT Manager

Technology Operations and Infrastructure

• Oversee daily technology operations, infrastructure, and end-user support services.
• Manage enterprise hardware, software, cloud-based systems, communications platforms, and workplace technologies.
• Maintain and support collaboration platforms, conference room technology, and productivity solutions.
• Monitor infrastructure performance, system availability, and operational reliability.
• Coordinate onboarding, offboarding, user provisioning, and technology lifecycle management.

Cybersecurity and Risk

• Support cybersecurity programs, vulnerability management efforts, and security best practices.
• Coordinate technology audits, assessments, testing activities, and remediation initiatives as needed.
• Participate in business continuity and disaster recovery planning efforts.

Vendor, Budget, and Procurement

• Manage relationships with external technology vendors, consultants, and service providers.
• Assist with technology budgeting, procurement, software licensing, and asset management.

Strategy, Policy, and Improvement

• Partner with leadership to identify technology needs and implement practical solutions.
• Develop and maintain IT policies, procedures, standards, and operational documentation.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend enhancements that improve efficiency and user experience.
• Support office technology projects, infrastructure upgrades, and workplace initiatives.

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• 5+ years managing IT operations, infrastructure, systems administration, or enterprise support environments. Financial, investment management, or similarly regulated settings preferred.

Technical and Professional Skills

• Strong understanding of Microsoft 365, cloud platforms, networking, endpoint management, and enterprise technology environments.
• Working knowledge of cybersecurity principles, access management, endpoint security, and technology risk management.
• Experience managing third-party vendors, service providers, and technology procurement processes.
• Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to prioritize multiple projects and operational responsibilities at once.
• A hands-on leadership style with a commitment to customer service and continuous improvement.

Preferred Background

• Experience supporting multi-office or hybrid work environments.
• Exposure to cloud infrastructure, SaaS platforms, and modern workplace technologies.
• Familiarity with compliance-oriented environments and security frameworks.
• Experience leading technology implementations, upgrades, or infrastructure modernization projects.
• Relevant certifications such as CompTIA Security+, Network+, Microsoft, Cisco, or similar credentials.

Who Thrives as a Senior IT Manager

The strongest candidates for this role operate comfortably at two altitudes at once. They can sit with leadership to shape the technology roadmap, then move straight to the hands-on work of keeping infrastructure, endpoints, and collaboration tools running. In a financial services firm, that range matters, because the same person is often accountable for both the strategy and the uptime.

Security is treated as part of daily operations rather than a separate project. People who do well here are fluent in access management, endpoint security, and technology risk, and they fold vulnerability management, audits, and continuity planning into the normal rhythm of running the environment. Vendor and procurement judgment rounds it out, since much of a modern technology stack is delivered through third parties that need to be selected and managed well.

Above all this is a service role. The firm depends on technology that simply works, so the leaders who enjoy it are the ones who measure success by a reliable, secure environment and steady, visible improvement over time.

About Excelon Associates

Excelon Associates is a retained executive search firm founded in 2007, headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, with offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Florida. The firm recruits leadership and specialized talent across financial services, higher education, healthcare, and government.

This Senior Information Technology Manager search is being conducted on behalf of a confidential client, with an Excelon recruiter as the single point of contact through screening, interviews, and offer. You can explore the firm’s financial services recruitment practice, browse current open roles, or review recent campaigns to see the kinds of searches Excelon runs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Apply for This Senior IT Manager Role

Excelon does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, marital or veteran status, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.