Executive Director, Network & Telecommunications

Onsite Leadership Role | South Florida Based Candidates Preferred

The University of Miami Health System (UHealth) Information Technology Department is seeking an experienced Executive Director, Networks & Telecommunications for a full-time, onsite position in Miami, Florida.

Core Responsibilities:

• Define and execute the enterprise networking and telecommunications strategy in alignment with organizational objectives and advances in the industry.

• Develop a forward‑looking strategy for adopting emerging technologies in ways that advance and enable enterprise priorities.

• Partner with executive leadership to ensure networking and voice/data services support business continuity, growth, and digital transformation.

• Oversee design, implementation, optimization and management of high-performing, large-scale enterprise networks (LAN, WAN, WLAN, Cellular, VoIP, CCaaS).

• Ensure robust network security through firewalls, intrusion prevention, segmentation, and NAC (Network Access Control).

• Lead initiatives to further key objectives for operating a high-performing and secure environment.

• Direct enterprise voice and data infrastructure, including VoIP, SIP trunking, PBX systems, and collaboration platforms.

• Ensure high availability and quality of service for voice and video communications across the organization.

• Oversee telecommunications planning, engineering, and lifecycle management of infrastructure.

• Lead design, deployment, and optimization of DAS to ensure reliable cellular and wireless coverage across facilities.

• Work closely with mobile carriers to expand and optimize mobile network coverage at UM campuses

• Oversee enterprise wireless infrastructure, ensuring secure, scalable, and high-performance connectivity.

• Develop and execute on wireless technology roadmap that enhances and strengthens performance, security and stability across the enterprise.

• Establish and enforce operational policies, standards, and best practices for networking and telecommunications.

• Drive automation and monitoring to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and enhance incident response.

• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and procurement for networking and telecom services.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of network engineers, telecom specialists, and security professionals.

• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. 

• Adheres to University and unit-level policies and procedures and safeguards University assets.

Department Specific Functions:

The Executive Director will lead a large-scale organization responsible for enterprise networking, telecommunications, wireless, and cellular infrastructure across a distributed, high-availability environment.

1. Enterprise Connectivity Strategy (Health System + Academic)

• Define and execute a multi-year connectivity strategy supporting Clinical systems and patient care environments, Research computing and data-intensive workloads, and Academic and campus digital experiences

• Lead architectural evolution toward Cloud-integrated and hybrid networking models, Zero-trust security frameworks, and Software-defined and automated infrastructure

2. Technical Authority & Architecture Leadership (Non-Delegable)

Serve as the final technical authority across all network domains, with the ability to personally engage in complex design and troubleshooting scenarios.

Required areas of depth include:

• Enterprise networking:

  • LAN, WAN, WLAN, and campus-scale infrastructure

  • SD-WAN and hybrid/cloud connectivity

• Network security:

  • Segmentation, NAC (e.g., Cisco ISE, Aruba ClearPass)

  • Firewalls, intrusion prevention, and zero-trust architectures

• Real-time communications:

  • VoIP, SIP, PBX, unified communications, CCaaS

• Wireless and mobility:

  • Enterprise WLAN and large-scale wireless deployments

  • Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) for healthcare facilities

3. Clinical & Research Reliability (Mission-Critical Operations)

• Ensure continuous availability and performance of connectivity services supporting:

  • Electronic Health Records (EHRs)

  • Clinical devices and bedside systems

  • Telemedicine and patient engagement platforms

  • Research labs and high-performance computing environments

• Lead incident command during major outages, ensuring rapid resolution and communication

• Establish and enforce:

  • High-availability architectures

  • Failover and redundancy strategies

  • Performance and resilience standards aligned to healthcare needs

4. Operational Excellence at Scale

• Lead a multi-disciplinary organization of ~70–80 engineers, architects, and operations professionals

• Drive:

  • Automation and observability across network operations

  • Reduced mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR)

  • Proactive performance monitoring

• Implement clear:

  • SLAs tied to clinical and research service expectations

  • Operational KPIs and accountability frameworks

5. Network Security in a Regulated Environment

• Align network architecture with healthcare regulatory requirements and security frameworks

• Partner with cybersecurity leadership to implement:

  • Zero-trust network access

  • Segmentation for clinical and research environments

  • Secure remote and cloud connectivity

• Ensure continuous improvement of network security posture and risk mitigation

6. Telecommunications, Mobility & Campus Connectivity

• Lead enterprise voice, video, and collaboration platforms across health system and university

• Oversee DAS and carrier partnerships to ensure reliable cellular coverage in clinical environments

• Deliver seamless, secure wireless experiences for:

  • Clinicians and staff

  • Students and faculty

  • Patients and visitors

7. Transformation & Modernization

• Own delivery of critical initiatives, including:

  • Network modernization and technical debt reduction

  • Migration to software-defined and cloud-integrated architectures

  • Adoption of automation and AI-driven operations

• Translate emerging technologies into practical, enterprise-ready capabilities

8. Financial & Vendor Leadership

• Manage a significant portfolio of infrastructure investments

• Lead vendor strategy across networking, telecom, and carrier services

• Ensure:

  • Contract optimization

  • Performance accountability

  • Alignment to enterprise cost and value objectives

9. Talent & Organizational Leadership

• Build and sustain a high-performance engineering and operations organization

• Develop:

  • Deep technical capability across the team

  • Future leaders within the organization

• Foster a culture of:

  • Accountability

  • Technical excellence

  • Continuous improvement and innovation

This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities as necessary.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field; Master’s preferred.

• Certifications such as CCNP/CCIE, CISSP, Aruba ASE, or ITIL strongly preferred.

• 10+ years of progressive leadership in enterprise networking and telecommunications

• Experience leading large-scale, high-availability environments, ideally in healthcare, higher education, or similarly complex enterprises

• Deep knowledge of enterprise networking (Cisco, Aruba, Juniper, Palo Alto, or equivalent)

• Expertise in network security, NAC solutions (e.g., Cisco ISE, Aruba ClearPass), and segmentation strategies.

• Strong background in voice/data technologies (VoIP, SIP, PBX systems) and unified communications platforms.

• Experience with DAS design, deployment, and optimization.

• Familiarity with wireless infrastructure, cloud networking, SD-WAN, and hybrid environments.

• Exceptional strategic thinking, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

• Ability to validate architecture decisions

• Ability to translate technical concepts into business outcomes for executive audiences.

• Ability to challenge designs, guide engineers, and lead resolution of critical incidents firsthand.

Any appropriate combination of relevant education, experience and/or certifications may be considered.

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