IT Director

Ampersand Brands is a growing portfolio of beloved confectionery brands, including Hammond’s Candies, the iconic hand-crafted candy maker, and Lolli & Pops, a premium retail and gifting brand with a national presence. The company is backed by strong growth ambitions, combining innovation, brand storytelling, and operational excellence to expand its reach and solidify its position as a leading player in the U.S. confections industry.

We are currently hiring for a Director of IT.

• Develop and execute the IT strategy to support business growth across multiple brands.
• Build and manage system integrations and data intelligence capabilities.
• Support ERP solutions across the organization.

• Oversee installation, configuration, and support of retail hardware and software, including switches, routers, firewalls, printers, monitoring tools, and networking infrastructure.
• Administer and support Counterpoint POS systems, ensuring reliability and integration with internal systems.
• Manage PBX/VoIP phone systems, including configuration and vendor coordination.
• Implement and maintain Veeam backup and recovery solutions for cloud and server environments.
• Lead administration of Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, Intune, identity & security).
• Manage Google Workspace, including provisioning, IAM, and security configurations.

• Maintain PCI compliance and safeguard all PII and payment data.
• Perform proactive patching, maintenance, monitoring, and upgrades across all systems.
• Lead an IT support organization, including help desk, walk-up, phone, remote, and outsourced teams.
• Troubleshoot hardware, software, and network issues.
• Manage vendor relationships, oversee contracts, and ensure SLAs are met.
• Oversee the IT budget, forecasting, and cost optimization.
• Develop SOPs, training materials, and technical documentation.

• 4–8 years of experience managing vendor relationships and budgeting IT spend.
• 3+ years of IT project management experience.
• Broad knowledge of IT infrastructure, networking, hardware, cloud platforms, and the SDLC.
• Experience managing and reporting on PCI-compliant network environments.
• Experience administering Business Central, Sage 100, and/or Net Suite ERP systems.
• Experience with Lab Tech/Connect Wise Automate or similar remote management tools (strong plus).
• 4+ years of experience with AWS cloud technologies.
• Hands‑on experience administering Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace environments.
• Bachelor’s degree is required, preferably in Information Systems or Computer Science.
• Strong independent decision‑making abilities and communication skills.
• Exceptional troubleshooting and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Retail industry experience is a plus.
• Ability to lift, push, pull, or carry up to 50 pounds.

You’ll work with a modern and diverse technology environment that includes:

Business Systems: Net Suite, soon to be phase out:
Business Central, Sage 100, Cunterpoint POS

Collaboration & Identity Platforms: Microsoft 365 Administration, Google Workspace Administration

Web & Commerce: Shopify

The pay range for this role is:

145, USD per year (Corporate)