Director Information Technology - Covia Energy - GatedTalent (2024)

Covia Energy, a leading provider of proppant to the oil and gas industry with a differentiated footprint of low-cost, logistically advantaged mining and terminal assets serving all major U.S. shale basins, is seeking a Director of IT, based out of the company’s corporate headquarters in The Woodlands, TX. to oversee the effectiveness and efficiency of enterprise-wide business systems, infrastructure, networks, and applications. Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, this role is pivotal in ensuring high levels of functionality, reliability, availability, and performance aligned with business objectives. The Director of IT will lead initiatives for technology implementation, compliance, disaster recovery, and problem resolution while collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimize IT operations.

Covia Energy is in the process of separating into a standalone company from Covia Corp., which will focus on industrial silica applications. Covia Energy’s information technology functions will be supported by the existing Covia Corp. IT group for a period of time through a transition services agreement. The Director of IT will play a key role in building Covia Energy’s standalone IT team, and in transitioning from the existing shared information technology systems (Covia currently uses IFS as its enterprise resource system) to a separate operating environment. The appropriate candidate will view this as an exciting opportunity to develop his or her own organization. 

As the leader of the Covia Energy IT team, the Director of IT will have access to comprehensive training, software, and hardware resources. The candidate will leverage strong communication, analytical, and leadership skills to drive the evolution of Covia Energy’s IT infrastructure, applications, and security posture.

The Director of IT will be expected initially to be in-person at the Covia Energy Woodlands office full time, with the possibility of moving to a partial work-from-home schedule in the future.

The Successful Candidate Will Have The Following Key Accountabilities

• Assist in ensuring a smooth and successful transition as Covia Energy establishes its standalone IT systems.
• Quickly develop an organization structure for the IT team that meets the need of the standalone organization while remaining lean and nimble; lead the build-out of the IT organization.
• Provide leadership and management in planning and ongoing management of infrastructure operations, production support, systems, desktop support, and enterprise applications.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders, technical teams, and vendors to design, develop and implement solutions that align with organizational objectives.
• Ensure high levels of reliability and performance in infrastructure and application design and management.
• Assist with the development and implementation of information security and governance policies, procedures, and standards – ensuring they are adequate and operating effectively.
• Lead in the investigation, mitigation, and resolution of information security incidents.
• Establish, monitor, and analyze performance metrics and service level agreements to meet business needs.
• Proactively identify areas for improvement, assess, and make recommendations accordingly.
• Plan, direct, and lead initiatives for technology implementation supporting business objectives.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and effective disaster recovery capabilities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align IT strategies with business objectives.

The Successful Candidate Will Have The Following Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years management experience in a multisite enterprise environment; experience in industrial control systems preferred.
• 10+ years hands-on experience troubleshooting and supporting complex network/systems environments.
• Strong understanding of ITIL framework and experience with IT Service Management.
• Experience supporting the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution for an organization; IFS (Covia’s existing ERP system) experience strongly desired.
• Extensive knowledge of Office 365, Microsoft Windows Server, Active Directory, Oracle/SQL database platforms.
• Experience supporting virtualized server environments; proficiency with VMware preferred.
• Proficient understanding of cloud-native technologies such as Kubernetes.
• Knowledgeable in advanced networking concepts, cybersecurity control frameworks, and protocols.
• Self-motivated with excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in recruiting, training, coaching, and mentoring staff members.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage with stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated capability in budget management and project leadership.
• Some travel may be required.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, or related field preferred.
• Relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Advanced technical certifications are advantageous.

Benefits

• Excellent Healthcare Benefits including medical, vision, and dental coverage.
• 401K with company matching.
• Vacation time plus Paid Holidays.
• Education Assistance programs.
• Disability, Life / AD&D, and Long-Term Care Insurances.
• Employee Assistance Program.

Covia Energy is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in our workforce. We provide equal employment opportunities based on work-related factors without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or veteran status. We offer competitive salaries, advancement opportunities, and a comprehensive range of benefits.

This job description reflects the principal functions of the role and may not cover all work requirements. Additional tasks may be assigned as needed to meet exceptional conditions.

An Equal Opportunity Employer.