Reports To:
Vice President of Finance
About the Organization:
Founded in 1961 as F. Ferragine & Sons, Bradford Greenhouses Ltd. is a proudly Canadian-owned and operated business that has grown from a family farming operation into a respected multi-channel enterprise serving retail and wholesale customers. Incorporated in 1975, the business expanded its Bradford operations into a larger retail, growing, and distribution footprint, and later extended its retail presence with the Barrie location. Across decades of evolution, the organization has remained grounded in long-term relationships, entrepreneurial values, and a deep commitment to its people, customers, and community.
The company has recently made significant investments in IT infrastructure and hardware. We are now looking for a hands-on IT Manager to strengthen internal IT leadership, improve operational reliability, reduce recurring technology issues, enhance cybersecurity practices, and reduce reliance on external consultants.
Summary:
This is a leadership role for a practical, hands-on IT professional who can operate at both the technical and business level. The IT Manager will be responsible for the performance, security, reliability, and continuous improvement of the company’s technology environment across all locations.
This is not simply a help desk management role. The successful candidate will assess the current IT environment, identify gaps in systems, networks, documentation, processes, team capability, cybersecurity, and vendor reliance, and then build a practical roadmap to improve how IT supports the business.
The IT Manager will lead the current IT team, including junior technicians and supervisory-level support, while developing a stronger, more accountable, service-focused, and business-aligned IT function.
Job Duties:
IT Leadership and Department Development
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Lead the IT department with a clear focus on service quality, accountability, documentation, response time, and business impact.
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Assess the current IT team structure, roles, responsibilities, skills, workload, escalation patterns, and reliance on third-party consultants.
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Clarify responsibilities between the IT Manager, IT Supervisor / Team Lead, junior IT technicians, outside consultants, and business users.
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Develop junior IT team members into stronger internal contributors through coaching, technical development, accountability, and structured expectations.
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Identify up-and-coming leaders within the IT function and build a practical development plan for succession, delegation, and increased ownership.
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Establish clear service standards for internal support, ticket management, escalation, documentation, communication, and follow-through.
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Build a culture where the IT team solves root causes, not just symptoms.
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Create a more disciplined IT operating model with stronger planning, prioritization, documentation, and communication.
Network, Infrastructure, and Systems Reliability
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Take ownership of the stability, reliability, and performance of the company’s network and infrastructure environment across all locations.
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Review current network architecture, connectivity, hardware, wireless coverage, switching, routing, cabling, server / cloud infrastructure, backup processes, and business continuity practices.
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Identify recurring network and infrastructure problems and implement corrective action plans.
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Reduce repeat incidents by addressing root causes, improving standards, and strengthening monitoring and maintenance routines.
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Ensure infrastructure investments are properly configured, documented, maintained, and leveraged.
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Work with vendors where required, but ensure internal IT owns the issue, understands the solution, and documents the resolution.
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Support reliable operation of business-critical systems including POS, NAV 2018, LS Retail 2018, Microsoft 365, printers, scanners, phones, mobile devices, user access, and location-level technology.
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Ensure all locations receive consistent, professional IT support, including retail and operational environments where downtime directly affects sales, service, and productivity.
Cybersecurity, Risk Management, and Controls
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Maintain and continuously improve the company’s cybersecurity posture.
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Ensure appropriate controls exist for user access, permissions, onboarding, offboarding, password policies, device management, remote access, backups, patching, endpoint protection, and vendor access.
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Lead internal cybersecurity awareness and ensure employees understand basic technology risks.
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Review external consultant access, administrator privileges, third-party tools, and remote support practices to ensure security and accountability.
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Develop and maintain IT policies, procedures, and documentation for security, acceptable use, incident response, access control, backup, disaster recovery, and change management.
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Ensure suspected security incidents are escalated quickly and managed with urgency.
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Partner with senior leadership to ensure IT risks are visible, understood, prioritized, and addressed.
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Balance security requirements with operational practicality so controls protect the business without unnecessarily slowing it down.
Reducing Reliance on External Consultants
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Review current consultant usage, costs, service levels, recurring support patterns, and areas where internal capability should be increased.
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Identify which activities should remain outsourced, which should be transitioned internally, and which require better vendor accountability.
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Build internal capability so the IT team can independently resolve more support, network, hardware, user-access, documentation, and operational technology issues.
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Ensure consultants are used strategically for specialized expertise, major projects, security reviews, high-risk infrastructure changes, and advanced escalation — not as a substitute for internal ownership.
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Establish vendor management routines, including ticket follow-up, issue tracking, cost review, service quality evaluation, and knowledge transfer.
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Require documentation and internal training whenever consultants resolve recurring or material issues.
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Reduce unnecessary consulting fees through better planning, internal problem-solving, preventive maintenance, standardized devices, and stronger documentation.
Systems, Data and Reporting Improvements
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Oversee help desk operations and ensure tickets are prioritized based on urgency, business impact, and risk.
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Ensure business-critical issues are addressed quickly, particularly those affecting sales, POS, payroll, finance, production, communication, or customer service.
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Improve standards for ticket documentation, root-cause analysis, follow-up, resolution quality, and user communication.
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Ensure employees receive professional, respectful, timely, and practical support.
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Support technology needs across corporate, retail, wholesale, and operational teams.
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Ensure onboarding and offboarding processes are timely, complete, secure, and well documented.
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Strengthen asset management for computers, mobile devices, printers, scanners, phones, network equipment, peripherals, and software licenses.
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Improve lifecycle planning for hardware replacement, equipment standards, procurement recommendations, and warranty / repair management.
Documentation, Standards, and Governance
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Create and maintain accurate documentation for infrastructure, network design, access permissions, vendor contacts, system configurations, recurring issues, SOPs, and escalation paths.
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Develop IT standards for hardware, software, network equipment, user setups, access permissions, support processes, and security practices.
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Implement basic change management practices for system changes, infrastructure updates, permissions changes, and major technology decisions.
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Establish regular reporting for IT priorities, open issues, cybersecurity risks, consultant usage, recurring problems, and improvement initiatives.
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Build an IT roadmap that identifies immediate stabilization needs, medium-term improvements, and longer-term technology priorities.
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Provide leadership with clear recommendations, risks, costs, and business impacts.
Senior Leadership and Strategic Contribution
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Act as the senior internal leader for IT and technology-related business issues.
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Communicate clearly with senior leadership about IT risk, cost, performance, project status, and operational priorities.
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Develop into a trusted business partner who can challenge assumptions, recommend improvements, and lead technology change.
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Support company growth by ensuring IT systems, infrastructure, security, and team capability can scale with additional locations, new revenue streams, and increasing operational complexity.
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Bring a business-first mindset to IT decisions, understanding that technology must support sales, service, production, finance, people, and operational execution.
Decision Authority
The IT Manager will have authority to:
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Prioritize IT support work based on business impact and urgency.
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Assign, delegate, and manage work within the IT team.
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Escalate or de-escalate issues with external consultants based on risk and complexity.
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Recommend hardware, software, network, security, and infrastructure improvements.
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Approve routine IT purchases within approved budget limits.
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Set internal IT standards for documentation, ticket management, user support, equipment setup, and escalation.
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Recommend changes to vendor relationships, consulting arrangements, service contracts, and technology platforms.
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Identify and escalate significant risks, including cybersecurity concerns, operational disruption, budget overruns, system reliability issues, or inadequate internal controls.
The IT Manager must escalate to senior leadership for:
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Major cybersecurity incidents or suspected breaches.
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Major network outages or business-critical system failures.
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Material unbudgeted technology spending.
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Changes to core infrastructure, key business systems, administrator access, or company-wide security policies.
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Vendor performance issues with financial, operational, or security consequences.
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Technology decisions that materially affect retail sales, finance, payroll, production, customer service, or business continuity.
Requirements:
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7+ years of progressive IT experience, including hands-on technical support, network administration, infrastructure support, cybersecurity, and business systems support.
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3+ years of IT leadership, supervisory, or team lead experience.
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Strong working knowledge of networks, infrastructure, Microsoft environments, endpoint management, user access, backup processes, cybersecurity fundamentals, and business continuity.
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Experience leading IT in a multi-site business environment.
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Experience supporting business-critical systems where downtime affects sales, operations, finance, payroll, production, or customer service.
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Demonstrated ability to reduce recurring technology issues through root-cause analysis and process improvement.
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Strong vendor management experience, including managing consultants, service providers, telecom providers, software vendors, and hardware suppliers.
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Ability to lead, coach, and develop junior technical staff.
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Strong documentation, communication, prioritization, and project management skills.
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Business-minded approach with the ability to explain technical issues in clear, practical terms to non-technical leaders.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a practical, hands-on IT leader who can operate at both the technical and leadership level. They are not solely a strategist and not solely a technician. They can troubleshoot, assess risk, lead people, challenge vendors, communicate with executives, and build a stronger internal IT function.
They will bring discipline, urgency, structure, and ownership to an IT environment that has already received significant investment but now needs stronger leadership, better execution, reduced consultant dependence, improved network reliability, and a more mature security and support model.
This person should be capable of becoming the senior technology leader for the business — someone who can protect the company, improve operations, develop the team, support growth, and ensure technology becomes a competitive advantage rather than a recurring operational frustration.
Key Performance Indicators
The IT Manager will be expected to deliver measurable improvement in the following areas:
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Improved network reliability and reduced recurring infrastructure issues.
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Reduced reliance on external consultants for routine and recurring IT matters.
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Improved internal ticket resolution capability.
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Stronger cybersecurity controls, access management, and incident readiness.
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Clearer IT roles, responsibilities, escalation paths, and documentation.
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Improved support response and communication across all locations.
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Better IT asset management and hardware lifecycle planning.
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Reduced repeat tickets through root-cause analysis and preventive action.
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Stronger vendor accountability and better visibility into consulting costs.
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Development of junior IT team members into more capable, independent contributors.
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Clear IT roadmap aligned with company growth, system reliability, operational improvement, and security excellence.
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Increased confidence from senior leadership that IT is being led proactively and professionally.
What Success Looks Like in Year One
The successful candidate will be expected to quickly build credibility through practical operational improvement. Early priorities should include:
Within 30 Days
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Understand the current IT environment, team structure, vendors, infrastructure, ticket trends, recurring issues, and business pain points.
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Meet with key stakeholders across retail, wholesale, finance, HR, operations, and leadership.
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Review urgent network, security, access, vendor, and documentation risks.
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Assess consulting usage and identify quick opportunities for better internal ownership.
Within 60 Days
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Present an initial IT assessment covering team capability, infrastructure risk, recurring operational issues, security posture, consultant reliance, documentation gaps, and improvement priorities.
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Establish clear ticketing, escalation, prioritization, and communication expectations.
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Begin documenting critical systems, vendors, network infrastructure, access processes, and support routines.
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Identify immediate operational fixes that will reduce recurring issues or unnecessary consultant involvement.
Within 90 Days
- Deliver a practical IT improvement roadmap.
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Establish a team development plan for the existing IT group.
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Implement stronger support standards, documentation expectations, and internal accountability.
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Begin reducing consultant reliance in defined areas where internal ownership is appropriate.
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Provide senior leadership with visibility into IT risks, costs, recurring issues, priorities, and progress.
Within 12 Months
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Demonstrably improve network reliability, response quality, security discipline, documentation, vendor accountability, and internal technical capability.
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Reduce avoidable external consulting costs through skill-building, root-cause resolution, and better IT operating practices.
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Strengthen cybersecurity readiness and access controls.
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Improve business confidence in the IT function.
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Build a stronger, scalable IT department capable of supporting company growth.
Why This Role Matters
Bradford Greenhouses Ltd. is entering an exciting stage of growth, investment, modernization, and organizational evolution.
The company is focused on improving current operations, expanding into new locations, developing new revenue streams, strengthening financial infrastructure, and creating better accountability through data. To support this next stage, the business needs stronger budgeting, improved reporting, better forecasting, reliable costing, and deeper financial analysis.
The Financial Planning & Analysis Leader will play a critical role in helping the organization make better, faster, and more informed decisions.
This role offers the rare opportunity to build an FP&A function from the ground up within a growing business that combines retail, wholesale, manufacturing, distribution, and seasonal operations.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to leave a lasting impact by improving financial visibility, strengthening strategic planning capabilities, enhancing profitability reporting, supporting expansion decisions, and helping guide the organization through its next chapter of growth.
