Essential Work Sample Exercises for Hiring a Technical Operations Director

The Technical Operations Director role is pivotal to an organization's technical infrastructure stability and performance. This leadership position requires a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic vision, and people management skills. Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true capabilities in these areas, particularly how they handle real-world challenges under pressure.

Work sample exercises provide a window into how candidates actually approach the complex responsibilities of a Technical Operations Director. By simulating realistic scenarios, you can observe firsthand how candidates lead teams through crises, develop infrastructure strategies, manage vendor relationships, and collaborate across departments. These exercises reveal not just technical knowledge, but critical thinking, communication skills, and leadership style.

For Technical Operations Directors, theoretical knowledge alone isn't sufficient. The role demands practical experience in maintaining system stability, implementing security protocols, and driving operational excellence. Work samples allow candidates to demonstrate these capabilities in action rather than simply discussing them in an interview.

Additionally, these exercises help candidates understand the real challenges they'll face in your organization. This transparency leads to better job fit and reduces turnover by ensuring candidates have realistic expectations about the role. The following four work samples are specifically designed to evaluate the essential competencies required for a successful Technical Operations Director.

Activity #1: Infrastructure Crisis Simulation

This exercise simulates a critical infrastructure failure scenario, testing the candidate's ability to lead under pressure, troubleshoot complex technical issues, and communicate effectively during a crisis. Technical Operations Directors must excel at incident response and problem-solving while maintaining clear communication with stakeholders.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a detailed scenario of a significant infrastructure failure (e.g., major cloud service outage affecting multiple business-critical applications).
• Provide the candidate with system architecture diagrams, monitoring alerts, and simulated status reports from team members.
• Assemble a small panel (2-3 people) to role-play as team members and stakeholders during the simulation.
• Allow 45-60 minutes for the exercise, including 10 minutes for the candidate to review materials and 30-40 minutes for the actual simulation.
• Prepare specific questions stakeholders might ask about business impact, resolution timeframes, and mitigation strategies.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided infrastructure documentation and incident details.
• Lead a simulated incident response meeting with the technical team (role-played by interviewers).
• Develop and communicate an action plan to address the crisis.
• Prioritize issues based on business impact and technical dependencies.
• Delegate tasks to team members and establish communication protocols.
• Prepare a brief executive update on the situation, including impact assessment and estimated resolution timeline.

Feedback Mechanism:

• After the simulation, provide specific feedback on the candidate's technical approach to the problem.
• Highlight one strength in their crisis management approach and one area for improvement.
• Ask the candidate to revise their executive communication based on the feedback and present it again, observing how well they incorporate the suggestions.

Activity #2: Technical Infrastructure Strategy Planning

This exercise evaluates the candidate's ability to develop strategic infrastructure plans that align with business objectives while balancing technical requirements, security considerations, and budget constraints. It tests both technical expertise and strategic thinking.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario describing your company's current infrastructure challenges and business growth objectives.
• Provide information about current systems, pain points, and budget constraints.
• Include details about compliance requirements and security considerations relevant to your industry.
• Allow the candidate to prepare for 24 hours before the exercise if possible, or provide 30 minutes of preparation time during the interview.
• Prepare questions about scalability, security, cost optimization, and implementation timeline.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the provided information about the company's current infrastructure and business objectives.
• Develop a 12-18 month infrastructure strategy that addresses current pain points and supports future growth.
• Create a high-level implementation roadmap with key milestones and dependencies.
• Identify potential risks and mitigation strategies.
• Outline resource requirements and budget considerations.
• Present your strategy in a 20-minute presentation followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the technical feasibility and business alignment of the proposed strategy.
• Highlight one particularly strong aspect of their plan and one area that needs reconsideration.
• Ask the candidate to revise one specific component of their strategy based on the feedback, observing how they adapt their thinking and incorporate new considerations.

Activity #3: Vendor Evaluation and Negotiation Role Play

This exercise assesses the candidate's ability to evaluate technology vendors, negotiate contracts, and manage relationships effectively. Vendor management is a critical responsibility for Technical Operations Directors who must secure optimal services while managing costs.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario involving the evaluation of two competing vendors for a critical infrastructure service.
• Provide detailed vendor proposals including pricing, service level agreements, technical specifications, and support options.
• Assign one interviewer to role-play as a vendor representative.
• Prepare the role-player with specific negotiation points and potential concessions.
• Allow 45 minutes for the exercise, including 15 minutes for preparation and 30 minutes for the negotiation.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the vendor proposals and identify key evaluation criteria based on the company's needs.
• Prepare a list of questions and negotiation points for the vendor.
• Conduct a 20-minute negotiation meeting with the vendor representative.
• Focus on securing better terms for critical service level agreements, support response times, and pricing.
• After the negotiation, prepare a brief recommendation outlining which vendor you would select and why.
• Include the key terms you would seek to include in the final contract.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's negotiation approach and vendor evaluation criteria.
• Highlight one effective negotiation tactic they used and one missed opportunity.
• Ask the candidate to revise their vendor recommendation based on the feedback, observing how they incorporate additional considerations into their decision-making process.

Activity #4: Cross-Functional Collaboration Scenario

This exercise evaluates the candidate's ability to collaborate with other departments, translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders, and align technical initiatives with business goals. Effective cross-functional collaboration is essential for Technical Operations Directors.

Directions for the Company:

• Create a scenario involving a technical initiative that impacts multiple departments (e.g., implementing a new security protocol that affects user workflows).
• Provide information about the technical requirements and business context.
• Assemble a panel of 2-3 interviewers to role-play as stakeholders from different departments (e.g., Sales, Marketing, Product).
• Prepare the role-players with specific concerns and priorities relevant to their departments.
• Allow 45 minutes for the exercise, including 15 minutes for preparation and 30 minutes for the meeting.

Directions for the Candidate:

• Review the technical initiative and identify how it might impact different departments.
• Prepare a brief explanation of the initiative that translates technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Lead a cross-functional meeting to discuss the initiative, address concerns, and gain buy-in.
• Listen actively to stakeholder concerns and adapt your approach accordingly.
• Develop a collaborative implementation plan that balances technical requirements with business needs.
• Establish clear communication channels and feedback mechanisms for the initiative.

Feedback Mechanism:

• Provide feedback on the candidate's communication style and ability to address stakeholder concerns.
• Highlight one effective collaboration technique they used and one area where they could have better addressed stakeholder needs.
• Ask the candidate to revise their approach to a specific stakeholder concern based on the feedback, observing how they adapt their communication and problem-solving approach.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much time should we allocate for these work samples?

Each exercise requires approximately 45-60 minutes, including preparation time and feedback. We recommend conducting no more than two exercises in a single interview session to avoid candidate fatigue. The Technical Infrastructure Strategy Planning exercise works well as a take-home assignment with a follow-up presentation.

Should we provide candidates with preparation materials in advance?

For the Infrastructure Strategy Planning exercise, providing materials 24 hours in advance allows candidates to develop more thoughtful responses. For the other exercises, 15-30 minutes of preparation time during the interview is sufficient. This approach balances preparation with the ability to assess how candidates think on their feet.

How should we evaluate candidates across multiple exercises?

Create a standardized evaluation rubric for each exercise that aligns with the key competencies for the role. Have all interviewers use the same rubric and conduct a debrief session after all candidates have completed the exercises. Look for patterns across exercises rather than focusing too heavily on performance in a single activity.

What if a candidate has limited experience with our specific technology stack?

Focus on evaluating their problem-solving approach, leadership style, and strategic thinking rather than specific technical knowledge. A strong Technical Operations Director can quickly learn new technologies but must demonstrate sound technical judgment and leadership capabilities.

How can we make these exercises more relevant to our specific company context?

Customize the scenarios to reflect your actual infrastructure, business challenges, and organizational structure. Include realistic constraints such as budget limitations or compliance requirements that are specific to your industry. This customization makes the exercises more relevant and provides better insights into how candidates would perform in your environment.

Should we use the same exercises for all candidates?

Yes, using consistent exercises allows for fair comparison between candidates. However, you may need to adjust the technical complexity based on the seniority of the role. The core scenarios should remain the same to ensure all candidates are evaluated against the same criteria.

The Technical Operations Director role requires a unique combination of technical expertise, leadership skills, and strategic vision. By incorporating these work samples into your hiring process, you'll gain valuable insights into how candidates approach real-world challenges and make critical decisions. This approach leads to better hiring outcomes and helps identify candidates who will truly excel in this pivotal role.

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