Director, IT Infrastructure

Director, IT Infrastructure

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

POSITION SUMMARY - This position is based in Arlington, VA

The Director, IT Infrastructure leads strategy, architecture, and operations for CI’s global infrastructure services, enabling secure, reliable, and scalable technology for staff, partners, and mission delivery worldwide. This role has end-to-end accountability for CI’s hybrid/multi-cloud infrastructure roadmap and operating model across the Microsoft cloud platform (Azure and Microsoft 365 tenant and platform services), AWS, and on-premise environments, including global network, server/compute, storage, virtualization, backup/recovery, monitoring, and remote access. The Director is accountable for availability, performance, security, and lifecycle management of core infrastructure platforms and shared services, and for partnering with Cybersecurity, Applications, Data, and Service Desk teams to deliver an excellent employee experience. The role leads a globally distributed team and key vendors/managed service providers, building modern operational practices (ITIL/ITSM, SRE-informed reliability, automation, observability, and continuous improvement) and ensuring CI’s infrastructure meets organizational risk, compliance, and business continuity requirements.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define and execute CI’s global infrastructure strategy and multi-year roadmap across Azure and Microsoft 365 (tenant/platform services), AWS, and on-premise environments, aligning to enterprise architecture, security, and business priorities.
• Own infrastructure platforms and shared services end-to-end, including global network services (WAN/LAN/Wi-Fi, SD-WAN/VPN, internet edge, DNS), server/compute and virtualization, storage, backup/recovery, monitoring/observability, remote access, and core directory/identity dependencies.
• Lead global operations with clear service ownership, SLAs/SLOs, and mature incident/problem/change management; drive continuous improvement through automation, standardization, and measurable operational KPIs.
• Establish cloud platform engineering and governance for Azure and AWS, including landing zones, account/subscription design, network segmentation, identity integration, policy/guardrails, encryption and key management integration, and infrastructure-as-code automation.
• Own reliability, resilience, and business continuity for infrastructure services, including DR strategy, backup architecture, recovery objectives, regular testing/exercises, and post-incident reviews.
• Partner with Cybersecurity to embed security-by-design and zero-trust principles, including privileged access, configuration standards, vulnerability remediation, logging, and compliance controls for Azure, Microsoft 365, AWS, and on-prem platforms.
• Provide executive-level technical leadership and architecture governance for infrastructure decisions; set standards and reference architectures; review and approve major designs and changes.
• Manage infrastructure financial stewardship, including budgeting, forecasting, vendor/contract management, licensing, and cost optimization (FinOps) across cloud and on-prem services.
• Collaborate with Applications, Data, Finance, and business stakeholders to enable mission-critical enterprise systems and integrations; ensure infrastructure designs are scalable, supportable, and secure.

Other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Hybrid/office environment with regular collaboration across global time zones.
• Occasional lifting and handling of equipment (up to 40 lbs) during data center/office work as needed.
• Availability for after-hours work for major incidents, maintenance windows, and critical project cutovers; participates in an on-call escalation model as appropriate for senior leadership.
• Occasional work in data center/colocation environments, including noisy and cool conditions, and adherence to site safety and access requirements.
• Occasional domestic and/or international travel may be required to support global offices, partners, and infrastructure providers.
• This position follows a hybrid work structure, working some days from the office and some days remotely. Guidance will be shared during the interview process.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 7 or more years of progressive IT experience with significant responsibility in infrastructure engineering and operations.
• 2or more years of leading managers and/or multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated expertise in hybrid infrastructure (cloud and on-prem), enterprise networking, identity and access management, security controls, business continuity/disaster recovery, and modern operational practices (ITIL/ITSM, automation, monitoring/observability).
• Proven ability to lead large cross-functional initiatives, manage budgets and vendors, communicate effectively with executives and non-technical stakeholders, and operate successfully in a global, mission-driven organization.

Preferred

• Experience designing and operating Azure and Microsoft 365 platform services (tenant governance, identity integration, security and compliance controls) and AWS environments; infrastructure-as-code and automation (e.g., Terraform, PowerShell, CI/CD); enterprise networking (including SD-WAN) and global connectivity; server/virtualization and storage platforms; and backup/DR and ransomware-resilient architectures.
• Experience building mature operating models (service catalog, CMDB/asset management, and KPI/SLA/SLO reporting) and supporting mission-critical enterprise applications (ERP/finance/HRIS/CRM) with high availability, performance, and compliance requirements.
• Relevant certifications are a plus (e.g., ITIL, Azure Solutions Architect, AWS Solutions Architect, CISSP/CCSP, VMware or networking certifications).

To apply for this position, please submit a resume and cover letter.

Compensation, Benefits & Culture: Conservation International is committed to pay equity, transparency, and supporting employees across locations. Salary Range: $150,000 - $185,000 annually. This range represents Conservation International's good-faith estimate of the compensation for this position at the time of posting. Final compensation is based on geographic location, job-related skills, qualifications, and relevant experience. Benefits: Eligible employees receive a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance; a 403(b) retirement plan with a 6% employer match after 60 days; Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA); employer-paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability coverage; paid vacation and sick leave; voluntary benefits including pet insurance; and organization-issued technology to support remote and hybrid work. Benefits are subject to plan terms, eligibility requirements, and may be modified from time to time.

See all Conservation International Career OpportunitiesHERE

Conservation International is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals. We believe in hiring based on merit and qualifications, ensuring a fair and inclusive hiring process for everyone.