Director - IT Engineering and Operations

California Coast Credit•San Diego, CA

7d•$152,216 - $190,270•Onsite

About The Position

This position is accountable for the planning, coordinating, directing, and designing of all operational activities of the IT Infrastructure Department, including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. This position is also accountable for providing direction and support for IT solutions that enhance mission-critical business operations — including AI-enabled services, automation platforms, and cybersecurity programs — and works closely with decision makers in other departments to identify, recommend, develop, implement, and support cost-effective technology solutions for all aspects of the organization.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor of Science Degree with an emphasis in Information Technology/Systems, Computer Science, or related field, plus 5–7 years of related work experience.
Requires 3–5 years in an IT management role.
Proven experience in IT infrastructure planning, cloud migration/management, and project management.
Comprehensive knowledge of network operating systems, SD-WAN, cloud networking, and network security; experience with both traditional hardware (routers, firewalls, SANs) and cloud-native equivalents.
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP), including cost management (FinOps), identity governance, and cloud security posture management (CSPM).
Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible, or equivalent) and CI/CD pipeline management supporting DevOps practices.
Knowledge of zero-trust network access (ZTNA) principles and modern identity and access management (IAM) frameworks.
Experience with SIEM, EDR, and threat intelligence platforms in a financial services environment.
Experience with systems design and development from business requirements analysis through day-to-day management.
Ability to compare key IT functions, major roles, and interdependencies to those in comparable organizations.
Demonstrated ability to apply IT in solving business problems.
Strong leadership and executive communication skills.
In-depth knowledge of applicable laws and regulations as they relate to IT, including NCUA, FFIEC, and GLBA requirements.
Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
Highly self-motivated, self-directed, and attentive to detail.
Ability to conduct and direct research into IT issues and products.
Ability to present ideas in business-friendly and user-friendly language.
Ability to multi-task and work under time constraints to meet project deadlines.
Requires on-call availability for support escalation.

Nice To Haves

Industry Certifications (preferred): Microsoft (Azure Administrator AZ-104, Azure Solutions Architect), Cisco, VMware, Palo Alto, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, or Google Cloud Professional.
Security Certifications (one or more preferred): CISM (Certified Information Security Manager), CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional), SSCP (Systems Security Certified Practitioner).
Service Management: ITIL 4 Foundation certification preferred, demonstrating knowledge of modern IT service management frameworks.

Responsibilities

Lead IT Infrastructure Department operational and strategic planning, including fostering innovation, planning projects, and organizing and negotiating the allocation of resources across on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
Lead the organization's cloud strategy, including governance of IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS platforms, optimizing cost, performance, and security across multi-cloud environments.
Champion a Zero Trust security architecture, overseeing identity and access management (IAM), endpoint detection and response (EDR), and security information and event management (SIEM) programs.
Oversee AI and automation initiatives within the infrastructure domain, including the evaluation, governance, and responsible deployment of AI-powered tools and platforms.
Direct infrastructure-as-code (IaC) and DevOps practices, ensuring repeatable, auditable, and scalable deployment pipelines across the organization.
Formulate and deploy long-term strategic plans for acquiring and enabling efficient and cost-effective information processing and communication technologies.
Develop and review budgets for the IT Infrastructure department — including capital, cloud, and operational expenditures — ensuring alignment with stated goals, guidelines, and objectives.
Authorize and oversee the deployment, monitoring, maintenance, development, and support of all hardware, software, and cloud resources based on department needs.
Lead vendor and SaaS portfolio management, rationalizing the organization's software subscriptions and ensuring contracts deliver measurable business value.
Lead and maintain the enterprise security architecture, including zero-trust frameworks, cloud security posture management (CSPM), and compliance with financial industry regulatory requirements (NCUA, FFIEC, GLBA).
Manage and coordinate training of staff responsible for planning and installation of network software, hardware, and cloud-based services.
Direct strategies, initiatives, and support of day-to-day computer operations as well as the underlying infrastructure, including cloud-native and hybrid workloads.
Develop and implement IT policies and procedures, including those for architecture, security, disaster recovery, standards, purchasing, and service provision.
Participate and recommend in the design and implementation of disaster recovery and business continuity plans, procedures, audits, and enhancements — including cloud-based DR strategies.
Negotiate and administer vendor, outsourcer, and consultant contracts and service agreements.
Manage IT staffing, including recruitment, supervision, scheduling, development, evaluation, and disciplinary actions.
Establish and maintain regular written and in-person communications with the organization's executives, department heads, and end users regarding pertinent IT activities.
Interfaces with other top-level management and technology heads across the company; takes an active role in determining overall company technology and development strategies.
Ensures compliance with applicable regulations through continuous monitoring, audit readiness, and proactive risk management.
Exercises discretion and independent decision-making necessary to ensure growth of the credit union in a manner that supports its mission and increases profitability.
Perform other duties as required.
Lead IT Infrastructure Department operational and strategic planning, including cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.
Develop, manage, and optimize budgets for the IT Infrastructure department, including capital and operational cloud expenditures.
Oversee end-user services, technical support, and the organization's IT Service Desk function.
Drive cybersecurity posture improvements, including zero-trust implementation, threat monitoring, and incident response readiness.
Govern the organization's cloud and SaaS portfolio, ensuring cost efficiency, security compliance, and alignment with business objectives.
Champion AI and automation adoption within infrastructure operations, identifying opportunities to improve reliability, efficiency, and staff capacity.