Director of Infrastructure

Morningstar•Chicago, IL

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Team Platform Engineering is responsible for building and operating shared platforms, tools, and services that enable Morningstar’s product and engineering teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and high-quality software. The organization focuses on operational excellence, reliability, automation, and developer enablement across application and infrastructure platforms. Platform Engineering acts as a force multiplier for product development by abstracting complexity, standardizing capabilities, and providing paved-road solutions that improve reliability, security, speed to market and financial awareness. The Role The Director of Platform Engineering provides strategic leadership for the Platform Engineering organization, owning the vision, operating model, and outcomes for shared platforms and operational capabilities. This role is accountable for ensuring platforms are reliable, observable, scalable, financially viable and aligned to the needs of product and engineering teams across the firm. The Director partners closely with senior leaders across Technology, Product Development, Infrastructure, Security, and Finance to define platform strategy, improve operational maturity, and drive measurable improvements in reliability, efficiency, and developer experience. Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid policy- 4 days onsite)

Requirements

10+ years of experience in technology roles spanning Platform Engineering, Infrastructure, SRE, or large‑scale IT Operations environments.
5+ years of experience leading managers and multi‑team organizations, including responsibility for setting strategy, priorities, and operating models.
Proven ability to define and execute platform or operational strategy that delivers measurable improvements in reliability, efficiency, and developer experience.
Strong understanding of modern platform concepts, including cloud platforms, observability, automation, CI/CD enablement, and operational readiness.
Demonstrated success partnering with senior engineering, product, and business leaders to influence decisions and drive alignment across organizations.
Experience establishing metrics and outcome‑based accountability for platform reliability, operational performance, and developer enablement.
Experience with public cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure or Google Compute Platform
Excellent communication, decision‑making, and stakeholder‑management skills, with the ability to operate effectively at executive levels.
Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the Financial Services industry or supporting complex, regulated business products.
Leadership experience across Platform Engineering, Infrastructure, SRE, or IT Operations organizations.
Experience managing IT Operations and production support functions.
Strong understanding of modern platform, cloud, and operational practices, including observability, automation, and CI/CD.
Familiarity with operational tooling and ITSM platforms, with the ability to guide strategy at scale.
Experience driving AI‑enabled automation or intelligent operational capabilities in production environments.
Experience with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure public cloud platforms
Demonstrated ownership of platform budgets, vendor strategy, and cost optimization initiatives.

Responsibilities

Define and communicate the vision, strategy, and roadmap for Platform Engineering aligned to enterprise goals.
Provide executive oversight for platform reliability, observability, and operational readiness.
Champion SRE-inspired practices including proactive monitoring and post-incident learning.
Drive adoption of AI-enabled capabilities and automation to improve platform and operational outcomes.
Define KPIs for Platform Engineering incorporating critical success factors from the product development community and Central Technology
Partner with Product Development, Security, and Finance leaders on platform investment and priorities.
Partner with the Platform Services organization to deliver requirements for services and service consumption from the Platform Engineering platforms
Lead and develop Platform Engineering managers and senior managers, fostering a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
Partner with respective Platform Engineering team members and leadership globally to effectively deliver services offered by Platform Operations
Effectively steward financials related to the hardware, software and labor spend for the Platform Engineering organization

Benefits

100% 401k match up to 6% of salary
Stock Ownership Potential
Company provided life insurance - 1x salary + commission
Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages
Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual
Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance
Trust-Based Time Off
6-week Paid Sabbatical Program
6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave
Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave
Adoption Assistance
Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities
Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses
Tuition Reimbursement
Charitable Matching Gifts program
Dollars for Doers volunteer program
Paid volunteering days
15+ Employee Resource & Affinity Groups