Job Summary
The IT Director is responsible for directing IPA’s worldwide IT operations, establishing strategic direction, creating and maintaining governance frameworks, and assembling a high-performing team dedicated to delivering dependable, secure, and user-focused technology solutions across a multifaceted global enterprise.
This role is a senior leadership and management position focused on strategic oversight rather than hands-on execution. The IT Director’s primary responsibility is to define what solutions are developed, and the methodologies used, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives. Success is measured by a high-performing team with clearly defined roles, a functional governance framework that is consistently applied, and technology choices that demonstrate long-term viability. An ideal candidate thrives on mentoring talent, aligning business requirements with technological advancements, and establishing robust accountability systems rather than engaging in direct implementation tasks.
The IT Director will be responsible for maintaining IPA’s IT policies, governance frameworks, and control mechanisms in full compliance with regulatory and donor mandates, while ensuring these standards remain practical, balanced, and fully aligned with the organization’s dynamic operational demands.
Oversee and execute key operational duties, ensuring all processes align with established standards and organizational objectives. Lead and manage a team of professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment. Develop and implement strategic plans to optimize efficiency, productivity, and overall performance. Monitor progress through regular assessments, identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions as needed. Collaborate with cross-functional departments to align initiatives and achieve shared goals. Ensure compliance with industry regulations, internal policies, and best practices to mitigate risks and maintain operational integrity. Provide mentorship and professional development opportunities to enhance team capabilities and career growth.
The position involves executing essential duties and responsibilities in close collaboration with the Global Operations Senior Director and IPA’s Senior Management Team.
Develop and oversee the IT strategy and governance framework to ensure alignment with organizational objectives and compliance standards.
Craft and sustain IPA’s IT strategy, aligning it with evolving organizational priorities, resource limitations, regulatory mandates, and operational demands within a global, multi-country framework.
Oversee the establishment and maintenance of IPA’s IT governance framework, encompassing policies, standards, and controls for security, access management, data governance, acceptable use, vendor management, and emerging technologies.
Ensure that governance frameworks are both practical and fully compliant with regulatory and donor mandates while remaining appropriately aligned with organizational risk levels and operational conditions. Policies must not only be enforceable but also clearly communicated and consistently understood across all country offices.
Deliver strategic guidance to senior leadership regarding technology-related risks, investment choices, and regulatory duties, presented in accessible, non-technical language.
Assess new technologies—such as artificial intelligence and automation—and propose responsible adoption strategies that align with organizational objectives.
Orchestrate the IT department and its team members, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and fostering a high-performing technical workforce.
Oversee, cultivate, and sustain a team of six IT professionals—comprising systems administrators, data engineers, and support staff—by offering precise guidance, consistent feedback, and avenues for professional advancement.
Recruit to address capability gaps and develop a structured team where each technical domain has defined ownership and accountability, while maintaining adequate redundancies across all responsibilities.
Develop a work environment that emphasizes thorough documentation, a commitment to service excellence, and a strong sense of responsibility, ensuring that high-quality contributions are recognized, and organizational standards are maintained without exception.
Establish team priorities in collaboration with the Senior Director of Operations & Systems, ensuring transparent communication regarding trade-offs and available capacity.
Deliver IT services with a strong focus on responsiveness, transparency, and alignment to operational and research objectives.
Ensure robust security measures, maintain strict compliance with regulatory standards, and effectively manage organizational risks.
Provide strategic leadership for IPA’s information security initiatives, aligning controls with organizational risk levels and ensuring adequate resource allocation.
Ensure adherence to all donor, contractual, and regulatory obligations pertaining to data protection and information security.
Provide leadership in audit preparedness efforts and facilitate coordinated responses to security or data-related incidents, ensuring collaboration with legal counsel and senior leadership as necessary.
Foster cohesive organizational alignment by ensuring all teams and initiatives are synchronized with overarching strategic objectives and company-wide goals.
Oversee the implementation of change management initiatives during major technology transitions, guaranteeing that personnel across all international offices comprehend and embrace new systems and processes.
Manage IT budget planning and financial reporting ensuring transparent total cost of ownership and optimal value for money.
Qualifications
Required
A minimum of seven years of senior IT leadership experience is required, with direct responsibility for ensuring the reliability, security, and availability of enterprise systems in production environments.
With over five years’ experience leading IT teams, you will have direct responsibility for senior technical personnel, including engineers, architects, and system administrators, and a proven ability to develop talent and strengthen team capabilities.
With a minimum of five years of hands-on leadership in enterprise system integrations, including SaaS platforms and cloud environments—such as ERP, CRM, data warehouses, or equivalent—you will have a proven track record of delivering seamless, scalable solutions that drive operational efficiency and business growth.
A minimum of five years of experience serving as a senior escalation authority in technical or security incident resolution is required.
With a minimum of three years of experience, you will have developed or overseen IT governance frameworks, policies, and internal controls.
Experienced professionals with a minimum of three years in environments subject to regulatory, donor, or audit compliance obligations concerning data protection or information security are sought.
With over three years of experience in IT budget oversight, vendor relationship management, and ensuring adherence to service level agreements, the ideal candidate will bring a proven track record of financial stewardship, strategic procurement, and operational accountability to the role.
With a minimum of three years of experience in leading change management initiatives specifically for enterprise technology deployments, you will bring a proven track record of guiding organizations through seamless transitions.
Able to effectively convey technology-related risks and strategic decisions to senior stakeholders who lack a technical background.
Proficiency in enterprise-level business intelligence solutions, including Power BI, is required.
Preferred
Seasoned professionals with a proven track record of overseeing IT operations across geographically dispersed teams or multinational entities, especially in environments characterized by limited bandwidth or constrained resources.
Experienced in international development, nonprofit organizations, or donor-funded initiatives.
Proven track record managing AI or automation projects within operational environments.
Demonstrated leadership in overseeing the evolution of knowledge management systems or collaborative platforms.
Fluent command of Spanish or French is required for this role.
Qualifications
BA/BSc/HND
Experience Required
7 years
