Address
Form of work
SalaryJob Title:Senior Director, Information Technology
Department: Operations/IT
Location: Oakland, CA (Hybrid)
Reports To: Chief Operating Officer
Supervises: 4+ teams
Context: At the Sierra Club, we believe in the power of interdependence. Together, we remain committed to the fight for a healthy climate built on a foundation of environmental, racial, economic, and gender justice – a future where all people benefit from a healthy, thriving planet and a direct connection to nature. As the climate crisis and deeply entrenched systemic racism all fuel injustice, we will continue to fight for a bold, transformational agenda that recognizes the interconnectedness between our planet, our humanity, and our future. By recognizing that our destinies are tied, we continue to name that all things are fundamentally connected, and the overlap between ecology, race, gender, and representative government will move to either advance our collective humanity or to oppress it. Sierra Club has close to 800 staff across the country and a network of 64 local chapters that are led and fueled by thousands of volunteers. We are also proud to be a unionized employer, with three labor unions representing more than half of our employees.
Scope: At Sierra Club, our vision for the role of Senior Director of Information Technology is to raise the bar for technical excellence, talent, strategy, and standards across Operations/IT and the organization as a whole. Your mission will be to cultivate and foster technical innovation, as well as elevate and amplify the technical heartbeat of the organization with a keen eye on customer centricity and end-user experience. Your focus will also revolve around enhancing systems integration, ensuring efficiency, fortifying security measures, and harnessing automation to drive optimization.
You'll take ownership of crafting the overarching IT strategy for the Sierra Club. Your responsibilities will extend to managing intricate interactions with multiple external partners, vendors, and service providers, supporting a workforce of 25+ staff members. Your approach will be hands-on with a goal to simplify IT: making systems user-friendly and seamlessly integrated into daily operations.
You are visionary. You have the natural ability to visualize the future of the organization and motivate others to work towards and achieve challenging goals.
Job activities include but are not limited to:
- Information Technology Strategy. Develops and implements strategies for information systems, websites, and IT network, server, and endpoint infrastructure. Defines needs and priorities, and defines technical architectures and hardware/software standards and approaches.
- Information Systems Development and Operations. Oversees major information systems development projects from requirements definition through design, development, and implementation. Responsible for Club-wide integration of information systems. Directs ongoing operations of information systems, identifying and prioritizing system enhancement efforts to meet changing business practices.
- IT Infrastructure Development and Operations. Oversees implementation and operation of networks, servers, and endpoints, including setting equipment standards, software license management, data backup, disaster planning, systems maintenance, and user support and training.
- Application Support. Oversees technical support and training for staff and volunteer use of a wide range of constituent-focused applications which in turn support a wide range of business processes across the entire organization.
- Security. Ensures that all aspects of IT operations adhere to security best practices, including appropriate security standards, network design, software patching, endpoint protection, IT security awareness training, and compliance filings.
- Departmental Administration. Prepares departmental budgets and IT-related capital budgets. Accountable for departmental and IT-related capital budgets and prepares variance reviews. Sources and manages IT-related vendors.
- Staff Management. For staff reports, assigns work and defines task objectives, approaches, work products, and budget/schedules. Promptly reviews work and provides on-the-job guidance/training. Provides ongoing performance feedback and conducts formal performance planning and evaluation. Makes recommendations in hiring, termination and salary decisions.
- Other. Performs special project assignments and miscellaneous duties as assigned.
The successful candidate must demonstrate the following skills, experience and competencies:
- An Obsession with Impact. You have the innate need to constantly ask “so what?” “How is the work we are doing contributing to our ability to achieve our mission and strategic objectives?”
- Staff Management. You have experience in managing staff as this role manages a department of approximately 25 staff.
- Project Management. You have experience managing both small and large projects involving teams of up to 10-15 people using industry-standard project management tools.
- Systems Development Life Cycle. You have experience developing and supporting information systems based on a thorough understanding of business needs.
- IT Infrastructure Development Life Cycle. You have experience developing and supporting networks, servers, and endpoints based on a thorough understanding of business needs.
- Budget Management. You have developed and managed multi-million dollar budgets.
- Strong People Skills. This role works with members of the IT department and many staff of all levels throughout the organization. Active listening, adaptability, and collaborative problem solving ability are part of the daily work.
- Committed to evolution. You are committed to continuously deepening and evolving your own understanding of systems of oppression through study, openness, and humility. And you easily recognize your own relationship to privilege and power, examining and shifting your behaviors as appropriate.
- Uplifting and additive. You see mistakes as opportunities for growth; problems as catalysts for solutions, and inspire others along the journey. You carry a constructive approach, can-do attitude, a sense of humor, and authentic kindness wherever you go.
The strongest candidates will also demonstrate the following skills, experience and competencies:
- Experience with Salesforce, NetSuite, and Workday.
- Experience with AWS, Google or other infrastructure-as-a-service provider.
- Experience negotiating contracts and managing their implementation.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $200,000 - $225,000.
The Sierra Club offers a competitive salary package commensurate with skills and experience plus excellent benefits that include medical, dental, and vision coverage, and a retirement savings 401(k) plan.
This is a category 2 exempt, non-represented management position.
Sierra Club values the expertise and talents of foreign nationals. Sierra Club sponsors both nonimmigrant and immigrant visas when certain criteria are met, based on immigration laws and organizational needs. Such sponsorship is at the discretion of the Department Head and Sierra Club People Department in consultation with the employee’s manager. The Sierra Club cannot guarantee the approval of a visa petition. The Sierra Club is an equal opportunity employer committed to workforce belonging.
To Apply
The Sierra Club provides equal employment and advancement opportunities to all staff members. Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications, lived experience and skills. The Sierra Club does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, immigration status, socioeconomic status, ancestry, age, size, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, familial status, veteran status, disability, AIDS/HIV status, medical condition, prior conviction, arrest history, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, or any other characteristic protected by law.
The Sierra Club values applicants who are people that identify as Black, Indigenous, and other minoritized groups; women; queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, and gender fluid people.
Explore, enjoy, and protect the planet.
