Director, GDS Technical Services Operations

About the role

The Director, GDS Technical Services Operations is part of a group of gTLD technical experts at ICANN org. They lead a team of engineers operating technical systems related to gTLD registries and registrars, and provide technical input and expertise to other departments within ICANN org.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of operations engineers.
• Oversee the operation of multiple systems and services by the team, including interactions with internal areas, contractors, and Internet community volunteers for the operation of such systems and services.
• Provide systems engineering and technical expertise to address operational issues impacting gTLD (generic Top-Level Domain) registries and registrars.
• Operate the Registry Service Provider Evaluation Program as part of the next round of new gTLDs.
• Operate other systems and services that facilitate interaction between Registries, Registrars, Data Escrow Agents, Trademark Clearing House (TMCH), etc.
• Provide technical advice for the gTLD registry accreditation/application process, evaluation and consideration of new services through the Registry Services Evaluation Process (RSEP), review of registry transition processes, and other services.
• Oversee the production of detailed documents to report test results, document processes, charter projects, and report progress of projects.
• Implement and improve processes to streamline operational activities.
• Provide level 1 and/or level 2 support to the Contractual Compliance team, Policy team, and other ICANN teams to resolve issues impacting gTLD Registries and Registrars.
• Prepare detailed technical documentation, reports, presentations, and speeches for both internal and external audiences.
• Mitigate and resolve questions or issues raised by Internet registries, registrars, and community members.
• Serve as a technical expert on Internet system registry and registration services, Domain Name System (DNS) issues, and Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs).
• Attend and participate in regional and international Internet technical forums and community meetings.
• Participate in 24x7 on-call weekly shifts. If an emergency impacts the availability of gTLDs’ critical services during the scheduled shift, be reachable via mobile phone to provide troubleshooting and escalation activities.
• Other duties as assigned or requested.

Requirements

• Experience managing technical teams.
• Experience managing operation of technical systems and services.
• Experience developing and implementing operational procedures.
• Experience in system development, ideally as a product manager.
• Broad knowledge and experience in system development methodologies and processes.
• Broad knowledge and experience in Domain Name System (DNS), DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC), Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP), WHOIS, Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP), and Data Escrow standards.
• Experience in software development; Agile development knowledge desired.
• Demonstrated ability in at least one high-level programming language (e.g., Perl, Python, Java).
• Experience as a power user of Unix systems.
• Very good English-writing skills, particularly regarding technical documents.
• Experience using XML and JSON.
• Network routing (BGP) knowledge desired.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or equivalent degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Information Systems, or related field, plus a minimum of 12 years of progressive, post-baccalaureate experience in the job or in a technical capacity with a Top-Level Domain (TLD) registry or domain name registrar.
• Alternatively, a master's or equivalent degree in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Information Systems, or related field, plus 8 years of experience in the job or in a technical capacity with a Top-Level Domain (TLD) registry or domain name registrar.
• Ideally, experience with Internationalized Domain Names for Applications (IDNA).
• Minimum 8 years of progressive work experience in a technical capacity with a Top-Level Domain (TLD) registry or domain name registrar.
• Must include at least 5 years of management experience.

ICANN values diversity and gives preference to candidates with demonstrated skills in languages in addition to proficient written and spoken English.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in a normal office environment with limited privacy and some exposure to background noise.
• Work location is flexible.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally 5% of the time.

Pay

Targeted base salary range: $150,000.00 – $190,000.00, plus 20% bonus and benefits. Note: The salary range provided is a general estimation based on the primary location. Salary ranges vary by geographic regions and countries. Final compensation packages consider a variety of factors including candidate’s location, work experience, knowledge, skills, and other compensable factors.