IT Director

Job Function

Provide strategic IT and cybersecurity leadership by developing and executing an enterprise technology roadmap aligned with Kern Energy’s business objectives, risk priorities, and continuity requirements.

Advises senior leadership on emerging threats, technology trends, and decisions that impact operational reliability, security posture, and business resilience.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise cybersecurity, business continuity, and disaster recovery (BCP/DR) programs to safeguard refinery operations and ensure compliance with frameworks such as NIST CSF 2.0 and CISA CPGs.
• Foster a culture of cyber accountability and operational readiness, conducting quarterly reviews with executives to assess cyber risk, recovery testing, and progress toward resilience goals.
• Oversee IT operations, infrastructure, and enterprise systems to maintain availability, scalability, and secure recovery. Implement structured service management practices including change, patch, and configuration management.
• Champion digital transformation initiatives—such as ERP evolution, cloud integration, and data analytics platforms, ensuring these are secure-by-design and enhance collaboration, efficiency, and decision-making.
• Identify, evaluate, and deploy emerging technologies that improve operational performance, deliver measurable business outcomes, and strengthen competitive advantage.
• Collaborate with business and operations leaders to optimize processes, align technology with functional goals, and support continuous improvement.
• Manage IT budgets, vendor relationships, and technology contracts to ensure cost-effective, compliant, and high-quality service delivery.
• Integrate IT, OT, and industrial IoT systems securely and efficiently, applying ISA/IEC 62443 principles to protect process control and safety systems while maintaining production continuity.
• Embed supplier risk and recovery requirements into vendor SLAs to strengthen overall operational resilience.
• Develop and track performance metrics to measure IT's contribution to reliability, security maturity, and continuity preparedness, driving continuous improvement across all technology domains.

Requirements

• Strong business acumen with the ability to translate business strategy into IT initiative.
• Proven ability to develop business cases, financial models, and ROI analyses for technology investments.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills with high emotional intelligence (EQ).
• Deep knowledge of IT governance, risk management, and compliance frameworks (e.g., ITIL, COBIT).
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.
• Proven project management and change leadership skills.

Skills

• Strategic IT planning, digital transformation, and innovation management.
• Technical foundation across enterprise applications, networks, cloud platforms, and cybersecurity.
• Knowledge of ITIL, COBIT, and other relevant frameworks.
• Experience with cloud migration and hybrid IT environments.
• Experience in refining or energy industry preferred but not required.
• Certifications such as PMP or ITIL preferred but not required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive IT leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a senior management role.
• Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-scale digital transformation initiatives (ERP, cloud, data analytics).
• Experience in refining or energy industry preferred but not required.