Senior Director, IT (Seattle Preferred)

About the Opportunity

The organization has been one of the most loved brands in developer tooling, trusted by more than 20 million monthly users and over 20 billion container image pulls. From solo founders to the world's largest companies, developers rely on the organization's products including the company Desktop, the company Hub, and the company Scout to build, share, and run their applications. The team is a globally distributed, remote-first group building the tools that define how software gets built and delivered. As AI agents redefine software development, the organization is at the center of that shift, providing the sandboxed environments, verified images, and secure infrastructure that make autonomous workflows trustworthy by default.

The company is seeking a Senior Director to lead its Information Technology Department as the business rapidly scales. The ideal candidate will be a strategically focused IT leader, but someone who is also not shy to roll up their sleeves to address tactical operational roadblocks, as needed. They will be technically strong and possess a keen understanding of how to leverage technology to drive impact within an organization. Experience with modern SaaS/cloud-based infrastructures is critical, including but not limited to implementing and scaling an ecosystem of applications with proactive strategies and proactive roadmaps.

The Senior Director of IT will report to the SVP of Central Operations & Systems and is responsible for building a customer-obsessed team serving the organization with technical tools. This role is responsible for growing the existing foundations for the enterprise-wide help desk services, application management, device lifecycle logistics, and working within the Central Operations and Systems team to play their part in major cross-organization initiatives. The position will provide operational transparency through building workflows that render real-time metrics to measure the health of every service. This people manager will identify key performance indicators for IT services and team members which align with the strategic goals of the organization. As a service owner, they will develop service level agreements that target the productivity needs of every IT customer. This role is highly cross-functional in nature. The Central Operations and Systems team owns internal platforms and systems that make up the employee experience for all team members: from endpoints to infrastructure and SaaS vendors to custom tooling. This team owns "how the organization does the organization".

Key Responsibilities

• Build a strong metrics-driven, business focused IT organization and set the mission and vision of the organization's Information Technology to ensure continual service improvement techniques, developing systems and procedures that serve internal customers.
• Contribute as a thought leader within the Central Operations & Systems leadership team.
• Assess, architect and right-size the applications footprint to ensure a connected enterprise and trusted information flow between systems and as well as into the cloud, enabling proactive decision-making across the company.
• Build and maintain relationships with other technical leaders and business executives to develop a keen understanding of business needs; ensure efficient delivery of IT services to meet those needs.
• In full alignment with company strategy, develop a multi-year strategy and roadmap for IT to anticipate and scale to support and enable a high-growth company. Inclusive of managing future technology debt challenges through partnership and raising awareness of technical dependencies.
• Demonstrated technical expertise, experience and competence in motivating the team and organization with innovative and technical advancements.
• Develop trust and collaboration within teams to drive best technical practices and timeliness of programs.
• Drive optimization and effective practices to solution and impact internal and external customers.
• Collaborate with members of the executive team to identify ways IT can assist the company in achieving business and financial goals.
• Responsible for providing all IT productivity tools (workstations, accessories, etc.) needed by employees in a timely manner with best in class service levels.

Required Qualifications

• 12+ yrs Global IT leadership experience, comfortable in a fast moving technology startup experience.
• Excellent ability to conceptualize long-term business goals and develop orderly processes to accomplish those goals.
• Demonstrated ability to formulate a high-level strategy, then convert it into a tactical plan and execute on that plan.
• Possess an AI-and-automation-first mentality, proactively develops ways to consolidate and manage systems and knowledge within the organization.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Bachelor's degree in computer science, IT, engineering or related field.
• Master's degree is a plus.

Compensation & Equity

United States: $207,550 – $296,500 + equity

Perks & Benefits

• Remote-first by design – Work from your home, with offices in Seattle and Paris for connection and collaboration.
• Flexibility that fits your life – Trust is given to manage your schedule while delivering great work.
• Time to recharge – Generous PTO, designated quarterly Whaleness Days, and a designated end-of-year Whaleness break.
• Home office support – Set up your workspace for comfort and success.
• Technology stipend – Equivalent to US$100 net per month to help support your work.
• Learning & development – Annual stipend for conferences, courses, certifications, and continued learning.
• Parental leave – 16 weeks of paid parental leave after six months of employment.
• Equity for all full-time employees – Share in the organization's long-term success as it continues to grow.
• Comprehensive benefits – Medical, retirement, and paid holidays vary by country.
• Organization swag – Because representing the whale never gets old.