Interim IT Director

We are seeking an experienced Interim IT Director to lead our global technology function during a critical leadership transition. This is a high-impact, operational oversight role focused on ensuring the continuity, stability, and reliability of our IT systems and services for a distributed workforce of ~450 staff across 20 countries.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned IT leader capable of managing a complex, data-intensive SaaS and Azure-based landscape. You will oversee a core team of 6 staff and external vendors, serving as the primary escalation point for technical operations, security, and infrastructure, while preparing a seamless handover for the incoming permanent Director.

Location Type: Worldwide (Remote)

Timezone Requirement: Minimum 4 hours overlap with GMT/UTC business hours (to coordinate with Global Ops and distributed teams)

Working Hours: Standard business hours with flexibility for critical incidents

Travel: None required

Employment Type: Contract (3 Months, Renewable)

Work Arrangement: 100% Remote

Job Responsibilities:

• Operational Continuity: Guarantee the uninterrupted operation of core SaaS platforms (NetSuite, Salesforce) and cloud infrastructure (Azure) during the leadership transition.
• Technical Oversight: Serve as the final decision authority for critical technical incidents, overseeing the diagnosis and resolution of issues by internal teams and vendors.
• Infrastructure Management: Oversee the lifecycle and performance of a hybrid environment including Azure VMs, SQL databases, and extensive SaaS integrations.
• Data & Integration Governance: Monitor the reliability of complex data flows (ETL, Celigo) and reporting pipelines (Power BI, Data Warehouse) to ensure data integrity.
• Security & Compliance: Maintain the existing security posture, overseeing tools like KnowBe4 and Intruder.io, and managing responses to any security or data-related incidents.
• Vendor Management: Manage SLAs and deliverables for external service providers and software vendors to ensure service levels are met without disruption.
• Team Leadership: Provide day-to-day direction and blocker removal for the core IT team, maintaining existing structures and priorities.
• Transition Planning: Document systems, risks, and configurations to ensure a comprehensive and low-risk handover to the permanent IT Director.
• Disaster Recovery: Ensure backup and business continuity mechanisms (Datto, OwnBackup) are functioning and valid.

English Language Requirement:

• Must be fluent in English (C1 or Native level).

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• Ability to communicate complex technical risks clearly to non-technical Senior Management.

Required Soft Skills:

• Operational Stability: A "keep the lights on" mindset; prioritizes stability over new, risky innovations during the interim period.
• Decisiveness: Capable of making rapid, informed decisions during high-pressure technical incidents.
• Stakeholder Management: Skilled at translating technical issues into business impact for Global Operations leadership.
• Leadership: Experience leading teams through periods of ambiguity or organizational change.
• Pragmatism: Focuses on fit-for-purpose operational practices rather than theoretical frameworks.

Nice-to-Have Soft Skills:

• Experience working in the international development, humanitarian, or non-profit sectors.
• Ability to navigate cross-cultural communication within a highly distributed global workforce.

Required Technical Skills:

• IT Leadership: 5+ years of experience managing IT functions, supervising technical staff, and setting operational priorities.
• Enterprise Systems: 5+ years accountable for the availability of production environments (ERP/CRM familiarity essential).
• Cloud Architecture Oversight: 3+ years managing cloud environments (specifically Microsoft Azure, Azure SQL, Azure Functions).
• Data-Intensive Systems: 3+ years overseeing complex data ecosystems, including ETL pipelines and Data Warehousing.
• SaaS Management: Deep familiarity with managing enterprise SaaS stacks (specifically NetSuite and Salesforce).
• Integration Middleware: Experience overseeing integration platforms such as Celigo or similar iPaaS solutions.
• Identity & Collaboration: Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365, Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), and Google Workspace administration.
• BI & Analytics: Familiarity with Power BI enterprise deployments and reporting architecture.

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• Security Operations: Experience overseeing tools like Bitdefender, KnowBe4, or similar endpoint/security suites.
• Backup & DR: Knowledge of enterprise backup strategies (e.g., Datto, OwnBackup).

Nice-to-Have Technical Skills:

• Familiarity with research data collection tools like SurveyCTO.
• Experience with Deltek Replicon or ProcessMaker.
• Experience with Linux (Ubuntu) VM management oversight.
• Understanding of SOC reports and IT audit requirements.

Mindset & Cultural Expectations:

• Stewardship: Views the role as a guardian of the infrastructure, preserving value for the next leader.
• Collaborative Coordinator: Prefers enabling the team to execute rather than trying to be the "hero" coder.
• Risk-Aware: Always evaluates the potential downstream impact of changes on a global scale.
• Transparent: Provides clear, honest visibility into system health and risks to leadership.

Expected Outcomes:

• Zero Unplanned Downtime: Maintain 99.9% uptime on core systems (NetSuite, Salesforce, Azure) during the 3-month tenure.
• Incident Resolution: Ensure 100% of critical blocking issues are acknowledged and assigned within agreed SLAs.
• Risk Mitigation: Deliver a "State of the Nation" report identifying key technical debts and risks within the first 30 days.
• Seamless Handover: Produce a comprehensive Transition Dossier (documentation of keys, vendor contacts, and current issues) prior to departure.
• Team Stability: Maintain team retention and engagement levels during the transition period.