About Us

Climate Lead empowers philanthropic leaders everywhere to take immediate and far-reaching climate action. By serving as an impartial guide, Climate Lead equips new climate philanthropists with the information and insights they need to drive transformative solutions. We cut through the complexity by curating roadmaps, in partnership with a diverse network of experts, to help philanthropists make a bold impact on climate.

Summary

As the Director of IT & Business Systems, you will build the technology strategy for our growing organization. You'll be a hands-on leader, managing our technology infrastructure, business systems, and an outsourced IT vendor. A key focus of this role is to champion the strategic integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and ensure our tech stack is optimized for the highest level of staff productivity and organizational security. You'll ensure our technology is secure, scalable, and fully aligned with our mission and growth.

Managerial Responsibilities

This role will manage our Business Systems team and has 2 direct reports, in addition to managing an outsourced IT vendor.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Implementation (30%) 

• Execute and iterate on the strategic IT roadmap, including a plan for AI adoption, that aligns technology with our organizational goals and future growth. 
• Evaluate and recommend new systems and tools, leading their implementation and adoption. 
• Lead business process analysis with teams to identify and implement opportunities for technology to improve workflows and drive consistency.
• Ensure seamless integration between systems like Salesforce and the rest of the tech stack to support the organization's productivity and effectiveness. 
• Champion change management by leading training and learning sessions to ensure successful technology rollouts.

IT Operations & Oversight (20%)

• Oversee all technology infrastructure and business applications, including hardware, software, networking, and daily IT support for staff.
• Manage the organization's tech stack, including Google Workspace, Slack, and Asana.
• Ensure the reliability, performance, and accessibility of all IT systems.

• Manage IT vendors, including evaluating service contracts and controlling costs to ensure maximum value. 

Business Systems & AI Adoption (20%)

• Identify, evaluate, and implement new business systems to improve operational efficiency.
• Champion the adoption of AI tools across all departments, providing guidance and training to staff.
• Collaborate with department heads to find opportunities for AI to automate tasks, analyze data, and enhance decision-making.

Data Security, Governance & Compliance (15%)

• Establish and enforce data security protocols, IT governance policies, and compliance procedures.
• Lead all efforts related to data protection, privacy and secure network.
• Develop and manage the organization's disaster recovery, business continuity, and data retention plans.

Team Leadership (15%)

• Lead, mentor, and grow a small, high-performing business systems team that consists of an Associate Director of Business Systems and a Salesforce Administrator.
• Collaborate with your team to ensure data quality and seamless system integrations.

Success Criteria

Strategic Execution & System Alignment: Successfully execute the strategic IT roadmap, ensuring seamless, scalable integration of all business systems (e.g., Salesforce) and verifiable alignment with organizational growth goals.

AI Adoption & Productivity: Champion and securely implement strategic AI tools across the organization, achieving measurable increases in staff productivity and workflow efficiency.

Security & Infrastructure Integrity: Establish and ensure adherence to robust data security protocols and governance, ensuring near-zero critical incidents and maintaining the highest reliability for all IT infrastructure and business continuity plans.

Optimized Tech & Vendor Management: Achieve efficiency and value by optimizing the full tech stack (Google Workspace, Slack, etc.) and effectively managing IT vendors to control costs and deliver outstanding daily support.

Change Leadership: Translate and deliver high-impact technology solutions across all organizational functions, ensuring high staff adoption through clear communication and effective change management.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• 10+ years of progressive IT experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership or director role, preferably in an organization experiencing rapid growth.
• Proven expertise in Strategic IT Planning, with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Solid understanding of AI technologies (e.g., machine learning, natural language processing) and their practical applications.
• Expert-level knowledge of modern cloud-based productivity suites like Google Workspace and collaboration tools like Slack.
• Demonstrated success in leading business process improvement initiatives in a small organization through technology.
• Extensive knowledge of current data security best practices, governance frameworks, and compliance regulations.
• Experience in vendor management, contract negotiation, and IT cost control.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical staff and executive leadership.

Salary Range: $196,000 - $218,000

Work Environment

This position is based in Climate Lead’s headquarters in San Francisco, CA. Staff in the San Francisco Bay Area currently work in the office Tuesday through Thursday each week and typically work from home the other days. 

At the Climate Lead, we value diversity and always treat all employees and job applicants based on merit, qualifications, competence, and talent. We do not discriminate on the basis of or traits historically associated with race, color, religion, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.