Director of Information Technology

Director of Information Technology (IT)

The Opportunity

We’re hiring a Director of Information Technology to set the vision and lead technology strategy for a growing, community-focused financial institution. This leader will shift IT from a historically reactive function to a proactive, strategic business partner—driving planning, vendor leadership, modernization, and cross-functional collaboration to improve both the employee and customer experience.

This role is ideal for a business-minded IT leader who can build roadmaps, guide decision-making, and manage partners in a highly outsourced environment—without needing to be hands-on day-to-day technically.

Reporting To: Chief Operations Officer
Partnering Closely With: Chief Risk Officer / Information Security (security function is separate)
Team: Small internal team (help desk + admins) with significant managed services support

What You’ll Do

Strategy & Leadership

• Build and execute a multi-year IT strategy and roadmap aligned to business priorities
• Establish a consistent strategic planning cadence (current state → future state, priorities, sequencing, budget)
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on technology decisions, tradeoffs, and risk

Vendor & Budget Management (Critical)

• Own vendor relationships and performance across core IT services and managed providers
• Lead budgeting, contract reviews, and renewals; ensure service levels, cost control, and accountability
• Evaluate upcoming vendor decisions (e.g., network/provider reviews) and drive selection processes

Technology Enablement & Operational Excellence

• Ensure stable, secure, reliable IT operations and excellent end-user support
• Strengthen internal systems and processes that improve productivity and reduce friction
• Collaborate across departments to identify pain points and implement practical solutions

Program Delivery & Change Management

• Support key initiatives and implementations (e.g., core ecosystem integrations, loan origination platform rollout/migration)
• Improve project discipline, documentation, communication, and adoption across the organization

Risk, Compliance & Security Partnership

• Partner closely with risk/compliance and managed security functions to support regulatory requirements
• Ensure IT practices align with security standards, audits, and risk management expectations

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, and retain a high-performing IT team
• Create clear ownership, expectations, and growth paths; reinforce a culture of service and continuous improvement

Core Platforms & Environment (Helpful Context)

• Core banking platform: Jack Henry (experience highly valued)
• Loan origination: nCino implementation underway (go-live targeted early spring)
• Infrastructure: highly outsourced / cloud-forward (minimal or no on-prem footprint)

What We’re Looking For

• 7+ years of progressive IT experience with 3+ years in leadership
• Strong experience in strategic planning, IT roadmapping, and building a function forward
• Proven success managing vendors, budgets, and outsourced environments
• Working knowledge of IT risk, regulatory expectations, and audit readiness in a regulated environment
• Clear communicator who can translate technology into business impact for non-technical leaders
• Financial services experience strongly preferred (or similarly regulated industry)

Nice to Have

• Experience with Jack Henry and/or nCino
• Digital transformation exposure and practical AI enablement (process automation, service enhancement, internal productivity)

Location

Preference for being based near key operations, with flexibility for strong candidates in major regional hubs (hybrid/on-site expectations based on location).

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary (broad range based on experience)
• Annual incentive program tied to organizational performance (percentage of base)
• Comprehensive benefits package

Why This Role

• Lead a meaningful shift from “keep the lights on” to strategic IT leadership
• High visibility and executive partnership
• Opportunity to modernize systems, improve employee experience, and support growth—without being buried in hands-on engineering