Director of Global IT Operations

About The Susan T. Buffett Foundation

The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) is a private grant-making foundation with a U.S. home office in Omaha, NE and a global home office in Kigali, Rwanda. Their staff is comprised of over 80 individuals across two continents. With annual spending in excess of $1 billion, they are one of the largest private foundations in the U.S.

The Foundation is unusual for donors of such size as they have only two main areas of grantmaking: (1) supporting women’s health and reproductive freedom in the U.S. and around the world and (2) to enable low-income students in Nebraska to attend and succeed in college. Unlike most foundations, STBF will not exist in perpetuity. After Mr. Buffett passes away (he is currently 94 years old), the Foundation’s grantmaking will grow substantially, then eventually sunset after approximately 10-15 years.

Operations Unit Summary

The Operations unit manages the key components that drive organizational effectiveness, focusing on Business Operations, HR Operations, IT Operations, Global Operations, and Culture and Inclusion.

Operations ensures seamless integration of and alignment with the Foundation’s mission and values. The Operations unit is responsible for implementing best practices, driving efficiency, and fostering collaboration across the Foundation.

IT Operations is responsible for creating and maintaining the Foundation’s technology infrastructure. The unit manages cybersecurity measures, data management, system implementations, and user support.

The Opportunity

The Director of Global IT Operations will report to the Chief Operating Officer and sit on the COO’s leadership team. This IT leader will be responsible for establishing and overseeing the IT infrastructure across two continents, ensuring that the Foundation’s technology supports its mission and growth. This role is the first of its kind to exist in the Foundation, and will provide strategic direction, leadership, and hands-on management in shaping the technology landscape, building a high-performing IT team, and enabling the Foundation to work seamlessly across borders and time zones. This role comes at a time of significant growth for the Foundation. 

This individual will work closely with cross-functional teams and internal and external stakeholders to ensure that technology solutions are efficient, scalable, and aligned with the foundation’s goals.

• This position will be based in the United States, central or eastern time zones preferred.
• The selected candidate will lead a team across Omaha, Nebraska and Kigali, Rwanda, therefore travel to both locations will be required on at least a quarterly basis

Key Responsibilities

This is a unique opportunity for an IT leader who has experience building and scaling technology infrastructure. The selected candidate will have the chance to shape the Foundation’s technology future during a period of significant expansion, implementing systems that can evolve from our current size to support multi-year growth across two continents

Design and Develop IT Global Strategy

• Develop IT Strategy: Design and implement a comprehensive IT strategy that aligns with the Foundation’s goals, vision, and growth trajectory including planning for infrastructure, cybersecurity, data management and software solutions across two continents.
• Architect Scalable Technology Roadmap: Build and execute a strategic blueprint that anticipates the Foundation’s phased growth, guiding critical decisions on system upgrades, capacity planning, and platform transitions while maintaining operational continuity.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with other departments (e.g., Finance, Legal, Programs) to understand IT needs and provide technology solutions that drive efficiency and operational effectiveness.
• Facilitate IT Communication: Foster open communication between the IT department and other organizational departments, ensuring IT needs and updates are well understood and aligned with business priorities.
• Drive AI Readiness across the Foundation by staying current with emerging technologies, assessing AI opportunities, and leading the integration of AI-driven solutions with the hire of the foundation’s first AI headcount.
• Change Management: Lead the successful implementation of new technologies and systems across the organization, ensuring smooth transitions and user adoption.

Technology Operations Management

• Global IT Infrastructure: Oversee the design, implementation, and management of the Foundation’s global IT infrastructure, ensuring reliability, security, scalability, and performance across multiple locations.
• Technology Systems & Tools: Identify, implement, and manage enterprise software solutions, communication platforms, and cloud services to support remote collaboration and ensure seamless operations across regions. Evaluate and potentially replace or upgrade custom grant making system and CRM solution.
• Cybersecurity & Data Protection: Lead efforts to implement best-in-class cybersecurity policies and protocols, bringing specific expertise in this area to ensure protection of sensitive data and compliance with relevant regulations.
• Budget & Vendor Management: Manage the IT budget, optimize resource allocation, and negotiate with external vendors and partners to ensure cost-effective solutions.
• Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity: Develop and implement robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans to minimize downtime and risk.

Team Leadership

• Report to Executive Leadership: Provide regular updates and strategic recommendations to the executive team regarding IT performance, risks, and opportunities.
• Build and Lead IT Team: Lead and expand a high-performing IT team, starting with the current 3+ team, and ensuring effective development and retention of talent. Foster a collaborative and productive environment, eventually building out additional IT headcount. Foster a customer service-oriented mindset within the IT team.

*These responsibilities may change or expand over time consistent with the Foundation’s needs and initiatives.

Background and Experience

Background

• Minimum 10-15 years of progressive IT leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a global role, managing teams across multiple regions or continents.
• Minimum 10-15 years’ of managing people relationships, projects, and processes.

Experience

• Required: experiencing working and leading a distributed global team.
• Required: seasoned and demonstrated cyber security experience.
• Required: Advanced experience with Windows (10 and 11), Microsoft 365, including OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. Experience setting up financial management systems.
• Required: Proven track record scaling IT infrastructure from early-stage to mature systems in a growing organization, preferably in a foundation setting.
• Strongly Preferred: Experience in family philanthropy or foundation setting where understanding of unique governance structures is valuable.
• Preferred: experiencing working with teams across the continent of Africa.
• Desired: Experience setting up grant management systems desired.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, computer engineering, general business or related field preferred.
• Master’s degree or certifications in relevant IT fields (e.g. CISSP, ITIL, and PMP) is a plus. Although a degree is preferred, candidates who have professional experience in excess of 15-20 years, directly related to the role, will be considered

Attributes for Success in this Role

• Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Team Building & Leadership: Proven ability to build and lead high-performing, cross-functional teams in a dynamic, global environment.
• Technical Expertise: Strong knowledge of IT infrastructure, cloud services, enterprise software, networking, cybersecurity, and systems integration.
• Strategic Vision: Experience in developing and executing IT strategies that align with broader organizational goals, with a focus on scalability, security, and performance.
• Global Experience: Experience working across international borders and time zones, with a deep understanding of the challenges and solutions associated with global IT operations.
• Project Management: Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously, delivering results on time and within budget.
• Cybersecurity Knowledge: Familiarity with industry-standard cybersecurity frameworks and experience implementing security protocols to safeguard data.
• Problem-Solving Ability: Proactive, solution-oriented approach to addressing technical challenges and managing risk.

Shared Values

A genuine understanding of, and appreciation for, the significance of the Foundation’s values: Mission, Respect for Donor Intent, Appetite for Risk and Tolerance for Failure, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Humility, Passion Tempered by Objectivity and Evidence, Compassion and Love of Humanity, Honesty and Integrity, Kindness and Respect and Shared Accountability. An alignment with the Foundation’s progressive values, including unambiguous support for individual reproductive freedom.

Location

This position is based in the United States. Candidates in central or eastern time zones preferred. Travel to the Foundation’s Omaha, Nebraska office as well as Kigali, Rwanda office will be required at least on a quarterly basis.

Benefits and Compensation

The salary range for this role is $300,000 – $350,000 USD. Compensation is determined by a variety of factors including candidate’s individual qualifications, experience relative to the requirements of the role, and internal equity. STBF offers a robust and generous benefits package.

The Foundation is committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. This includes not only creating a diverse team where everyone feels represented, respected, and included, but also embedding these values across their work and practices. All applicants who are drawn to serve the mission will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to race, color, age, religion, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and prior protected activity.

To Be Considered

Please submit your resume expressing your interest in the position and fit for the role via the “Become a Candidate” button.

The application form will prompt you to also upload a Cover Letter, in lieu of a Cover Letter, please instead submit a “Candidate Experience Brief” document which contains your responses to the following questions.

Please answer each question separately and include them all in one document.

Candidate Experience Brief

1. Mission Alignment

What draws you to the foundation’s mission, and how does it align with your values, interests, and professional experiences?

2. Scaling IT Infrastructure and Systems Through Organizational Growth

Describe your experience leading IT infrastructure scaling during organizational growth. Detail the growth trajectory over your tenure, the specific IT systems you implemented to support this expansion, your approach to sequencing technology investments, key challenges overcome, and the measurable business outcomes achieved. Please highlight any experience specifically relevant to foundation or non-profit environments.

3. Global IT Leadership Experience

Describe your experience leading IT teams across multiple countries. Include which countries your teams operated in, team sizes, your specific approaches to managing cross-cultural communication, and how you ensured consistent service delivery despite geographic challenges. Detail any experience working with teams across the continent of Africa and any unique infrastructure or operational challenges you successfully addressed.

Applications without a completed “Candidate Experience Brief” will not be considered final. Submissions may be addressed to Jailan Adly.

Applicants applying by June 5, 2025 will be given priority consideration.