Director, IT

About the Role:

At Confluent, every employee's productivity depends on the systems and services this team delivers — from the laptop they unbox on day one, to the identity that gets them into the apps they use every day, to the network and conference rooms that connect a globally distributed company. As Director of IT, you will lead the team responsible for Helpdesk, endpoint and AV experience, enterprise identity, core productivity applications, corporate networking, and corporate cloud infrastructure. You will own both the day-to-day reliability of these services and the longer-term roadmap to modernize and automate them — treating internal employees as customers and IT as a product. This role is for a technical, hands-on leader who thrives on solving real problems for real people, and who can balance operational excellence with the ambition to make IT meaningfully better, faster, and more secure.

What You Will Do:

• Lead and develop the IT organization across Helpdesk, endpoint engineering (laptops, AV, conference rooms), enterprise identity (SSO, MFA, lifecycle), core productivity platforms (Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, and adjacent SaaS),corporate networking (Meraki), and corporate cloud infrastructure (GCP, AWS, Azure)
• Own the employee technology experience end-to-end — setting and measuring service levels, response times, and CSAT, and using that data to drive continuous improvement
• Modernize and automate the IT operating model — reducing manual ticket work through self-service, identity-driven access workflows, AI-assisted support, and policy-as-code for endpoint and network management
• Partner closely with Security, People, Finance, Engineering, and Workplace teams to deliver onboarding, offboarding, access governance, and compliance commitments (SOX, SOC 2) without friction to employees
• Manage vendor relationships, budget, and capacity planning across the IT portfolio — making clear build/buy/partner decisions and holding partners accountable to outcomes
• Lead the team through growth and change — evolving the operating model, technology footprint, and team structure as the business scales and matures

What You Will Bring:

• 10+ years of IT or corporate infrastructure experience, including 5+ years leading teams that span Helpdesk, endpoint, identity, and networking functions
• Strong technical depth across the modern IT stack — Okta for identity, Jamf and Intune for endpoint management, Google Workspace, Zoom and modern AV, and enterprise networking (Wi-Fi, SD-WAN, ZTNA)
• Demonstrated customer-focused mindset — measurable track record of improving employee experience, ticket resolution, and self-service adoption
• Proven problem solver who can move fluidly between hands-on technical troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and structured program leadership
• Experience operating in a security- and compliance-conscious environment, partnering with Security and GRC on identity governance, endpoint posture, and audit readiness
• Comfortable leading through ambiguity and change — energized rather than slowed by organizational evolution, shifting priorities, or integrating new ways of working

What Gives You an Edge:

• Experience automating IT operations using scripting, APIs, workflow tools (Workato, Okta Workflows), or AI-assisted support (LLM-powered Helpdesk, automated triage, knowledge agents)
• Background scaling IT services for a globally distributed, hybrid workforce — including multi-site office buildouts, AV standardization, and follow-the-sun support models
• Hands-on familiarity with Zero Trust architectures, device posture enforcement, and modern identity-driven access patterns
• Experience supporting a SaaS or high-growth technology company through audit cycles (SOX, SOC 2, ISO 27001) and rapid headcount growth
• Track record of developing IT leaders and engineers — turning a reactive support function into a respected, proactive technology partner to the business
• Proven track record of guiding a product's technology infrastructure through post-acquisition integration into a larger enterprise environment, ensuring continuity of innovation while adopting parent organization standards and processes