Global IT Director

The role can be based in the WRI Country Office in New Delhi, India.

This is a hybrid position.

You will need to be in office at least 8 days per month and living within reasonable commuting distance of the office.

About the Program: Global Information Technology enables WRI staff, programs, centers, and international offices to work effectively through secure, reliable, integrated, and user-centered technology services.

The team oversees global IT strategy, IT operations, cybersecurity, AI adoption, enterprise platforms, service delivery, governance, data and systems integration, vendor partnerships, and technology risk management.

It works across functions and regions to align technology investments and workforce capabilities with WRI’s mission and strategic priorities.

Job Highlight In this role, you will set WRI’s global technology direction and lead the organization’s IT strategy, IT operations, cybersecurity, AI adoption, enterprise platforms, governance, service delivery, and culture.

You will translate organizational priorities into a practical multiyear technology and workforce roadmap while strengthening reliable and accessible services across WRI’s global offices.

You will be supported by a global IT organization of approximately 34 staff, including managers and technical teams working across regions and enterprise technology areas.

You will report to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

What you will do: Global IT Strategy, Governance, and Investment (30%) Develop and execute a global IT strategy and multiyear roadmap aligned with WRI’s mission, operating model, growth plans, and enterprise priorities.

Advise senior leaders, programs, and functions on technology priorities, investment decisions, standards, platforms, vendors, and major changes.

Oversee the global technology budget, governance framework, policies, architecture, service levels, decision rights, and escalation paths.

Define people, service, operational, security, financial, and customer-experience measures and use them to drive accountability and continuous improvement.

Global Technology Operations, Security, and Resilience (25%) Ensure reliable, secure, and effective connectivity, infrastructure, enterprise applications, collaboration tools, and support services for staff and key partners worldwide.

Align cybersecurity, privacy, resilience, business continuity, and technology risk management with WRI’s enterprise risk framework and the evolving threat landscape.

Strengthen integrated data and systems capabilities across functions, programs, centers, and international offices while reducing unnecessary complexity and duplication.

Promote consistent use of enterprise platforms while keeping services adaptable, resilient, accessible, and responsive across locations and time zones.

People Leadership and Organizational Capability (25%) Global Team Leadership Lead approximately 34 IT staff across global offices, including managers and teams spanning regions and enterprise technology areas.

Set clear expectations, strengthen accountability, and empower managers to make timely, well-informed decisions.

People Development and Leadership Growth Demonstrate a proven record of coaching and developing managers, building high-performing and inclusive teams, addressing performance issues, and retaining talent.

Show openness to feedback, self-reflection, and continued growth in leadership effectiveness and communication.

Establish meaningful career paths, succession plans, and leadership pipelines that build organizational capability and prepare future leaders.

Workforce Planning and Change Leadership Lead workforce planning, organizational design, role clarity, and resource allocation to align talent and capacity with strategic priorities.

Guide geographically distributed managers and teams through organizational and technology change with clear priorities, communication, training, support, and feedback mechanisms.

Service Delivery, Business Partnership, and Vendors (20%) Partner with internal stakeholders to evaluate needs, prioritize solutions, improve business processes, and govern changes to technology services and standards.

Establish and manage strategic provider relationships, including vendor selection, contract negotiation, performance management, and renewal decisions.

Advance user-centered service delivery and technology adoption through effective communication, training, support, and customer feedback.

Contribute to WRI management through participation in the Global Leadership Team, strategic planning, and peer review processes.

Oversee safe and effective operational adoption of AI capabilities across the organization.

What you will need: Education: You have a completed bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.

An MBA is preferred.

Experience: You have 15+ years of progressively responsible technology leadership experience, including substantial experience leading managers, global teams, organizational transformation, enterprise strategy, operations, and governance.

You have experience leading, developing, and retaining geographically distributed teams in a highly matrixed and interdependent organization, including workforce planning, organizational design, succession planning, performance management, and resource allocation.

You have deep experience with enterprise technology environments, operating models, architecture, governance, service management, cybersecurity, privacy, resilience, AI adoption, business continuity, and technology risk management.

You have experience supporting operations in multiple countries and working with vendors, regulatory requirements, including GDPR, and technology standards.

You have experience with enterprise platforms and capabilities such as human resources, finance, grants and contracts, identity and access management, cloud services, knowledge management, and global connectivity.

Experience with Workday ERP is a plus.

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