Job Details

Director of IT

The Director of Information Technology is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operation of all information technology functions across a fast-growing, $1 billion community bank. This individual owns the Bank's IT roadmap, infrastructure, systems, and technology risk management, evaluates and governs the adoption of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, and serves as a primary point of contact for internal audit, external auditors, and banking regulators on matters of IT operations and audit. The Director leads a team of IT Specialists, sets priorities for the department, and reports regularly to executive management and the Board of Directors on the state of the Bank's technology environment. The Director of IT partners closely with Information Security, Retail Banking, Compliance, and other business leaders.

This is a hands-on leadership role: the Director is expected to both set strategy and remain closely engaged in the technical detail necessary to keep a growing, highly regulated institution secure, compliant, and operationally resilient.

This is a remote position. Employee must reside in GA, NC, SC or FL.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the bank's overall information technology strategy, aligning technology investments and initiatives with the bank's growth plans and business objectives.
• Directly manage, coach, and develop a team of two IT Specialists, setting priorities, allocating workload, and building the team's capacity as the bank scales.
• Oversee the design, performance, and maintenance of core banking platforms, network infrastructure, cloud services, and end-user technology.
• Evaluate, pilot, and govern the adoption of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and automation tools, ensuring appropriate use-case vetting, data handling, and human oversight before deployment.
• Manage the IT budget, including capital planning for infrastructure upgrades, software licensing, and vendor contracts.
• Implement and maintain technical security controls across IT infrastructure in accordance with the information security program and standards set by the Information Security Officer (ISO), including firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, endpoint protection, vulnerability scanning, patch management, and coordination of penetration testing.
• Support the ISO during security incidents by providing technical resources, system access, and infrastructure expertise needed for containment, investigation, and recovery.
• Provide the ISO with technical subject matter expertise on infrastructure, systems, and data flows to support the bank's periodic information security risk assessments.
• Ensure IT system and infrastructure changes are implemented in compliance with the information security policies, standards, and access controls established by the ISO.
• Ensure the bank's IT infrastructure and operations comply with applicable regulatory requirements, including the FFIEC IT Examination Handbook and related federal and state banking regulations; partner with the ISO on requirements specific to the GLBA Safeguards Rule and the bank's information security program.
• Serve as the primary IT liaison for internal audit, external audit, and regulatory (safety-and-soundness and IT) examinations; coordinate scoping, evidence requests, and walkthroughs, and lead the department's response to IT-related examination findings, in coordination with the ISO on information-security-specific findings.
• Own remediation of internal and regulatory IT audit findings within the IT function, tracking corrective action plans to completion and validating that controls are operating effectively.
• Prepare and deliver regular IT operations reporting to the Board of Directors and the IT Steering Committee, including infrastructure and project status, IT audit findings, and technology risk updates; coordinate with the ISO so that information security reporting to the Board is complete and consistent.
• Maintain IT policies, standards, and procedures in a manner consistent with regulatory expectations and industry best practice, updating them as the bank's risk profile and regulatory environment evolve.
• Develop, maintain, and regularly test the bank's IT disaster recovery plan and contribute to the bank's broader business continuity program to ensure timely resumption of critical systems and services following a disruption.
• Establish and monitor recovery time and recovery point objectives for critical systems, and document test results for audit and regulatory review.
• Manage relationships and contracts with core banking, IT, and technology vendors, ensuring service levels, security standards, and business continuity obligations are met.
• Perform and maintain third-party risk assessments and due diligence for technology vendors in accordance with the bank's vendor management program.
• Lead IT due diligence for prospective mergers and acquisitions, assessing target institutions' core systems, infrastructure, data quality, and technology risk prior to closing.
• Plan and execute the migration, conversion, and integration of acquired data and systems into the bank's core banking platform and IT environment, minimizing disruption to customers and operations.
• Ensure the secure handling, mapping, and validation of acquired customer and financial data throughout the merger or acquisition process, in coordination with the ISO on data security and privacy requirements.
• Coordinate with compliance and operations stakeholders to ensure IT integration timelines and data conversion activities support overall deal timelines and regulatory approval requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.
• 7-10+ years of progressive information technology experience, including prior leadership or management responsibility, preferably within a bank or other financial institution.
• Strong working knowledge of IT infrastructure, network and cloud architecture, and technology security practices, along with the regulatory frameworks that govern them (FFIEC, GLBA, NIST CSF).
• Familiarity with governance and risk considerations for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, in a regulated banking environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing or supporting internal and external/regulatory IT audits and examinations, including remediation of findings.
• Experience partnering with an Information Security Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, or similar risk/compliance function on a shared technology risk agenda.
• Experience preparing and presenting reports to executive management and/or a Board of Directors.
• Proven ability to lead, develop, and manage a technical team.
• Experience with business continuity planning and IT disaster recovery.
• Excellent leadership, written and verbal communication, and strategic planning skills.
• Strong communication and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects across a multi-state footprint.
• Must reside in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Florida, and be able to travel to any branch location if necessary.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel throughout the four-state footprint as needed.

Preferred Certifications

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
• Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)