Associate Director, IT Infrastructure

Socket.dev; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 99,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

SickKids Foundation is seeking an Associate Director, IT Infrastructure/Network to lead and evolve the enterprise technology environment powering its mission. You will drive design, stability, security, and continuous improvement of on‑prem and cloud infrastructure, directing a high‑performing team across data centers, servers, networks, and security.

Responsibilities include strategic leadership, modernization initiatives, budget and vendor management, and ensuring 24x7 reliability while

Qualifications

• Post‑secondary education in IT or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in senior infrastructure and management roles, including leadership responsibilities.
• Proven experience leading, coaching, and developing technical teams.
• Strong communication and strategic thinking abilities.
• Ability to translate technical risk into business decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and evolve the enterprise IT infrastructure and network strategy.
• Oversee data centres, servers, storage, networking, cloud platforms, and security.
• Build a future‑ready, secure, scalable technology landscape aligned to priorities.
• Drive modernization initiatives across on‑prem and cloud environments.
• Manage budgets and vendor relationships; ensure 24x7 reliability.
• Lead security design, vulnerability management, and regulatory compliance.

Job description

ABOUT US

SickKids Foundation, with over 50 years of philanthropic impact is Canada's largest charitable funder of child health research, learning and care, raising over $200 million last year. As a national charity, SickKids Foundation invests in national and international initiatives to benefit children in Canada and around the world. As the fundraising partner to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), we are aligned in supporting Precision Child Health (PCH), the future of tailoring medicine to each child's unique traits so SickKids can diagnose faster, treat smarter, and predict better.

We are driven by our core values of integrity, collaboration, excellence, innovation, and inclusion, with goals of delivering a superior donor experience, investing in our people and culture, driving innovative and sustainable fundraising, and disrupting the market through data and technology.

SickKids Foundation is committed to an inclusive culture by embedding equity, diversity and inclusion in our policies, practices, and behaviours. We aim to build awareness and skills in this area, both internally and with our partners. Our commitment extends to creating a safe, positive work environment. For details on our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion commitment, please click here.

We’re committed to attracting and retaining passionate individuals to help create a healthier future. That’s why SickKids Foundation is looking for a new Associate Director, IT Infrastructure.

Description of the Position

We are seeking a strategic and hands‑on Associate Director, IT Infrastructure/Network to lead and evolve the enterprise technology environment that powers our mission. This is a critical leadership role responsible for the design, stability, security, and continuous improvement of both on‑premise and cloud infrastructure across the organization.

If you are passionate about building resilient infrastructure, leading high‑performing technical teams, and driving modernization initiatives in a purpose‑driven environment, we want to hear from you.

As the Associate Director, IT Infrastructure, you will provide technical and operational leadership for all enterprise infrastructure systems—including data centers, servers, networks, cloud platforms, telecommunications, and security. You will lead the Infrastructure/Network Services team while shaping a future‑ready, secure, and scalable technology landscape aligned to organizational priorities.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high‑performing Infrastructure Services team
• Provide coaching, performance management, and growth opportunities for staff
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning
• Ensure reliable 24x7 operations of enterprise systems

Infrastructure Strategy & Operations

• Provide strategic and tactical leadership for the design, implementation, and optimization of IT infrastructure
• Oversee data centre operations, servers, storage, networking, telecom, and cloud platforms
• Lead infrastructure modernization initiatives across both on‑prem and cloud environments
• Establish and maintain infrastructure standards, processes, and operational procedures

Network, Cloud & Systems Management

• Drive the design, implementation, and performance of WAN, LAN, and cloud infrastructure
• Manage system administration practices, monitoring, and performance optimization
• Lead infrastructure capacity planning and prioritization initiatives
• Lead infrastructure‑related security design, implementation, and monitoring
• Oversee vulnerability management, penetration testing, patching, and compliance activities
• Maintain cybersecurity policies, controls, and governance frameworks
• Partner on threat detection, response, and forensic analysis
• Support compliance initiatives, including PCI‑DSS assessments and audits

Financial & Vendor Management

• Manage infrastructure budgets (OPEX & CAPEX) with a focus on value optimization
• Develop business cases to support strategic investments
• Manage vendor relationships and external service providers

Training & Enablement

• Promote a strong culture of information security awareness
• Deliver and support training initiatives for employees and leaders

While we know that for any job posting no one candidate will possess the qualifications being sought in equal measure, below is an outline of the qualifications we believe are important for a candidate to bring to the position or for the successful candidate to develop while in the role:

Experience & Education

• Post‑secondary education in IT or a related discipline
• 5+ years of progressive experience in senior technical infrastructure and management roles (Tier III–IV), including leadership responsibilities
• Proven experience leading, coaching, and developing technical teams

Technical Expertise

• Strong experience across:
  • Network infrastructure (LAN/WAN, switching/routing, VoIP)
  • Server virtualization & enterprise storage (SAN)
  • Cloud platforms and hybrid infrastructure environments
  • Cybersecurity frameworks and practices
• Deep understanding of:
  • Network protocols and services (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/S, SMTP, Active Directory, etc.)
  • Monitoring, troubleshooting, and hands‑on system configuration

Security & Compliance

• Experience with vulnerability management, penetration testing, and security operations
• Familiarity with PCI‑DSS or similar regulatory frameworks is highly preferred

Business & Leadership Skills

• Experience managing infrastructure budgets and vendor relationships
• Strong project management and prioritization capabilities
• Ability to translate technical risk into business impact and decision‑making
• Exceptional communication and facilitation skills across technical and non‑technical audiences

Certifications (Preferred)

• CCNP,CISSP, MCSE, ITIL or equivalent

We’re looking for a passionate individual who is interested in moving the dial and making a difference. We are an environment that looks to attract hardworking and committed people; people who want to challenge themselves and grow with a globally recognized brand that continues to change the world. If this describes you, consider joining our team. We look forward to reviewing your application.

Total Compensation Package

Expected Hiring Salary Range: $99,297 - $124,121; with the ability to progress to a maximum of $142,739 with demonstrated experience and proficiency. To ensure fair and equitable pay at SickKids Foundation, placement on the salary range will be based on your years of experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the Associate Director, IT Infrastructure.

To help you lead in the fight for kids’ health and to support your health, wellness, and career growth, in addition to competitive compensation, we offer a comprehensive benefit package (includes a flex benefit plan), tuition reimbursement, flexible work arrangements, pension plan and birth parent/parental top up – to name a few!

Position Status: Permanent Full-Time;

Hours: Hybrid work model: minimum two days per week in-office (Tuesday and Wednesday).

Available To: Internal and External Candidates

Available: Immediately; this posting is for an existing vacancy.

Date Posted: September 11, 2026

SickKids Foundation is committed to its people and the talents, capabilities, and perspectives they bring to our mission. We live that commitment by being open and accessible to all, by valuing and respecting every individual, and by equally supporting every employee. As an organization proud to have joined the BlackNorth Initiative’s CEO pledge, we uphold our commitment by inviting and encouraging individuals from diverse lived experiences from Black, Indigenous, communities of colour, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ community and all candidates who may contribute to the further diversification of the Foundation’s community.

Candidates who require accommodation during the recruitment process should contact the People & Culture team at: [e-mail]