Director Information Technology Infrastructure

Petco; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Petco is seeking a Director of Technology Infrastructure Architecture to lead the new TIA function, integrating security into enterprise project design from day one. You will shape long‑term infrastructure strategies across cloud, on‑prem, and endpoints for both retail and enterprise operations.

You will act as the business-facing lead, coordinating with senior IT leadership, Operations, Information Security, and Engineering, while mentoring architects and engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years in Network Engineering, Enterprise Security, or Systems Architecture with 3+ years in leadership.
• Strong executive communication skills and hands-on technical capability.
• Advanced knowledge in infrastructure and security architecture, enterprise networking (LAN/WAN/WLAN, SD-WAN, carrier services), and IT budgeting.
• Demonstrated cybersecurity experience: risk management and security framework adoption (NIST, CIS, PCI DSS, zero trust).

Responsibilities

• Builds and leads the Technology Infrastructure Architecture (TIA) function as a new team; ensures security integration into enterprise projects from design phase.
• Sets long-range secure infrastructure strategy across cloud, on‑premise, and endpoint for retail and enterprise operations.
• Acts as the face of TIA to business, liaises with IT leadership, Operations, InfoSec, and Engineering to ensure early engagement.
• Manages cross-functional architecture reviews and new projects; defines and tracks team KPIs.
• Enforces security reference architectures: identity, network segmentation, ZTNA/SASE, encryption, cloud posture.
• Hands-on role—prototyping, building reference architectures, and enabling delivery with engineers.
• Leads implementation and change management for infrastructure and security initiatives; drives adoption.
• Partners with Network Operations to ensure designs are operable and transition to steady-state support.
• Owns budget planning for TIA; contributes to cloud cost governance and infra investments.
• Champions automation, IaC, and AI-driven operations to shift to predictive ops.
• Evaluates new networking technologies (SASE, micro-segmentation, cloud-native IaC, AI ops) hands-on before broad adoption.
• Identifies interdependencies and trends to continuously improve infra services.
• Recruits and mentors architects and engineers; builds culture of ownership and accountability.
• Manages vendor relationships to support architecture initiatives.

Skills

Executive communication

Security architecture

Infrastructure design

Leadership

Vendor management

Automation

AIOps

Education

BS/MS in CS/IS/Engineering

Job description

Want to help pets live their best lives?

We’re proud to be where the pets go and where the pet people go. If you want to make a real difference, create an exciting career path, feel welcome to be your whole self and nurture your wellbeing, Petco is the place for you.

Our core values capture that spirit as we work to improve lives by doing what’s right for pets and people.

• Pet First – Protect & Empower. All pets should Live their Best Life. We put the needs of pets and pet parents at the center of everything we do.
• Foster the Fun – Connect & Bond. Our Passion for pets brings us together! We celebrate the journey of pet parenthood through district experiences, products, and services.
• Let’s Go! Own & Commit. We are stronger as One Petco team. We bring our unique superpowers and champion authenticity in everyone to drive success.

About Petco

We’re proud to be "where the pets go" to find everything they need to live their best lives for more than 60 years — from their favorite meals and toys, to trusted supplies and expert support from people who get it, because we live it. We believe in the universal truths of pet parenthood — the boundless boops, missing slippers, late night zoomies and everything in between. And we’re here for it. Every tail wag, every vet visit, every step of the way. We are 29,000+ strong and together we nurture the pet-human bond in more than 1,500 Petco stores across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, 250+ Vetco Total Care hospitals, hundreds of preventive care clinics and eight distribution centers. In 1999, we founded Petco Love. Together, we support thousands of local animal welfare groups nationwide and have helped find homes for approximately 7 million animals through in-store adoption events.

Director, Technology Infrastructure Architecture

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Builds and leads the Technology Infrastructure Architecture (TIA) function as a new, dedicated team, ensuring security is integrated seamlessly into enterprise infrastructure projects from the design phase, accelerating safe technology delivery
• Responsible for long-range secure infrastructure architecture strategy and planning across cloud, on-premise, and endpoint environments supporting both retail and enterprise operations
• Acts as the face of the TIA team to the business and the primary liaison between TIA, senior IT leadership, Operations teams, Information Security, and Engineering leaders; ensures TIA is engaged early in business projects
• Manages the cross functional team for architecture reviews and new business projects; defines and tracks team KPIs (e.g., shift-left engagement, design flaw reduction)
• Embeds cybersecurity principles into all architecture decisions; drives secure-by-design principles, zero trust adoption, threat modeling, and network segmentation standards in partnership with Information Security
• Enforces established security reference architectures and standards — identity and access, network segmentation, ZTNA/SASE, encryption, and cloud security posture — throughout project designs and reviews
• Operates as a hands-on player-coach — prototypes, builds reference architectures, and works alongside engineers to unblock delivery, bringing velocity to new projects rather than governance overhead
• Leads implementation and enterprise change management for infrastructure and security initiatives — plans, sequences, and drives changes through build, testing, and rollout, ensuring architectural decisions are executed and adopted across store and enterprise environments rather than handed off
• Partners closely with the existing Network Operations organization to ensure new designs are operable, observable, and transition cleanly into steady-state support
• Owns budget planning and management for the TIA team, including capital and operating forecasts for new projects, and provides architectural input to cloud cost governance (FinOps) and infrastructure investment decisions
• Champions and personally contributes to automation and infrastructure-as-code practices and the adoption of AI-driven operations (AIOps) to shift the organization from reactive to predictive operations
• Evaluates and pilots emerging networking technologies (e.g., SASE, micro segmentation, cloud-native IaC, AI-assisted operational automation) hands-on before recommending broad adoption
• Identifies interdependencies and emerging trends across interrelated technology efforts and programs to continuously improve infrastructure services
• Recruits, develops, and mentors architects and senior engineers for the new team; builds a culture of ownership, delivery velocity, and accountability
• Manages strategic vendor and technology partner relationships supporting architecture initiatives and new-project delivery
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering or other related fields, or equivalent work experience
• 10+ years in Network Engineering, Enterprise Security, or Systems Architecture, with at least 3+ years in a leadership/management role influencing senior level management and key stakeholders
• Highly technical and hands-on, with strong executive communication skills — able to represent the team credibly to senior leadership and engineering teams alike
• Requires advanced technical and business knowledge in infrastructure and security architecture, enterprise network engineering (LAN/WAN/WLAN, SD-WAN, carrier services), and IT financial/budget management
• Demonstrated cybersecurity experience: strong background in enterprise risk management and security framework adoption (NIST, CIS, PCI DSS, zero trust), applying security controls to architecture decisions and leading teams to deliver secure infrastructure
• Relevant certifications a plus: CISSP, CISM, or SABSA (security); CCNP/CCIE (network); ITIL; major cloud certifications