Director, Infrastructure Operations

National Geographic Society; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 185,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

National Geographic Society seeks a Director, Infrastructure Operations to lead the planning and delivery of the Society’s computing, networks, storage, and on‑premise platforms. You will shape architecture, drive upgrades, manage budgets, KPIs, and vendor relationships while guiding a team to deliver reliable service and strong change management.

Candidates should have a decade in IT with at least five years of management, extensive experience running 24/7 infrastructure, and excellent

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• At least 10 years in information technology with 5 years in management.
• Experience in enterprise infrastructure design, implementation, and maintenance.
• Strong leadership, vendor management, and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Excellent communication and project management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Develops and manages infrastructure operations roadmap, budget, and project plans.
• Establishes policies and governance for infrastructure and daily operations.
• Directs compute and network engineering to advance organizational goals.
• Monitors benchmarks and trends to identify growth opportunities and mitigate risk.
• Oversees SLA adherence, capacity planning, and performance metrics.
• Leads vendor relationships and contract/SOW governance.

Skills

Infrastructure operations

Network engineering

Project management

Vendor management

Leadership

Strategic planning

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related discipline

Tools

Arista

Cloud technologies

Job description

How You’ll Contribute

The Director, Infrastructure Operations oversees the operations of the Society’s computing architecture. This includes the Society’s wired and wireless data networks, telecommunications networks, computing and storage platforms, OS images, and the equipment on-premise platforms. Additionally, the Director, Infrastructure Operations is responsible for planning and executing infrastructural upgrades as well as ongoing patch management. The Director tracks and refines KPIs and other operational metrics to evaluate the health and performance of the infrastructure, identify defects, efficiencies, enhancements, and ensure a cycle of continuous improvement. Reporting to the Sr. Director, Infrastructure and Security, the Director, Infrastructure Operations manages the personnel and budget allocated to the infrastructure operations, including tracking and reporting usage of on-premise infrastructure resources by business unit or program. This role will recommend and implement technology solutions and integrate them with the service catalog and IT operational processes; Leveraging project management, leadership and technical expertise, ensuring optimal user satisfaction through reliable service delivery and effective change management.

The ideal candidate will have a natural curiosity, proactive approach to find and recommend new solutions, and strong commitment to deadlines. To sustain a culture of innovation and fulfill NGS mission of illuminating and protecting the wonder of the world, it is expected a continued learning mindset and commitment to excellence from all outward-facing programs, services, products, as well as the systems and teams that support the Society’s work.

Your Impact

Your Impact & Responsibilities

Planning and Governance (40%)

• Develops and manages the infrastructure operations team roadmap, budget, and project plans and schedules under the direction of the Sr. Director, Infrastructure and Security. Meets with key stakeholders to review project plans and establish measurable objectives before submitting plans for approval.
• Works with the Sr. Director, Infrastructure and Security to establish policies, standards, procedures, and governance activities related to infrastructure. Defines and executes plans to incorporate policies and procedures into daily operations and systems design.
• Directs compute and network engineering teams to develop innovative architecture and features to advance the goals of the organization.
• Monitors benchmarks, trends, and product developments to anticipate change, minimize risk, and identify growth opportunities.

Infrastructure Operations (40%)

• Directs the operational support of technology infrastructure, ensuring that all components meet service-level objectives for availability, capacity, performance, and other KPIs.
• Leads infrastructure projects and supports all technology projects requiring team subject matter expertise or resources.
• Monitors service level objectives, optimizes operational activities, and brings visibility into operations through analysis, trends, and measurement.
• Ensures that the technology infrastructure adheres to NGS policies regarding information security, business continuity, etc.
• Develops and maintains relationships with external IT vendors and service providers to ensure alignment in goals and seamless execution.

Leadership and Management (20%)

• Performs personnel management and development for new and existing staff, ensuring that the team has the appropriate skills and depth to meet service level objectives and customer service standards.
• Leads or participates in appropriate steering committees and internal technology working groups.
• Collaborates with procurement, legal, and other administrative teams on RFP documents and processes, statements of work, contract negotiations and disputes, and other vendor performance management activities.

What You’ll Bring

Minimum Years and Type of Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Minimum Years And Type Of Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in the information technology field, with at least 5 years of hands‑on experience designing, implementing, and maintaining enterprise infrastructure including networks and hosts. Candidates must also have at least 5 years of management experience.

Necessary Knowledge And Skills Required

• Extensive experience managing the 24/7 operation of network, storage, and computing infrastructure, including implementing new products as well executing regular maintenance. Able to translate business requirements into technical specifications.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills, including the ability to plan, schedule, and successfully carry out multiple projects at the same time to a successful conclusion.
• Broad knowledge of technology infrastructure on-premise including network systems and management, computing and storage, telecommunications, data center operations, and virtualization. Experience managing vendor relationships for all infrastructure services and solutions and reviewing vendor contracts, statements of work, and related documents.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Able to interact positively and productively with teams across the organization. Strong customer service, troubleshooting, and problem-solving are a must.
• Excellent leadership, management, and team-building skills. Able to attract, mentor, and develop staff to ensure skills align and adapt to the mission and business goals. Able to inspire and motivate others by example, and achieve positive outcomes through a balance of strong leadership and open collaboration.
• Architectural understanding of enterprise network protocols (e.g., BGP, OSPF) and modern data center fabric topologies (such as spine-and-leaf or EVPN/VXLAN) to oversee our Arista environments.
• Strategic oversight of corporate Wireless LAN (WLAN) infrastructure, focusing on high-density capacity planning, seamless mobility, and secure authentication frameworks (e.g., 802.1x, NAC).
• A comprehensive understanding of cloud technologies for directory services and backups solutions.

Desired Qualifications

• Knowledge of distributed antenna systems (DAS) and public safety radio systems/equipment.
• Relevant enterprise management certifications (e.g., PMP or ITIL).
• Knowledge of hybrid data center models and secure infrastructure connectivity to major public cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, or GCP).

Supervision

3-5 staff members

Salary Information

The National Geographic Society offers a competitive and holistic total rewards package. Our compensation structure and transparent pay philosophy are based on industry-specific market data for similar-sized nonprofit organizations.

The salary range for this position accounts for a wide range of factors including but not limited to organizational need; specific skill sets; experience and training; certifications; and more. At the National Geographic Society, individuals are typically hired at or near the starting point of the salary range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.

The salary range for this position is $185,250.00 - $195,000.00.

In addition, the National Geographic Society offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance; engaging and comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 6 months of employment; flexible paid time off benefits with up to 22 days of paid annual leave per calendar year (15 days for new hires in their first year, prorated based on the number of pay periods remaining in the year) and 10 days of sick leave; 12 paid holidays and a paid winter break between December 25 and 31 (May not apply to all roles that are required to work during high volume seasons or essential workers. Please check with the hiring manager for confirmation.); paid parental leave, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility benefits; learning and development opportunities; Lifestyle Spending Account; pet adoption assistance and insurance; pre-tax transportation benefits with a generous employer subsidy; employer-paid life insurance and disability benefit; and a variety of National Geographic discounts and perks.

Job Designation

Resident - Our Resident category recognizes that certain staff need to be physically present at Base Camp to do their work. Some Resident staff must be at Base Camp every day to do their jobs, while others may only need to be physically present onsite some of the time to meet looming deadlines or to get work done and may require a unique schedule. As such, this category has been revised to provide maximum flexibility depending on what’s required for each individual role. The days Resident staff come into the office will be determined by their teams and workflow, and they should work with their supervisors to determine their specific schedule. And throughout the year, their schedule may be adjusted based on cyclical work cycles, deadlines, and/or ebbs and flows of work.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.