Global Director of Infrastructure & AI Transformation

Kirkland & Ellis; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 308,000 - 385,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Paid time off

Retirement plan

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago seeks a Director of Infrastructure to shape global technology strategy and lead modernization across data centers, cloud, networks and AI-ready platforms. You will manage a ~60-person global team and partner with Security, Applications and senior leaders to deliver resilient, secure services at scale.

The role demands 15+ years in enterprise infrastructure, strong ITIL governance, cloud migrations, vendor management, and executive communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field.
• 15+ years of enterprise infrastructure experience with leadership.
• Experience managing hybrid cloud and on‑premises at scale.
• Proven cloud migrations and data center modernization.
• Strong ITIL‑based service delivery and governance.
• Experience managing large technology budgets and vendor relationships.
• Exceptional communication with executive leadership.
• Crisis leadership in cybersecurity incidents and outages.
• Experience in professional services or client‑facing environments preferred.
• Integrity, collaboration and discretion in handling information.

Responsibilities

• Shape Infrastructure Strategy: define and execute a multi‑year infrastructure roadmap.
• Lead Modernization Initiatives: cloud adoption, network transformation, automation.
• Enable Enterprise AI: establish foundations for AI-driven solutions.
• Deliver Reliable Global Services: 24/7 availability and performance.
• Drive Operational Excellence: ITIL governance and monitoring improvements.
• Lead Through Critical Events: escalation and recovery coordination.
• Oversee Core Technology Domains: cloud, data centers, networks, IAM.
• Strengthen Risk and Resilience: DR, ransomware readiness, governance.
• Manage Investment and Vendor Partnerships: budgets and contracts.
• Develop High‑Performing Teams: global leadership and succession.
• Influence Executive Stakeholders: communicate strategy and risk clearly.

Skills

Strategic leadership

ITIL governance

Cloud modernization

Vendor management

Executive communication

Crisis leadership

Datacenter ops

Security awareness

AI enablement

Cost optimization

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/IS/Engineering

ITIL Certification

Azure Solutions Architect

CISSP

PMP

Tools

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft 365

Data centers

Networking

Identity management

Job description

Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago seeks a Director of Infrastructure to shape global technology strategy and lead modernization across data centers, cloud, networks and AI-ready platforms. You will manage a ~60-person global team and partner with Security, Applications and senior leaders to deliver resilient, secure services at scale.

The role demands 15+ years in enterprise infrastructure, strong ITIL governance, cloud migrations, vendor management, and executive communication.