Head of Infrastructure Development

JLL; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

JLL seeks an experienced Head of Infrastructure Development reporting to the SVP of Infrastructure and Operations to build a future-fit infrastructure and organization for IT, delivering resilient platforms across the enterprise.

The role leads strategy for cloud, on-prem, observability, and software supply chains while guiding talent development and governance through IT planning committees, to align with enterprise architecture and deliver tangible value to applications and the business.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Science or Engineering required; master’s preferred.
• 10+ years in infrastructure with 5+ years in senior leadership.
• Strong knowledge of cloud, virtualization, observability, CICD, containers and security.
• Proven track record leading large-scale IT initiatives.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Create and communicate a pioneering vision for Infrastructure Development.
• Optimize engagement models for infrastructure services.
• Champion automation and observability to drive value.
• Manage and optimize cloud, edge, and on-prem infrastructure.
• Develop talent strategies to upskill and retain staff.
• Achieve operational excellence with cost and risk management.
• Drive cross‑functional collaboration with Applications and executive teams.
• Define metrics and drive outcomes using KPIs and ROI.

Skills

Strategic Vision

Team Leadership

Change Management

Outstanding Communication

Risk Management

Continuous Learning

Ethical Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Science/Engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Head Infrastructure Development, reporting to the SVP of Infrastructure and Operations. As a senior member of staff in Infrastructure and Operations within IT, this individual is responsible to build a future-fit infrastructure and organization for JLL, developing and enabling resilient and adaptable infrastructure across the enterprise.

The Head of Infrastructure Development brings experience, knowledge, and future vision for transforming the infrastructure function including the management of the source code repository, CICD pipelines, golden imagines/patterns, OS, containers, immutable & resilient infrastructure, observability standards, tier 1, 2 and 3 support of tooling and tier 3 support for infrastructure & applications. The role holder is a senior stakeholder in all relationships with externally sourced infrastructure and operations capabilities. Owns the direct points of contact and continuous engagement and improvement with Applications Teams. As a key member of the senior I&O leadership team this role contributes to the development and execution of the enterprise-wide Infrastructure and Application Development strategy and is responsible for ensuring I&O strategy is fully aligned, positioning I&O to deliver compelling value to the infrastructure, application teams as well as the JLL Business.

This individual is expected to support the SVP of I&O, the Infrastructure Leadership peer group, the Chief Architect and VPs of Application Development under the CTO by implementing infrastructure solutions that align to the enterprise architecture framework and roadmap. He or she will also serve on IT planning and policymaking committees and will drive the development and adoption of enterprise technology standards, governance processes and performance metrics.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and execute strategy: Create and communicate a pioneering vision for Infrastructure Development, including the value proposition in digital transformation, optimization of cloud and adoption of innovative technologies, such as generative AI.
• Optimize, redesign, and deliver engagement models for Infrastructure services: Streamline engagement practices, enable a compelling digital employee experience and improve the value the enterprise receives from infrastructure platforms and services.
• Champion innovation. Take advantage of breakthrough technologies by embracing, and driving automation and observability
• Manage and optimize cloud environment: Create and execute strategies for cloud, edge and on-premises infrastructure, and maximize the value the enterprise receives from investments in cloud services.
• Develop and engage talent: Create future-proofing talent strategies to develop, upskill, and retain an adaptive workforce amid the impact of generative AI and automation and adopt leadership principles that engage teams and executives to change culture build soft skills and improve the employee experience.
• Achieve operational excellence: Modernise to a cost‑optimized, on‑time, and stable hybrid infrastructure that addresses technical debt and minimises risks of new initiatives. Build resilient platforms to power business growth.
• Drive and communicate outcomes: Build relationships and collaborate effectively across various levels of the organization. Able to convey complex technical concepts and strategies that resonate with technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Define, Measure and Drive Success: Define the value of Infrastructure Development, including objectives, metrics and KPIs, and track outcomes against goals, such as reducing risk and optimising cost. o Drives the adoption of (and commitment towards) service improvements through a programme‑driven approach to continuous improvement which also measures impact and shares results. o Continuously evaluates the business value of Infrastructure Development, including the use of metrics such as Key Performance Indicators, Outcome Driven Metrics and Objectives and Key Results

Leadership Requirements

• Strategic Vision: Has a clear strategic vision, with the ability to develop and communicate an Infrastructure Development vision that inspires and motivates staff and aligns with the IT and business strategy.
• Outstanding Communication: Exceptional communication skills and ability to effectively communicate complex concepts to various audiences, including board members, executives, technical teams, and non‑technical staff; aptitude to facilitate collaboration and build relationships across business lines is critical. Able to articulate Infrastructure Development approach to risk taking to non‑technical audiences in a way that increases sponsorship and support for ongoing endeavours
• Business Acumen and Subject Matter Expertise: Strong business acumen, including industry, domain‑specific knowledge of the enterprise and its business units. Deep understanding of current and emerging Infrastructure Development technologies and practices, and how other enterprises are employing them.
• Change Management: Skilled at driving cultural change; Evangelising and implementing transformational initiatives where the target state included agile, DevOps, SRE, cloud adoption at scale. Able to consolidate operations capabilities in large, complex enterprise organisations to deliver improved efficiency, while balancing customer preferences for agility.
• Team Leadership: Successful history of building and leading diverse teams; including fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and innovative work environment, as well as providing mentorship and professional development opportunities.
• Risk Management: Possess a deep understanding of risk management principles and methodologies; ability to assess and prioritise risks effectively, develop risk mitigation strategies, and ensure that in‑placed controls are aligned with governance and policy requirements.
• Continuous Learning: Committed to continuous learning and staying up to date with the latest trends, technologies, and threats in the field of Infrastructure Development. This includes obtaining relevant certifications, attending conferences, and actively participating in industry forums and networks.
• Ethical: Adheres to the highest ethical standards and demonstrates integrity by instilling a strong culture of ethical behaviour within the Infrastructure Development function and across JLL.

Additional Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in science, Engineering; Master’s degree preferred
• 10+ years of experience in infrastructure, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role, preferably in a technical capacity in the cloud and/or advanced network areas.
• Strong knowledge of current and emerging technologies, including cloud computing, virtualization, observability, source code, CICD pipeline, containers, network architecture, protocols and technologies, with an understanding of related IT security strategies
• Strong experience creating resilient and immutable infrastructure
• Strategic thinker with a proven track record of implementing large‑scale IT initiatives
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities
• Experience as a collaborative and influential leader instilling confidence among stakeholders in FORTUNE 500 environments.
• Established reputation as a bold thinking, progressive executive exhibiting strong levels of insight and exceeding stakeholder’s expectations.
• Transformational leader who leads change with energy and resilience to propel the business forward; has the courage to make complex decisions and take calculated risks; adjusts style to accommodate individuals and the various phases of growth.