Sr. Director, Network Engineering, Infrastructure Enablement

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze®, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Early Warning follows a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Overall Purpose

The Senior Director, Infrastructure Services is responsible for leading the delivery of reliable, scalable, and business-aligned infrastructure services across designated Business Unit (BU) pillars. Operating within the Infrastructure Services Perform function, this role provides strategic and operational leadership to dedicated infrastructure engineering teams, ensuring services effectively support BU priorities while maintaining alignment with enterprise engineering standards and shared capabilities.

This position serves as a key connection between BU leadership and the broader Infrastructure Engineering organization, balancing business-specific needs with enterprise consistency, operational excellence, and long-term scalability. The Senior Director establishes service delivery priorities, drives cross-functional alignment, and promotes the adoption of standardized platforms, tools, and processes to improve service quality and organizational effectiveness.

The role is accountable for developing high-performing teams, strengthening stakeholder partnerships, and establishing effective operating practices that enable responsive service delivery, continuous improvement, and successful business outcomes.

Essential Functions

- Provides leadership across BU-aligned infrastructure service teams, including developing leaders, establishing performance expectations, and ensuring accountability for functional outcomes.
- Develops and executes the functional infrastructure service delivery strategy, balancing BU priorities, enterprise standards, and long-term operational scalability.
- Oversees the delivery of reliable, scalable, and responsive infrastructure services tailored to the operational requirements and evolving needs of designated BU pillars.
- Establishes strong relationships with BU leaders and stakeholders to understand business priorities, anticipate infrastructure needs, and ensure infrastructure capabilities support business objectives.
- Partners with Infrastructure Engineering peers to promote consistent adoption of enterprise platforms, engineering standards, tools, processes, and shared infrastructure services.
- Ensures BU-aligned infrastructure teams operate within established enterprise architecture principles, security requirements, operational policies, and governance frameworks.
- Balances BU-specific infrastructure requirements with enterprise standardization objectives, identifying opportunities to reduce complexity, eliminate duplication, and improve operational efficiency.
- Leads joint planning and prioritization activities with BU leadership and Infrastructure Engineering partners to align roadmaps, delivery commitments, resource needs, and infrastructure investments.
- Coordinates cross-functional activities to manage dependencies, resolve competing priorities, remove delivery barriers, and ensure effective execution of infrastructure initiatives.
- Establishes service delivery expectations and performance measures to monitor infrastructure reliability, service responsiveness, operational quality, and stakeholder outcomes.
- Identifies and addresses service delivery risks, operational challenges, and emerging infrastructure requirements through proactive planning and cross-functional collaboration.
- Drives continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen infrastructure service delivery, increase operational consistency, and improve the internal customer experience.
- Leads organizational change associated with the adoption of centrally developed infrastructure capabilities, standardized engineering practices, and evolving service delivery models.
- Communicates infrastructure priorities, service performance, delivery risks, and strategic recommendations to BU stakeholders and Infrastructure Engineering leadership.
- Supports functional resource planning, capacity management, and prioritization to ensure infrastructure teams are positioned to meet current and anticipated business needs.
- Develops engineering talent and leadership capabilities through coaching, performance management, succession planning, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Fosters a culture of ownership, trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement that encourages sound judgment, transparent communication, and accountability for results.

Minimum Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
- Typically has 15 years of experience or demonstrated portfolio consistent with experience required of the role.
- Significant experience leading infrastructure engineering, infrastructure operations, or enterprise technology service delivery teams, including responsibility for team performance, talent development, and operational outcomes.
- Demonstrated experience developing and executing functional strategies and service delivery plans that support business and technology objectives.
- Broad knowledge of enterprise infrastructure technologies, engineering practices, service delivery models, and operational governance.
- Experience delivering infrastructure services within complex technology environments involving multiple business stakeholders and cross-functional dependencies.
- Demonstrated ability to balance business-specific requirements with enterprise technology standards, shared capabilities, and established operational controls.
- Experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving infrastructure standardization, service delivery improvements, or adoption of shared technology capabilities.
- Experience establishing service performance expectations, managing operational priorities, and driving accountability for delivery commitments.
- Demonstrated ability to evaluate complex technical and operational challenges, assess business impact and risk, and coordinate effective solutions.
- Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management capabilities, including experience influencing decisions and aligning priorities across organizational boundaries.
- Demonstrated experience leading organizational change, developing technical talent, and building high-performing, customer-focused teams.

Preferred Qualifications

- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Experience delivering infrastructure services within financial services, payments, or another highly regulated technology environment.
- Experience operating within a federated or BU-aligned infrastructure service delivery model supported by centralized engineering platforms, standards, and governance.
- Experience implementing service delivery frameworks, operational performance measures, and continuous improvement practices.
- Experience supporting enterprise infrastructure standardization, platform engineering, automation, or shared services adoption.
- Familiarity with hybrid cloud infrastructure, infrastructure automation, observability, and modern infrastructure engineering practices.
- Experience partnering with senior business and technology leaders on infrastructure planning, service roadmaps, and cross-functional improvement initiatives.

Physical Requirements

Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling, and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers. Employee must be able to perform essential functions and physical requirements of position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States at the date of hire.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position.

The base pay scale for this position in:
Chicago, IL in USD per year is: $200,000 - $250,000.

San Francisco, CA in USD per year is: $240,000 - $300,000.
Additionally, candidates are eligible for a discretionary incentive plan and benefits.

This pay scale is subject to change and is not necessarily reflective of actual compensation that may be earned, nor a promise of any specific pay for any specific candidate, which is always dependent on legitimate factors considered at the time of job offer. Early Warning Services takes into consideration a variety of factors when determining a competitive salary offer, including, but not limited to, the job scope, market rates and geographic location of a position, candidate’s education, experience, training, and specialized skills or certification(s) in relation to the job requirements and compared with internal equity (peers). The business actively supports and reviews wage equity to ensure that pay decisions are not based on gender, race, national origin, or any other protected classes.

Some of the Ways We Prioritize Your Health and Happiness

- Healthcare Coverage – Competitive medical (PPO/HDHP), dental, and vision plans as well as company contributions to your Health Savings Account (HSA) or pre-tax savings through flexible spending accounts (FSA) for commuting, health & dependent care expenses.
- 401(k) Retirement Plan – Featuring a 100% Company Safe Harbor Match on your first 6% deferral immediately upon eligibility.
- Paid Time Off – Flexible Time Off for Exempt (salaried) employees, as well as generous PTO for Non-Exempt (hourly) employees, plus 11 paid company holidays and a paid volunteer day.
- 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave
- Maven Family Planning – provides support through your Parenting journey including egg freezing, fertility, adoption, surrogacy, pregnancy, postpartum, early pediatrics, and returning to work.

And SO much more! We continue to enhance our program, so be sure to  check our Benefits page here  for the latest. Our team can share more during the interview process!

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Early Warning Services, LLC (“Early Warning”) considers for employment, hires, retains and promotes qualified candidates on the basis of ability, potential, and valid qualifications without regard to race, religious creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, protected veteran or disability status or any factor prohibited by law, and as such affirms in policy and practice to support and promote equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and municipal laws. The company also prohibits discrimination on other bases such as medical condition, marital status or any other factor that is irrelevant to the performance of our employees.