Vice President, IT and Enterprise Security

Role Summary

The Vice President, IT and Enterprise Security is a strategic leadership role responsible for setting the company''s technology and security vision and ensuring the IT organization is equipped to execute it. This person owns the company''s overall approach to enterprise security, cloud identity, infrastructure strategy, and IT governance, and provides executive oversight of the IT Operations Manager and Systems Administrator and the broader IT organization responsible for day-to-day execution.

The right person combines strategic vision with credible technical depth in modern identity, cloud, and security architecture. They set direction, translate it into budget and roadmap decisions, and hold the IT organization accountable for operational results.

This Role Is for Someone Who

• Is skilled in setting technology and security strategy and turning it into an executable roadmap
• Can operate at the executive level: budget ownership, supplier partnership negotiation, risk management, and leadership communication
• Has strong technical fluency in modern identity, cloud, and security architecture (Entra ID, SSO, Zero Trust, Microsoft products, Conditional Access) and leads through their team
• Takes ownership of the company''s overall security posture and enterprise risk
• Builds, mentors, and holds accountable a team of IT leaders and administrators
• Wants to drive strategic modernization, such as moving from hybrid Active Directory to a cloud-first identity model
• Enjoys partnering with executive leadership, Finance, Legal, and Compliance

This Role Is Not for Someone Who

• Wants to spend the majority of their time in tickets, admin portals, or hands-on configuration
• Prefers to avoid budget ownership, supplier partnership vetting, relations, and negotiations, or executive reporting
• Is not comfortable being accountable for enterprise-wide security outcomes
• Struggles to delegate operational execution to a strong operations manager and team
• Is looking for a purely technical, individual-contributor role

Core Responsibilities

Technology and Security Strategy

• Define the company''s technology vision and multi-year IT and security roadmap in partnership with executive leadership
• Set enterprise security strategy, including identity, endpoint, and data protection priorities
• Evaluate emerging technology and security trends and translate them into action
• Align technology investment with business priorities, budget, and risk tolerance

Enterprise Security and Risk Management

• Own the company''s enterprise security posture, including identity security, endpoint security, and access governance
• Set policy and standards for MFA, Conditional Access, Zero Trust, and privileged access management
• Lead security incident response planning and execution
• Oversee security audits, risk assessments, and compliance requirements
• Partner with Legal and Compliance on data protection, regulatory, and cyber-insurance requirements
• Direct engagement with external security suppliers, auditors, and consultants

IT Operations Oversight

• Provide executive oversight of IT operations, Help Desk, systems administration, and identity/access management functions
• Set service level standards and hold the IT Operations Manager and team accountable for execution
• Review operational metrics regularly and ensure gaps are closed
• Ensure operational processes support the company''s growth, security, and compliance requirements

Infrastructure and Cloud Strategy

• Set direction for infrastructure architecture, including Microsoft 365, Entra ID, cloud services, and networking
• Lead strategic modernization initiatives, such as the transition from hybrid Active Directory to Entra ID and retirement of legacy systems
• Evaluate and approve major infrastructure, platform, and SaaS investments
• Ensure infrastructure scalability, resilience, and disaster recovery / business continuity readiness

Identity and Access Governance

• Establish enterprise identity and access governance standards, including RBAC, access review cadence, and provisioning/deprovisioning SLAs
• Set SSO and authentication strategy across business applications
• Ensure the access governance model supports audit and compliance requirements
• Review access and privilege structures periodically at a governance level

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop the IT organization, including the IT Operations Manager and their team
• Recruit, retain, and grow IT talent
• Build a culture of accountability, documentation, and continuous improvement
• Set individual and team goals aligned to company priorities

Supplier Partnerships and Budget Management

• Own the IT and security budget, including planning, forecasting, and cost management
• Negotiate and manage contracts with technology and security suppliers and managed service providers
• Evaluate supplier performance and manage strategic supplier partnerships
• Identify cost optimization opportunities without compromising security or reliability

Executive and Cross-Functional Partnership

• Serve as the primary technology and security advisor to executive leadership
• Communicate technology strategy, risk, and investment needs to non-technical stakeholders
• Partner with HR, Finance, Legal, and business unit leaders on technology-enabled initiatives
• Represent IT in executive leadership meetings and, where appropriate, client discussions

Success Measures

Success in this role will be measured by strategic and operational outcomes, including:

• Improved enterprise security posture, including stronger identity and access controls
• Successful execution of major infrastructure and security modernization initiatives
• Strong, measurable IT operations performance, including ticket resolution, onboarding/offboarding speed, and system uptime
• Effective, on-budget management of IT and security spend
• An organized broad company view of all technology across the business and how it is connected, secured, and managed
• Mature access governance and audit readiness
• A high-performing, well-led IT organization with clear accountability and automated tools for efficiency and security
• Positive feedback from executive leadership on strategic partnership and communication

First 90-Day Expectations

Within the first 90 days, this person should be able to:

• Assess the current state of infrastructure, security posture, identity and access environment, and IT operations
• Build relationships with executive leadership and key business stakeholders
• Evaluate the IT Operations Manager and team, and identify strengths and gaps
• Identify top security and operational risks and begin prioritizing remediation
• Develop an initial technology and security roadmap with near-term and long-term priorities
• Review the IT and security budget, supplier contracts, and spend
• Establish a reporting cadence and key metrics for ongoing visibility into IT operations and security posture
• Prepare a plan and execute based on approvals and budget

Required Experience and Skills

Leadership and Strategy Experience

• 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, including 5+ years at a Director or VP level
• Proven track record setting technology strategy and translating it into an executable roadmap
• Experience managing IT budgets, supplier contracts, and technology investment decisions
• Strong record of building, leading, and developing IT teams and IT leaders
• Experience communicating technology and security topics to executive leadership and non-technical audiences
• Knowledge of real estate and property management systems and technology is preferred

Technical and Security Experience

• Strong understanding of modern identity and access architecture, including Entra ID, SSO, MFA, Conditional Access, and RBAC
• Experience leading Zero Trust, endpoint security, and access governance initiatives
• Experience overseeing Microsoft 365, cloud infrastructure, and hybrid Active Directory to cloud identity transitions
• Experience with security incident response, audits, and regulatory or compliance requirements
• Working knowledge of endpoint management (Intune or similar), device compliance, and patching standards
• Experience vetting, securing, and safely connecting AI platforms

Operational Oversight

• Experience overseeing Help Desk, systems administration, and IT operations functions, directly or through a manager
• Experience setting and monitoring service level standards and operational metrics
• Experience overseeing IT organizations supporting multi-location or distributed workforces

Working Style

The ideal candidate is:

• Strategic, but grounded in current technical realities
• Comfortable owning enterprise risk and being accountable for outcomes
• A strong communicator across technical and executive audiences
• Able to build trust with teams while holding them to a high standard of accountability
• Focused on modernization, security, scalability, and operational excellence
• Willing to delegate hands-on execution while staying closely informed
• Demonstrates strong organizational and project management skills

Preferred Experience

• Experience leading a hybrid Active Directory to Entra ID / cloud-identity transition at the enterprise level
• Experience in a security- or compliance-driven industry
• Experience supporting a distributed, multi-location, or field-based workforce
• Experience with cyber-insurance requirements and security audits, such as SOC 2
• Prior experience managing an IT operations manager or similar direct report

Additional Requirements

Education

Bachelor''s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field required; equivalent experience considered.

Scheduling

• Required to maintain a regular schedule, which may require occasional evenings, weekends, or non-traditional hours to support critical incidents
• Ability to travel up to 10%

Diversity

Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: Avenue5 is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

This job description is not an all-inclusive list of functions and tasks. Over the length of employment, these functions and tasks may change.