Director of Technology

About IPA Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) generates and applies research to help people living in poverty thrive. Our global IT function supports approximately 450 staff across 20 country offices, hundreds of field-based data collectors, and a distributed workforce operating in varied connectivity environments. The IT team of six, supplemented by external consultants, manages a data-intensive, integration-heavy technology environment built primarily on SaaS platforms and Microsoft Azure. Job Summary The IT Director leads IPA's global IT function, setting strategy, developing and owning governance, and building a team capable of delivering reliable, secure, and user-centered technology services across a complex international organization. This is a leadership and management role. The IT Director is responsible for what gets built and how, not for building it directly. Success looks like a well-structured team with clear ownership, a governance framework that actually gets followed, and technology decisions that hold up over time. The right person is energized by developing people, translating organizational needs into technology priorities, and creating systems of accountability, not by hands-on implementation. The IT Director will also ensure that IPA’s IT policies, governance frameworks, and control mechanisms are compliant with applicable regulatory and donor requirements and remain practical, proportionate, and aligned with the organization’s evolving operational needs. Responsibilities The following outlines the key duties and responsibilities of this role, to be carried out in close coordination with the Global Operations Senior Director and IPA’s Senior Management Team. Define and steward IT strategy and governance Develop and maintain IPA's IT strategy, ensuring it adjusts to organizational priorities, resource constraints, compliance obligations and operational realities across a distributed, multi-country environment. Own IPA's IT governance framework — policies, standards, and controls covering security, access management, data governance, acceptable use, vendor management, and emerging technologies. Ensure governance is practical, compliant with regulatory and donor requirements, and proportionate to organizational risk and operational realities. Policies should be enforceable and understood across country offices, not just documented. Advise senior leadership on technology risks, investment decisions, and compliance obligations in clear, non-technical terms. Evaluate emerging technologies — including AI and automation — and recommend responsible, mission-aligned adoption pathways. Lead the IT function and its people Manage, develop, and retain a team of six IT professionals, including systems administrators, data engineers, and support staff, providing clear direction, regular feedback, and opportunities for growth. Recruit for capability gaps and build toward a team structure where technical domains have clear ownership and acco