BACKGROUND The Organization

For more than 50 years, Ocean Conservancy has delivered effective, evidence-based solutions for the ocean and all who depend on it. Today, we continue to unite science, people, and policy to protect our ocean from the greatest challenges it faces: climate change, plastic pollution, and biodiversity loss. We are a 501(C)3 headquartered in Washington, D.C. that inspires a worldwide network of partners, advocates, and supporters through our comprehensive and clear-eyed approach to ocean conservation. Together, we are securing a healthy ocean and a thriving planet, forever and for everyone.

The Position

The Vice President of Information Technology & Integrations will serve as the strategic and operational leader responsible for overseeing an institution-wide upgrade of the organization's technology ecosystem-strengthening infrastructure, streamlining systems, integrating data platforms, and enabling organization-wide digital capabilities. The Vice President, Information Technology & Integrations provides strategic direction, IT operational excellence, data integrity oversight and change leadership as the organization modernizes its systems, infrastructure, and digital capabilities.

Working closely with the Vice President, Operations, the Vice President, Information Technology & Integrations will ensure that technology empowers staff, enhances collaboration in program delivery, supports fundraising and engagement, and improves decision-making across the organization. The Vice President of Information Technology & Integrations manages the Senior IT Administrator, the Project Manager, Information Technology and IT Governance Project, and various consultants and vendors.

ROLE OVERVIEW Strategic & Transformational Leadership

• Oversee and implement a multi-year technology roadmap to modernize systems, workflows, and data practices, and improve data-driven decision making.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the executive leadership team on technology trends, risks, and opportunities to align technology initiatives with strategic goals, operational efficiency, and mission impact.
• Introduce innovative tools and processes to enhance staff collaboration, constituent engagement, and data-driven decision-making.
• Develop and manage IT budgets and related consultants, ensuring responsible use of resources and alignment with organizational priorities.
• As a true institutionalist, champion the adoption of data analytics and reporting tools to support impact measurement and strategic decision-making.
• Actively lead in fostering a culture of collaboration and change readiness across the organization.
• Champion a user-first IT approach by designing secure, reliable, and simple systems that empower staff to accomplish the mission.

Technology, Systems Integration, and IT Operations

• Oversee the design, implementation, and management of the organization's IT infrastructure, enterprise applications, network security, cloud services, and user support functions into a unified ecosystem to improve efficiency and collaboration.
• Establish IT governance, project management practices, and performance metrics to guide and measure progress.
• Manage vendor relationships and IT contracts.
• Partner closely with leadership to ensure CRM and ERP platforms are integrated.
• Ensure seamless interoperability between Legacy systems and new platforms.
• Operate at a strategic level while staying hands-on as needed to remove roadblocks and deliver outcomes for our users.
• Establish repeatable change review processes for all production changes and integration cutovers with standard workflows, clear decision owners, communication guidelines, and rollback plans; scale to a formal structure as needed (eg, a Change Advisory Board).
• Report on quarterly OKRs for the technology portfolio.
• Publish and manage AI acceptable use policy, data classification rules, and vendor pre-approval criteria.

Cybersecurity

• Lead the organization's cybersecurity strategy, ensuring protection of sensitive data, systems, and networks.
• Collaborate with the VP, Operations to develop policies and controls to ensure global compliance with nonprofit data protection, privacy, and security standards (eg, PCI, HIPAA, GDPR as applicable).
• Establish and maintain cybersecurity, risk management, and data privacy standards in compliance with nonprofit regulations and industry best practices (such as NIST Cybersecurity Frameworks and CIS Critical Security Controls).
• Work with the VP, Operations to build organization-wide awareness and training around cybersecurity best practices.
• Build a third-party cybersecurity risk management framework with support for items such as Data Process Addendums (DPAs), retention controls, data sovereignty enforcement, and no-training pledge for AI tools.
• Ensure business continuity through disaster recovery and contingency planning.

Additional Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a senior role.
• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, or related field (master's degree preferred).
• Visionary technology leader with strong strategic, analytical, and executional skills.
• Expertise in CRM, ERP, data architecture, integration tools, and cloud-based platforms.
• Experience leading large-scale technology modernization efforts-preferably within a nonprofit, public sector, or mission-driven organization with an annual budget of $25M+.
• Proven ability to integrate disparate systems and data sources into user-friendly solutions.
• Strong grasp of nonprofit IT compliance, cybersecurity, risk management, data integration, and enterprise system implementation.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and change management skills.
• Familiarity with nonprofit technology ecosystems (eg, ERP, HRIS, CRM) is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Zero Trust concepts across identity, devices, network, applications, and data, including SSO, MFA, device compliance, EDR, SIEM, and DLP
• Data governance leadership: classification, catalog, lineage, retention, and governed analytics; experience with implementing standards for resilient integrations.
• Relevant certifications are a plus, such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), and/or Project Management Professional (PMP).

WHO WE ARE

Ocean Conservancy embraces a hybrid work environment, which allows our staff the flexibility to work virtually and in-person while building strong connections across the institution.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Ocean Conservancy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

We encourage applicants who have a diverse level and range of relevant skills and experiences to apply. A 100% match is not required. We want to support employees' career growth and in return, our employees help Ocean Conservancy grow into a stronger, more inclusive institution.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance offered
• 401(a) or 403(b) with 6% employer contribution
• Organization provided life insurance as well as short- and long-term disability insurance
• Generous paid time off

TIMELINE AND NEXT STEPS

If you are interested in this position, please click here. All applicants will receive an email confirming receipt of their application.

We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply even if you do not meet all of the qualifications outlined above. If you are selected to move forward for an initial screening call, we expect you to hear from us by March.