Director, Global IT Infrastructure and Operations
Amyris
Summary
The IT Director is a technical leader accountable for the engineering, reliability, and operation of Amyris's global IT infrastructure across networks, servers, endpoints, cybersecurity, knowledge management, and the service desk. The role combines hands-on technical leadership with leadership of internal IT teams and MSPs in the United States and Brazil, partnering across Computing and the enterprise to maintain and advance the infrastructure upon which our SaaS and custom platforms rely. The ideal candidate is a hands-on DevOps leader (CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, containerization, observability) with enterprise architecture experience across networking, identity, security, databases, and infrastructure. They turn ambiguous demands into well-defined, automated, and documented solutions. The role keeps regular overlap with both US Pacific and Brazil working hours.
Job description
Position Overview
The IT Director is a technical leader accountable for the engineering, reliability, and operation of Amyris's global IT infrastructure across networks, servers, endpoints, cybersecurity, knowledge management, and the service desk. The role combines hands-on technical leadership with leadership of internal IT teams and MSPs in the United States and Brazil, partnering across Computing and the enterprise to maintain and advance the infrastructure upon which our SaaS and custom platforms rely. The ideal candidate is a hands-on DevOps leader (CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, containerization, observability) with enterprise architecture experience across networking, identity, security, databases, and infrastructure. They turn ambiguous demands into well-defined, automated, and documented solutions. The role keeps regular overlap with both US Pacific and Brazil working hours.
IT Operations
- Own reliable, secure, and responsive IT operations delivered by internal teams and MSPs, with clear service ownership, escalation paths, and accountability for service levels and outcomes.
- Oversee service desk, endpoint, network, server, identity, collaboration, and knowledge-management operations, with disciplined incident, request, problem, and change management.
- Drive continuous improvement via a data-driven approach, using operational data to identify systemic issues and apply preventive or corrective actions.
- Lead major-incident response, including technical diagnosis and root-cause investigation, and partner with Computing peers during outages affecting pipeline, manufacturing, and enterprise systems; ensure root-cause investigations drive lasting improvements.
- Maintain authoritative architecture, configuration, asset, licensing, and operational documentation to control costs and risk, and support lifecycle and provider transitions.
- Serve as Amyris's designated escalation contact and technical approver for MSP work, including change-advisory approval, security operations review, invoice validation against contracted scope, and confirmation that automated alerts and reports are acted on are appropriately triaged.
Infrastructure Project Delivery & Technical Leadership
- Lead complex infrastructure and security programs from business case and technical design through adoption, including network modernization, CIS Controls implementation, endpoint refreshes, data and SharePoint migrations, and cloud migrations.
- Define project scope, milestones, resources, risks, budgets, and success criteria; maintain transparent governance through delivery and transition to operations.
- Provide hands-on technical leadership across infrastructure, cloud, endpoints, identity, security, and service-management platforms, including troubleshooting, validation, and automation when needed.
- Challenge designs, statements of work, and change plans to ensure solutions are secure, supportable, cost-effective, and standards-aligned.
- Coordinate internal staff, MSP engineers, vendors, and business stakeholders to remove blockers, make timely decisions, and deliver measurable outcomes.
Strategy, Security & Continuous Improvement
- Own the IT roadmap and lifecycle plan to improve reliability, security, scalability, user experience, and cost effectiveness, including tested business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities.
- Own the IT budget and communicate roadmap progress, service health, project risks, security posture, and investment decisions to executive leadership.
- Supervise the Cybersecurity Lead to improve Amyris's security posture, advance CIS Controls compliance, strengthen identity and access, improve recovery readiness, and adapt security strategy as AI reshapes threats and technology use.
- Support pilots of emerging technologies, including AI (LLM/ML), and translation of successful experiments into secure, scalable, and well-governed enterprise services.
Team, Vendor & Business Leadership
- Lead and develop internal technical staff; set clear priorities and performance expectations while fostering collaboration across employees, contractors, regional teams, and providers.
- Own relationships with US- and Brazil-based MSPs and key vendors, including selection, scope, commercial performance, and contract governance.
- Partner across all functions and with Computing peers to clarify requirements, manage tradeoffs, lead change, and ensure technology delivers intended value.
Requirements
- 10+ years of progressive IT infrastructure and operations experience
- 5+ years leading technical teams and complex enterprise programs
- Proven leadership in a global co-managed services model
- Proven success leading complex infrastructure, cloud, endpoint, collaboration, and security programs
- Deep expertise in enterprise networking, cloud and virtualized infrastructure, Microsoft 365 and Azure
- Expertise in endpoint management, identity and privileged access, cybersecurity controls, backup and recovery, IT service management, and knowledge-management platforms
- Hands-on experience with hybrid Microsoft identity: Active Directory, domain controllers, Group Policy, Entra ID and Entra Connect, Exchange hybrid, Conditional Access, MFA, SAML/OIDC SSO and RBAC
- Hands-on experience with co-managed Windows and macOS endpoint management: Intune, Configuration Manager, Autopilot, patching, application packaging, Microsoft Defender, iOS and Android MDM
- Hands-on experience with PKI and certificate services, VPN and remote access, DNS and email authentication, Google Workspace, HR-to-directory provisioning
- Continuous-improvement mindset with measurable results
- Excellent written, verbal, and executive communication skills
Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Mental Wellness Benefits
- Family Leave
- Discounted Fitness Memberships
- Education Reimbursement
- Flexible PTO
- 17 Paid Holidays
- 10 Paid Sick Days
- 3 Volunteer Days
- Bereavement Leave
Company overview
Amyris is a vertically integrated synthetic biology company and global leader in renewable biological chemistry, founded in 2003 with headquarters in Emeryville, California. The company pioneered the use of microbes to transform abundant plant-derived sugars into high-performing molecules at scale through advanced precision fermentation technology. With over two decades of experience, Amyris has developed a robust biomanufacturing platform that enables the creation of sustainable, market-ready ingredients for applications across flavors & fragrances, beauty, food, pharmaceuticals, and industrial markets. The company operates state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Leland, North Carolina and Barra Bonita, Brazil, and has successfully commercialized 15 fermentation-based ingredients that are included in over 20,000 SKUs worldwide. Amyris' technology platform allows partners to access sophisticated chemistry found in living systems, delivering renewable solutions that enhance product performance while reducing environmental impact and supporting sustainability commitments.