Director, IT & Security

About Cambiar Education:

We turn innovative ideas into action and impact. We created Cambiar to change the marketplace for education innovation to prove undeniably that every student can succeed and thrive. Cambiar operates at the speed of innovation, propelling 100+ groundbreaking ventures led by founders with unshakeable optimism and courage; building in-house initiatives that serve 27+ million students in areas with the greatest potential for change; and cultivating a formidable community of connected ventures, anchored in our commitment to creating solutions for the most vulnerable youth. Visit us at cambiareducation.org and follow us on LinkedIn.

Role Overview

As Cambiar expands its national portfolio of education innovation initiatives, we are scaling our digital ecosystem—integrating systems, data, and tools that power our mission. Safeguarding the security, integrity, and trust of this ecosystem is critical to enabling our impact.

The Director, IT & Security, reporting to the SVP, Technology, will be both a strategic leader and a hands-on practitioner responsible for Cambiar’s technology platforms and cybersecurity posture. This role will guide the organization’s approach to IT systems management, vendor oversight, and security best practices—ensuring strong governance, resilient infrastructure, and a culture of data stewardship. You will lead Cambiar’s work to strengthen IT and security operations, implement modern processes and tools, and partner with both internal teams and external vendors to advance the technology maturity and security posture across Cambiar and its incubated ventures. 

The ideal candidate combines technical acumen, strategic vision, and a human-centered mindset—balancing operational excellence with the flexibility and creativity that drive innovation. They bring deep expertise in IT and cybersecurity best practices, strong leadership and communication skills, and a proactive, solution-oriented approach. 

What you’ll do:

You’ll serve as a trusted partner to Cambiar’s leadership, operations, and venture teams, leading the IT and Security strategy and roadmap, vendor partnerships, and compliance. Your work will include both strategic direction and tactical execution.

• Establish a systems inventory and governance framework: Build and maintain a comprehensive registry of Cambiar’s applications, data flows, and integrations to identify risks, redundancies, and opportunities for optimization.
• Rationalize and optimize the tech stack: Evaluate usage, cost, and security posture of tools to reduce duplication, improve interoperability, and deliver measurable efficiencies. 
• Lead cybersecurity strategy: Develop and implement policies and practices aligned to SOC 2 and other relevant frameworks; establish and oversee secure architectures across cloud, network and applications including data classification, backup and retention, and incident response.
• Enhance access and identity management: Implement scalable joiner/mover/leaver workflows, least-privilege and role based access principles, and security aware optimization.
• Oversee and partner with the IT vendor: Manage relationships, ensure SLAs and DPAs are met, and guide shared workstreams such as device management, identity and access management, and network security.
• Consult for incubated ventures: Provide advisory support on IT infrastructure, security practices, and compliance as ventures establish and scale their systems.
• Foster a security-minded culture: Foster organization-wide understanding of cybersecurity practices and shared accountability for data protection. Lead risk management and compliance, conducting regular assessments, audits, and training to strengthen organization-wide awareness and readiness.
• Monitor and report: Track metrics, manage audits, and present IT/security performance and emerging risks to leadership and the board.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, finance, data, and partner teams to embed privacy, security, and trust into every project.

This role is for you if:

• You bring 10+ years of experience in IT operations, cybersecurity, or technology risk management, ideally in reputed mission-driven or innovative environments.
• You have hands-on experience executing and managing IT systems, cybersecurity software and processes (IAM, MDM, RBAC, pentesting, etc.), and compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO, or similar).
• You’re adept at partnering with external vendors while also building internal capacity and scalable IT processes.
• You thrive in dynamic, entrepreneurial settings, balancing structure with adaptability and creative problem-solving.
• You are an excellent communicator who can translate and motivate technical topics into accessible, actionable insights for diverse audiences.
• You demonstrate high integrity and discretion, with a strong sense of responsibility for protecting sensitive information.
  You are organized, detail-oriented, and proactive, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results independently.
• You have a proven record of building secure, efficient, and people-centered systems that enable productivity and trust.
• Experience in education, nonprofit, or social impact organizations is a plus.

What you'll get:

• Salary range of $140,000-$170,000 per year depending on experience, location and aligned title
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision benefits
• Paid vacation and sick time, plus organizationally-observed holidays throughout the year
• Access to optional benefits such as 401(k) Retirement Plan, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), HSA/FSA, pet insurance, etc.
• Stipends to partially cover phone and internet costs, home office set-up, and wellness
• Team retreats and meetings during the year to meet your teammates or see our work in-person

Our Core Values:

We’re committed to living our organization's core values:

• CREATE 🌎 We create to make a transformative difference in the world. We are eternally optimistic and develop game-changing solutions.
• LOVE ❤️ We do this work because we believe in the tremendous talent and human potential of all; we seek to discover, engage, and celebrate everyone's unique "superpowers." We seek out and lean into diverse ideas, joyful debates, and direct feedback.
• GROW 🌱 We have an insatiable curiosity, love big challenges, and aren't afraid to fail. We accelerate growth and impact so change agents and change efforts reach their fullest potential.
• LAUGH 😄 We laugh often and out loud; creativity is best fostered when we are having fun! We defer judgment so we can all laugh, dance, sing, and express "like no one is watching."
• DARE 🚀 We dare to dream big, take bold action, and challenge the impossible. We embrace risk, push boundaries, and step into the unknown with strength and courage, knowing that growth lies beyond comfort.

Work environment:

Although our team works remotely, you are expected to engage in overnight travel at least 2x throughout the year to various US cities to meet up with other team members (in-person retreats, other program-related meetings and events), and be ready to play an active role in contributing to our collaborative, inclusive culture.

We’re looking for applicants who are comfortable working remotely and who have experience successfully collaborating with team members across different time zones. Your core working days and hours will be M-F from 8am-6pm, with the ability to flex according to workload, scheduled calls and in-person/virtual meetings.

Our Equal Opportunity Employer Intentions:

At Cambiar Education, we believe everyone can make a positive impact. To support that view, we aim to cultivate an inclusive workplace that champions educational success for all and advances the communities we serve. We believe that a variety of perspectives and experiences strengthens our community and enhances our impact. Our commitment to provide an environment free from discrimination and harassment, where every individual feels respected and valued, underscores our mission of creating life changing impact for one million youth.

Cambiar Education is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles, including braids, locks, and twists), ethnicity, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, sex (including childbirth, breast feeding, and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, uniform service member and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, age (40 and over), protected medical condition (including cancer and genetic conditions), genetic information, disability (mental and physical), reproductive health decision-making, medical leave or other types of protected leave (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws. This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, promotions, transfers, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms and conditions of employment.

Together, we can create a welcoming environment that empowers every member of our community.