Job Description
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that provides access to opportunities that help people achieve financial stability, upward mobility, and economic prosperity – regardless of race, gender, or geography. The Foundation uses its grantmaking, research, programs, affiliates, and initiatives to support the start and growth of new businesses, a more prepared workforce, and stronger communities. Our work is grounded in the principles of racial equity, diversity, and inclusion and is consistent with the aspirations of our founder, Ewing Marion Kauffman.
Based in Kansas City, Missouri, the Kauffman Foundation is one of the largest foundations in the United States with an asset base of approximately $3 billion. While striving to have national impact and global reach, the Foundation is deeply committed to Kansas City, as evidenced by work on initiatives that reach into neighborhoods and enrich the community and quality of life in the region. For more information about the Foundation, please visit the website at www.kauffman.org.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Director of Information Security & IT Operations is responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of the Foundation’s enterprise-wide information security, data management and governance, and IT operations strategy. This role leads efforts to ensure a secure, reliable, and scalable technology environment that supports the mission of the Kauffman Foundation.
The Director oversees cybersecurity, systems administration, cloud services, network infrastructure, endpoint management, and vendor support. This position also works cross-functionally to identify risks, manage compliance, and align security and operational processes with business priorities.
Specific Responsibilities include: Information Security- Lead the Foundation’s cybersecurity strategy and implementation to maximize systems and data protection from internal and external threats.
- Establish and enforce security frameworks, policies, and protocols aligned with best practices, e.g., NIST, CIS Controls, ISO 27001.
- Oversee security awareness training, risk assessments, vulnerability management, and compliance programs in collaboration with Legal and Talent & Culture.
- Direct business continuity, incident response planning, and execution, including tabletop exercises, post-incident reviews, and business continuity planning.
- Ensure that identity and access management (IAM), data loss prevention (DLP), and endpoint protection are effectively deployed and monitored.
Data Management & Governance- Lead the development and implementation of data governance policies and practices to ensure responsible use of data in addition to data quality, integrity, and privacy.
- Oversee data classification efforts in collaboration with Legal, to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and organizational requirements.
- Serve as a key partner to teams across the Foundation to support responsible data collection, storage, analysis, sharing, and lifecycle management.
- Collaborate with the Impact & Strategy and Research, Learning & Evaluationteams to ensure data systems and reporting align with organizational learning and measurement needs.
- Promote a culture of data stewardship, including education and training on data ethics, usage standards, and access protocols.
- Evaluate and implement tools and systems that support secure, efficient, and transparent data management.
IT Operations- Lead and manage daily IT operations, including systems administration, cloud infrastructure, network security, and end-user computing.
- Ensure high system availability, performance, and scalability, with appropriate and established backup, disaster recovery, and change management processes.
- Manage vendor and MSP relationships, to ensure compliance with SLAs and secure service delivery.
- Oversee help desk functions and endpoint support to ensure excellent service delivery to staff.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to align technology solutions with organizational needs and growth.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Data Management, a related field, or equivalent years of experience. Master’s degree and certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CDMP, or PMP preferred.
Work Experience: At least five years of management and leadership experience with at least seven years of progressive experience in cybersecurity, IT operations, and data governance in complex, mission-driven environments, including demonstrated success managing enterprise infrastructure, information security programs, and data management strategies.
Travel: This position may require minimal business travel.
QUALIFICATIONS
Candidates for this position must be highly motivated, capable of self-direction, and able to work collaboratively in a team. Candidates must exhibit a keen sense of responsibility and enjoy working with multiple demands, shifting priorities, and constant change.
- Possesses a passion for operational excellence and a commitment to protecting data and systems in service of the Foundation’s mission.
- Demonstrates a bias for customer service and business partner success with a track record of building strong, trusting, and collaborative relationships.
- Can successfully lead cybersecurity and data management strategy development and execution in an enterprise setting.
- Possesses a deep understanding of IT infrastructure, cloud systems (Microsoft 365, Azure), security tools, and data governance practices.
- Has experience leading secure digital transformations and modernizing legacy systems in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.
- Can influence and lead change in a decentralized organization while driving operational excellence, aligning processes with business outcomes, and building trust and credibility across departments.
- Possesses excellent communication skills, including well-developed interpersonal, written, and listening skills with the ability to communicate effectively, build relationships, and collaborate with associates at all levels within the organization.
- Learns quickly, can synthesize multiple sources of information, gains insights, and communicates in a clear and coherent way, distilling complex ideas into clear, concise, and actionable forms.
- Is experienced with managing staff, teams, or external vendors, using strong coaching and mentoring skills, and creating a culture of accountability, service, and continuous improvement.
- Has proven experience and success in reliably and efficiently managing multiple projects, consistently, and accurately using project management skills, tools, and technology.
- Prioritizes and multitasks effectively using excellent organizational skills with keen attention to detail while working independently and staying connected with leadership and cross-functional teams.
- Maintains a calm and competent demeanor in uncomfortable or demanding situations and works well under pressure.
- Is familiar with compliance frameworks and regulations (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA, GDPR, state privacy laws).
- Possesses a passion for “doing what is right,” with unquestioned integrity, positive ethics, and values reflective of the Kauffman Foundation.
- Has strong computer literacy skills, particularly with the Microsoft suite of tools in addition to strong knowledge of enterprise systems (CRM, ERP, collaboration platforms, productivity tools to include but not limited to Snowflake, PowerBi, CrowdStrike, Rapid7, and AWS.
All of the statements in this position description are intended to describe the general nature of the work being performed and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. This document describes the position currently available. The organization reserves the right to modify job duties or job descriptions at any time.
NON-DISCRIMINATIONThe Kauffman Foundation firmly supports the principle and philosophy of equal opportunity for all individuals, regardless of age, race, gender, creed, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected category pursuant to applicable federal, state or local law.
TO APPLYInterested applicants can apply for this position by submitting a cover letter and resume. Job posting will be removed at 5:00 pm CT on October 21, 2025.
Please note that this role is Kansas City, MO based and associates must reside in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Job Type: Full Time
Salary Range: $100,000 and over
Job Tags
Full time, Work experience placement, Local area, Shift work,