Performant Financial

Director, Infrastructure & Security Delivery

Performant Financial$153K — $193K *
Information Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years of IT infrastructure delivery experience in complex environments.
  • 7+ years of leadership experience with a focus on people development and performance management.
  • Proven track record in transforming technical delivery organizations with measurable improvements.
  • Strong understanding of both traditional and Agile delivery models and frameworks.
  • Expertise in cloud-native technologies and modern cybersecurity practices.

Responsibilities

  • Assess and enhance current delivery capabilities and frameworks for improved maturity.
  • Establish a scalable operating model for the full delivery lifecycle.
  • Provide strategic oversight for infrastructure and security initiatives.
  • Translate technical strategies into actionable portfolio plans.
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Technical Team Execution Leads.
  • Serve as the primary partner to senior leaders in Infrastructure and Security.
  • Drive prioritization and resource alignment based on business needs.

Benefits

  • Remote work flexibility with limited travel (5-15%).
  • Opportunities for professional development and certifications support.
  • Commitment to a collaborative and innovative work culture.
  • Standard work hours with understanding of workload flexibility.
  • Access to a high-performing, purpose-driven work environment.
Full Job Description
Position Overview
The Director, Infrastructure & Security Delivery is responsible for transforming and leading technical delivery across the Enterprise Infrastructure and Information Security portfolios within Zelis' Engineering, Data, and Infrastructure (ZEDI) department. Working closely with senior leaders in Enterprise Infrastructure, Information Security, and the Senior Director of Product Operations & PMO, this role will assess current delivery frameworks, operating models, and practices and establish a modern, scalable approach that improves delivery predictability, transparency, speed, quality, and business outcomes.

This role leads, mentors, and grows a team of Technical Team Execution Leads responsible for driving process excellence across the full delivery lifecycle-from demand intake, prioritization, and planning through execution, implementation, operational transition, and outcome measurement. The Director will establish consistent delivery standards while ensuring practices remain adaptable to the needs, maturity, and technical complexity of each portfolio.

The Director serves as a strategic partner and trusted advisor to senior Infrastructure and Information Security leaders. This individual will translate technical strategies, roadmaps, risk priorities, and modernization goals into executable portfolio plans with clear outcomes, ownership, dependencies, capacity requirements, and decision points.

The successful candidate will bring significant experience transforming technical delivery organizations in fast-paced, highly matrixed environments. The role requires expertise across traditional, Agile, hybrid, product-oriented, and continuous delivery models, along with deep technical knowledge of modern infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity, and operational resilience practices. This leader will be instrumental in helping Zelis adopt AI-first, cloud-native, and secure-by-design ways of working.

Key responsibilities:
  • Assess current delivery capabilities, frameworks, governance practices, tools, and operating rhythms across Enterprise Infrastructure and Information Security; define and execute a roadmap to improve delivery maturity.
  • Establish a consistent, scalable delivery operating model spanning demand intake, evaluation, prioritization, planning, execution, implementation, operational transition, and benefits realization.
  • Provide strategic oversight for complex infrastructure, cybersecurity, resiliency, governance, architecture, and enterprise technology initiatives.
  • Translate technical roadmaps, security risks, regulatory obligations, and modernization priorities into realistic portfolio plans with clear scope, milestones, ownership, capacity requirements, dependencies, and outcomes.
  • Lead, mentor, and develop Technical Team Execution Leads; establish clear performance expectations, career paths, and succession plans.
  • Serve as the primary delivery partner to senior leaders in Enterprise Infrastructure and Information Security, advising on portfolio health, delivery feasibility, investment priorities, capacity, sequencing, and organizational readiness.
  • Establish portfolio governance, delivery standards, operating rhythms, and decision-making forums appropriate to the scale, complexity, and risk of the work.
  • Drive portfolio prioritization and resource alignment based on business value, security exposure, operational risk, architectural direction, regulatory requirements, and available capacity.
  • Identify and resolve systemic delivery risks, technical dependencies, resource constraints, and organizational impediments; escalate issues with clear business impacts and recommended mitigation options.
  • Define and use delivery metrics to improve predictability, throughput, quality, aging work, dependency health, risk visibility, stakeholder confidence, and realized outcomes.
  • Provide concise executive-level reporting on progress, risks, decisions, resource needs, roadmap impacts, and strategic trade-offs.
  • Partner across Infrastructure, Information Security, Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, Product, Compliance, Finance, Operations, and business teams to coordinate cross-functional delivery and clarify accountability.
  • Ensure initiatives align with enterprise architecture standards, security policies, operational controls, regulatory requirements, audit expectations, and long-term platform strategy.
  • Advance AI-enabled delivery, cloud-native architecture, infrastructure as code, DevSecOps, secure-by-design, platform engineering, automation, and continuous delivery practices.
  • Build a high-performing delivery culture grounded in accountability, transparency, collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement, and measurable outcomes.
  • Establish post-implementation reviews and feedback mechanisms to capture lessons learned, measure benefits, and continuously improve delivery practices.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.


Technical Domain Knowledge

The ideal candidate will possess strong knowledge across several of the following areas:
  • Enterprise infrastructure, including public and private cloud, networking, compute, storage, databases, identity, end-user technology, observability, and environment management.
  • Cloud architecture and delivery practices across AWS, Azure, or comparable enterprise cloud platforms.
  • Cloud-native technologies and patterns, including containers, orchestration, microservices, APIs, platform engineering, infrastructure as code, policy as code, and automated provisioning.
  • Information security capabilities, including identity and access management, privileged access management, vulnerability management, data protection, threat detection, incident response, security operations, and security control implementation.
  • Cybersecurity principles and practices, including Zero Trust, least privilege, defense in depth, secure-by-design, continuous control monitoring, and DevSecOps.
  • Infrastructure reliability and resilience, including disaster recovery, business continuity, high availability, capacity management, service management, and site reliability engineering.
  • Enterprise architecture, solution design, integration patterns, technology standards, platform modernization, and architecture governance.
  • AI-first operating practices, including responsible generative AI adoption, intelligent automation, AIOps, delivery analytics, and AI-assisted planning and decision support.
  • IT governance, risk management, regulatory compliance, policy implementation, control tracking, and audit response.
  • Enterprise delivery and portfolio management platforms such as Jira, Jira Align, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow, Planview, or comparable tools.
  • Healthcare technology, regulated environments, data protection, privacy, and PHI/PII considerations.


Professional Experience/Qualifications
  • Minimum of 12 years of experience delivering IT infrastructure products, platforms, programs, or enterprise technology initiatives.
  • Minimum of 7 years of people leadership experience, including responsibility for hiring, coaching, performance management, organizational development, and succession planning.
  • Demonstrated success leading technical delivery organizations responsible for complex infrastructure and information security portfolios.
  • Proven experience assessing and transforming delivery frameworks, operating models, governance practices, tools, and organizational capabilities.
  • Experience leading Technical Delivery Managers, Technical Program Managers, Program Managers, Delivery Leads, Scrum Masters, or similar delivery roles.
  • Extensive experience partnering directly with senior leaders in Infrastructure, Information Security, Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, Risk, Compliance, and Operations.
  • Strong experience with traditional, Agile, hybrid Agile, product-oriented, and continuous planning and delivery models.
  • Experience implementing cloud-native, DevSecOps, platform engineering, infrastructure automation, enterprise cybersecurity, or related modernization capabilities.
  • Demonstrated success improving delivery predictability, transparency, throughput, quality, and stakeholder confidence through measurable organizational change.
  • Experience managing competing priorities, complex dependencies, and resource constraints in a highly matrixed, fast-paced organization.
  • Strong portfolio, financial, and resource management capabilities, including capacity forecasting, investment prioritization, vendor oversight, and workforce planning.
  • Proven ability to communicate technical delivery health, business impact, risk, and strategic trade-offs to executive audiences.
  • Experience operating in healthcare, financial services, insurance, or another highly regulated industry is preferred.


Leadership requirements include:
  • Enterprise-minded leader who can connect business strategy, technical priorities, security risk, and delivery execution.
  • Technically credible partner capable of engaging with infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity, architecture, engineering, and operational leaders.
  • Transformational leader with demonstrated success defining a future-state delivery model and leading sustained organizational change.
  • Strong people leader committed to coaching, developing, and empowering delivery professionals.
  • Strategic thinker with the operational discipline to translate long-term objectives into measurable execution plans.
  • Decisive and accountable leader who creates clarity, addresses difficult issues, and follows through on commitments.
  • Skilled change leader who can build alignment, overcome resistance, and drive adoption across diverse organizations.
  • Strong executive presence with excellent facilitation, communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
  • Ability to lead through ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and make sound decisions with incomplete information.
  • Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify patterns, anticipate risks, remove systemic barriers, and escalate effectively.
  • Data-driven mindset focused on measurable outcomes rather than process adherence alone.
  • Demonstrated ability to influence outcomes without direct authority across a highly matrixed enterprise.
  • Commitment to servant leadership, collaboration, transparency, inclusion, innovation, and continuous improvement.


Education & Certification:
  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required; MBA or master's degree preferred
  • PMP, PgMP, SAFe, Scrum, ITIL, CISSP, CISM, CRISC, TOGAF, AWS, Azure, or related certifications are preferred.


Work Environment:
  • Can work remotely; travel requirements to (primarily) domestic destinations 5 - 15%
  • A standard work week exists but with the understanding that additional time/effort outside of the usual parameters can/will occur based upon the overall needs, where deadlines exist and when necessary.
  • A standard business environment exists with moderate noise levels.
  • Ability to lift and move approximately thirty (30) pounds on a non-routine basis.
  • Ability to sit for extended periods of time.


Location and Workplace Flexibility

Zelis is headquartered in the U.S., with multiple locations across the country and in Hyder

About Performant Financial

Performant Financial Corporation is a business services company that provides technology-enabled recovery and related analytics services in the United States. The company primarily offers recovery services to the government and private clients in various markets, such as healthcare, student loans, and general collections. Performant Financial Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Livermore, California.
Learn more about Performant Financial
Size
1,269 employees
Market Cap
$237.8 million
Industry
Net Income
-$21.5 million
Founded
1976
5 Year Trend
-2.5%
Revenue
$159.7 million
NASDAQ

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