IT Director

Kern Energy is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking IT Director to lead our enterprise technology strategy and ensure the reliability, security, and modernization of our refinery operations. This is a high-impact leadership role for someone who can balance strategic vision with hands-on technical and operational excellence.

As the IT Director, you will be responsible for aligning Kern Energy’s technology roadmap with business objectives, driving modernization across enterprise systems, and strengthening our cybersecurity posture. You will lead critical initiatives including IT transformation, industrial IoT integration, and security-driven business continuity and disaster recovery (BCP/DR).

This role requires a leader who can stabilize and secure core systems while advancing the company’s long-term digital evolution. You’ll oversee IT operations, guide a talented team, and champion best practices that enhance safety, efficiency, and resilience across the organization.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate Kern’s core values of Teamwork, Safety, Excellence, Integrity, and Connection in every aspect of their leadership and decision-making.

If you’re ready to shape the future of technology in California’s clean energy sector, we want to hear from you.

Job Function

- Provide strategic IT and cybersecurity leadership by developing and executing an enterprise technology roadmap aligned with Kern Energy’s business objectives, risk priorities, and continuity requirements.

- Advise senior leadership on emerging threats, technology trends, and decisions that impact operational reliability, security posture, and business resilience.

- Lead enterprise cybersecurity, business continuity, and disaster recovery (BCP/DR) programs to safeguard refinery operations and ensure compliance with frameworks such as NIST CSF 2.0 and CISA CPGs.

- Foster a culture of cyber accountability and operational readiness, conducting quarterly reviews with executives to assess cyber risk, recovery testing, and progress toward resilience goals.

- Oversee IT operations, infrastructure, and enterprise systems to maintain availability, scalability, and secure recovery. Implement structured service management practices including change, patch, and configuration management.

- Champion digital transformation initiatives—such as ERP evolution, cloud integration, and data analytics platforms, ensuring these are secure-by-design and enhance collaboration, efficiency, and decision-making.

- Identify, evaluate, and deploy emerging technologies that improve operational performance, deliver measurable business outcomes, and strengthen competitive advantage.

- Collaborate with business and operations leaders to optimize processes, align technology with functional goals, and support continuous improvement.

- Manage IT budgets, vendor relationships, and technology contracts to ensure cost-effective, compliant, and high-quality service delivery.

- Integrate IT, OT, and industrial IoT systems securely and efficiently, applying ISA/IEC 62443 principles to protect process control and safety systems while maintaining production continuity.

- Embed supplier risk and recovery requirements into vendor SLAs to strengthen overall operational resilience.

- Develop and track performance metrics to measure IT’s contribution to reliability, security maturity, and continuity preparedness, driving continuous improvement across all technology domains.

Supervisory Responsibilities

- Provide vision, leadership, and professional development for the IT team, including managers, system administrators, and support personnel.

- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement within the IT department.

- Mentor and develop IT leaders to ensure succession planning and organizational resilience.

Qualifications

Knowledge Skills

- Strong business acumen with the ability to translate business strategy into IT initiatives.

- Proven ability to develop business cases, financial models, and ROI analyses for technology investments.

- Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills with high emotional intelligence (EQ).

- Expertise in strategic IT planning, digital transformation, and innovation management.

- Deep knowledge of IT governance, risk management, and compliance frameworks (e.g., ITIL, COBIT).

- Strong technical foundation across enterprise applications, networks, cloud platforms, and cybersecurity.

- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to influence and engage stakeholders at all levels.

- Proven project management and change leadership skills

Education/ Experience

- Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).

- Minimum of 10 years of progressive IT leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a senior management role.

- Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-scale digital transformation initiatives (ERP, cloud, data analytics).

- Experience in refining or energy industry preferred but not required.

- Experience with cloud migration and hybrid IT environments

- Certifications such as PMP or ITIL preferred, but not required