Director of IT & Information Security (all genders)  

The Role 

Join us as Director of IT & Information Security (all genders) in a high-impact leadership role: you own strategy, architecture, and security for the Hasso Plattner Foundation and shape the IT & Security agenda for our entire charitable ecosystem - including the renowned Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) - spanning across science & education, art & culture, and social & conservation.  

This is a mandate to scale and build further, grounded in trust. Our ecosystem is growing, and it needs a secure, scalable, cloud-first backbone: unified standards, strong cybersecurity, a modern SAP core, and AI-enabled processes that scale through automation rather than headcount.   

At the same time, you become the steward of what matters most: our data, assets both digital and physical, people, and reputation. You will shape several strategic decisions that come with this mandate: how we structure our infrastructure and tenants, how we govern AI across the ecosystem, and how we set up our CISO/security organization across our ecosystem. You define the target picture, make the calls, and deliver — as a strategic leader, a hands-on operator, and a trusted advisor to Executive Management.   

You will also collaborate with the family’s private and investment office on selected technology and security topics.  

If you want broad ownership, direct executive access, and the freedom to build things properly — with cybersecurity and AI innovation as your twin priorities — this is your platform.  

Your Responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership & Advisory  

• Own IT & Security end-to-end: strategy, architecture, operations, and budget for the Foundation, and the agenda for the wider ecosystem.  

• Be a trusted advisor to our Executive Management and senior ecosystem leadership on technology, security, and risk — with the discretion senior stakeholders expect.  

Security 

• Develop and harden our cybersecurity posture — security architecture, endpoint and identity management, incident response, and vendor security — keeping our data, assets, people, and associates safe across a cloud-first landscape.  

Service & Governance  

• Position IT infrastructure and support as a trusted, AI-enabled service: you optimize the service machine — satisfaction tracked, resolution fast, experience user-centric — with AI handling routine requests so your team can focus on what matters.  

• Institutionalize the ecosystem governance model — standards, tier-based guidelines, and Centers of Expertise — to scale innovation across the ecosystem and drive cloud-first standardization and digitalization, including data governance and responsible data use across entities. The CoE approach starts with our established SAP CoE (S/4HANA, SuccessFactors, Concur); your role is to expand it to other areas.  

AI & Digital Enablement  

• Drive AI enablement across all departments and within our ecosystem: shared AI skills, approved tooling, responsible governance — and automate core business processes end to end.  

People & Partners  

• Lead and grow a capable team; govern external partners with clear accountability.  

What You Bring 

We don’t expect anyone to tick every box - if you bring most of this and are excited by the mandate, we’d like to hear from you.  

• 15+ years of progressive IT and security leadership, ideally including scale-up or high-growth environments where you helped build and scale, not just maintain.  

• Proven end-to-end ownership of IT and information security — architecture, operations, and budget — in a cloud-first Microsoft environment (predominantly M365, Entra, Azure), with hybrid and multi-cloud components. 

• Strong cybersecurity foundation: risk management, incident response, security operations, and pragmatic application of frameworks (ISO 27001, BSI, GDPR, EU AI Act, NIS2).  

• A practitioner’s record on AI and automation: you have shipped AI-enabled processes and tooling, with the governance to match.  

• Experience with SAP landscapes (S/4HANA, SuccessFactors) is a strong plus.  

• A commercial grasp of IT cost: you can assess whether IT spend is reasonable and value-justified, with a working grasp of cost allocation and recharging in a multi-entity setup.  

• University degree in computer science, engineering, or comparable qualification; an additional commercial qualification is a plus. 

• A track record of excellent feedback on your leadership from previous roles — teams, peers, and superiors who vouch for how you lead.  

You Are... 

• Decisive, calm under pressure, and absolutely discreet - you build trust with senior stakeholders and deliver on your commitments.  

• A strategic IT and security leader who is comfortable owning architecture, operations, and budget end to end, and who thrives on turning complex mandates into clear, executable roadmaps. 

• Well-connected in your peer group: an active member of senior, merit-based IT leadership communities and networks, so you bring in outside best practices and fresh perspectives - and keep our thinking current.  

• Fluent in English; German a plus.  

• Energized by working predominantly on-site in Potsdam in a lean, expert environment, where decisions are fast, expectations are high, and the impact of your work on science, education, art, and conservation is tangible.