Director – IT

Location(s)

Birmingham, Alabama, Jacksonville, Florida

Details

Kemper is one of the nation’s leading specialized insurers. Our success is a direct reflection of the talented and diverse people who make a positive difference in the lives of our customers every day. We believe a high-performing culture, valuable opportunities for personal development and professional challenge, and a healthy work-life balance can be highly motivating and productive. Kemper’s products and services are making a real difference to our customers, who have unique and evolving needs. By joining our team, you are helping to provide an experience to our stakeholders that delivers on our promises. 

Kemper is seeking a Director, IT as a strategic and technically proficient DevOps Director to lead our enterprise-wide DevOps function. This role is responsible for leading a team and setting the vision and governance for secure SDLC practices, infrastructure automation, and platform reliability. The DevOps Director will guide cross-functional teams, manage tool chain efficiency, and ensure alignment with compliance standards such as SOX enabling scalable, secure, and efficient software delivery.

 RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define and drive best practices across the secure SDLC and infrastructure automation landscape
• Lead and mentor DevOps teams responsible for automation platforms, cloud infrastructure, and CI/CD tooling
• Oversee compliance and audit processes, including SOX requirements and change control governance
• Drive standardization, cost optimization, and operational excellence across cloud and DevOps toolchains
• Guide cross-functional technical initiatives and serve as a liaison between engineering, security, and operations
• Own team structure, performance management, and succession planning
• Govern SDLC tool access, lifecycle management, and entitlement reviews
• Identify and remove blockers to accelerate DevOps delivery and adoption

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of experience in DevOps, IT infrastructure, or platform engineering, including 3+ years in a leadership role
• Deep experience with AWS (EKS, EC2, S3, EFS), CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab, Artifactory), and container orchestration
• Strong scripting skills (BASH, Python) and familiarity with modern build tools (Maven, Gradle, Docker)
• Demonstrated success leading teams in a regulated industry with SOX or similar compliance obligations
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional initiatives and mentor technical talent
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field (Master’s preferred) or equivalent work experience.
• This position works onsite at a Kemper office.

Kemper is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, disability status or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We are committed to supporting diversity and equality across our organization and we work diligently to maintain a workplace free from discrimination.  
Kemper does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Kemper and Kemper will not be obligated to pay a placement fee. 

Kemper will never request personal information, such as your social security number or banking information, via text or email.  Additionally, Kemper does not use external messaging applications like WireApp or Skype to communicate with candidates.  If you receive such a message, delete it.  

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