Director of Infrastructure

The Team

Platform Engineering is responsible for building and operating shared platforms, tools, and services that enable Morningstar’s product and engineering teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and high-quality software. The organization focuses on operational excellence, reliability, automation, and developer enablement across application and infrastructure platforms. Platform Engineering acts as a force multiplier for product development by abstracting complexity, standardizing capabilities, and providing paved-road solutions that improve reliability, security, speed to market and financial awareness.

The Role

The Director of Platform Engineering provides strategic leadership for the Platform Engineering organization, owning the vision, operating model, and outcomes for shared platforms and operational capabilities. This role is accountable for ensuring platforms are reliable, observable, scalable, financially viable and aligned to the needs of product and engineering teams across the firm. The Director partners closely with senior leaders across Technology, Product Development, Infrastructure, Security, and Finance to define platform strategy, improve operational maturity, and drive measurable improvements in reliability, efficiency, and developer experience.

Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid policy- 4 days onsite)

Key Responsibilities

• Define and communicate the vision, strategy, and roadmap for Platform Engineering aligned to enterprise goals.
• Provide executive oversight for platform reliability, observability, and operational readiness.
• Champion SRE-inspired practices including proactive monitoring and post-incident learning.
• Drive adoption of AI-enabled capabilities and automation to improve platform and operational outcomes.
• Define KPIs for Platform Engineering incorporating critical success factors from the product development community and Central Technology
• Partner with Product Development, Security, and Finance leaders on platform investment and priorities.
• Partner with the Platform Services organization to deliver requirements for services and service consumption from the Platform Engineering platforms
• Lead and develop Platform Engineering managers and senior managers, fostering a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
• Partner with respective Platform Engineering team members and leadership globally to effectively deliver services offered by Platform Operations
• Effectively steward financials related to the hardware, software and labor spend for the Platform Engineering organization

Qualifications

Required:

• 10 years of experience in technology roles spanning Platform Engineering, Infrastructure, SRE, or large‑scale IT Operations environments.
• 5 years of experience leading managers and multi‑team organizations, including responsibility for setting strategy, priorities, and operating models.
• Proven ability to define and execute platform or operational strategy that delivers measurable improvements in reliability, efficiency, and developer experience.
• Strong understanding of modern platform concepts, including cloud platforms, observability, automation, CI/CD enablement, and operational readiness.
• Demonstrated success partnering with senior engineering, product, and business leaders to influence decisions and drive alignment across organizations.
• Experience establishing metrics and outcome‑based accountability for platform reliability, operational performance, and developer enablement.
• Experience with public cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure or Google Compute Platform
• Excellent communication, decision‑making, and stakeholder‑management skills, with the ability to operate effectively at executive levels.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent.

Preferred:

• Experience in the Financial Services industry or supporting complex, regulated business products.
• Leadership experience across Platform Engineering, Infrastructure, SRE, or IT Operations organizations.
• Experience managing IT Operations and production support functions.
• Strong understanding of modern platform, cloud, and operational practices, including observability, automation, and CI/CD.
• Familiarity with operational tooling and ITSM platforms, with the ability to guide strategy at scale.
• Experience driving AI‑enabled automation or intelligent operational capabilities in production environments.
• Experience with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure public cloud platforms
• Demonstrated ownership of platform budgets, vendor strategy, and cost optimization initiatives.

Compensation and Benefits

At Morningstar we believe people are at their best when they are at their healthiest. That’s why we champion your wellness through a wide range of programs that support all stages of your personal and professional life. Here are some examples of the offerings we provide:

• Financial Health

  • 100% 401k match up to 6% of salary

  • Stock Ownership Potential

  • Company provided life insurance - 1x salary commission

• Physical Health

  • Comprehensive health benefits (medical/dental/vision) including potential premium discounts and company-provided HSA contributions (up to $500-$2,000 annually) for specific plans and coverages

  • Additional medical Wellness Incentives - up to $300-$600 annual

  • Company-provided long- and short-term disability insurance

• Emotional Health

  • Trust-Based Time Off

  • 6-week Paid Sabbatical Program

  • 6-Week Paid Family Caregiving Leave

  • Competitive 8-24 Week Paid Parental Leave

  • Adoption Assistance

  • Leadership Coaching & Formal Mentorship Opportunities

  • Annual Flex Stipend - $1000 annually to cover personal education & well-being expenses

  • Tuition Reimbursement

• Social Health

  • Charitable Matching Gifts program

  • Dollars for Doers volunteer program

  • Paid volunteering days

  • 15 Employee Resource & Affinity Groups

Total Cash Compensation Range

Inclusive of annual base salary and target incentive

Morningstar's hybrid work environment gives you the opportunity to collaborate in-person each week as we've found that we're at our best when we're purposely together on a regular basis. In most of our locations, our hybrid work model is four days in-office each week. A range of other benefits are also available to enhance flexibility as needs change. No matter where you are, you'll have tools and resources to engage meaningfully with your global colleagues.