Director, IT Finance

Director, IT Finance

The Director, IT Finance brings order, rigor, and financial discipline to Hearst Technology Services' (HTS) enterprise IT and software asset landscape. Reporting to the VP of Finance & Business Operations, this role owns the governance and data integrity of HTS's assets and is the steward of asset data quality feeding cost, budget, and compliance reporting enterprise-wide. This is fundamentally a finance-and-governance role for someone who loves technology: the right candidate has built a career at the intersection of IT and Finance — in IT financial management, technology business management, FP&A, or digital finance. Success requires the diplomacy to align infrastructure, security, automation and business unit stakeholders around shared priorities and data standards; the judgment to evaluate and potentially replatform the current asset management toolset; and a genuine enthusiasm for using AI and automation to replace manual, error-prone process with something better.

Key Responsibilities

1. Governance, Data Quality & Rigor

• Own end-to-end governance of the enterprise asset system of record, improve data standards, ownership, and audit trails across the hardware and software asset lifecycle
• Drive a step-change improvement in asset data quality and integrity — closing gaps between source systems (procurement, billing, CMDB, and the TBM/ITFM platform) and eliminating manual reconciliation
• Chair the Configuration Control Board and related governance forums, converting operational input into enforced standards and holding stakeholders accountable to them
• Hold asset owners accountable for data quality and improvement in a way that fosters collaboration
• Serve as the point of contact for internal and external audit requests tied to IT/software asset compliance, ensuring documentation and licensing position stand up to scrutiny

2. Financial Management, Licensing & Contracts

• Own software license true-up and optimization for major enterprise vendors (e.g., Microsoft, Adobe, ServiceNow), partnering with Technology Sourcing and Procurement on contract terms and FP&A on cost/GL alignment
• Analyze software and hardware utilization data to identify, quantify, and act on cost-recovery, deprovisioning, and right-sizing opportunities
• Bring total-cost-of-ownership thinking and financial rigor to every major licensing renewal, vendor negotiation, and platform decision
• Contribute to strategic contract negotiations and renewals alongside Technology Sourcing and Procurement

3. Platform Strategy & Replatforming

• Own the strategic direction of the enterprise IT/software asset management platform: assess current-state limitations, lead proof-of-concept evaluations of alternative or complementary platforms, and build the business case for replatforming where warranted
• Ensure the asset platform strategy integrates cleanly with upstream and downstream systems — procurement, billing, CMDB, and the TBM/ITFM reporting environment
• Lead platform implementation and upgrade initiatives end-to-end, including requirements, stakeholder alignment, and vendor management

4. Operational Partnership & Prioritization

• Serve as the connective tissue between infrastructure, security, application, and business unit stakeholders on internal priorities — using diplomacy and influence, without direct authority, to drive consensus on competing priorities
• Run recurring governance and reporting cadences with business units to validate license usage, forecast costs, and surface risk
• Bring structure to historically fragmented or inconsistent processes, establishing clear ownership, cadence, and accountability across operational groups

5. AI & Automation Enablement

• Champion the use of AI and automation to eliminate manual, error-prone asset and licensing workflows — from automated deprovisioning to AI-assisted reconciliation and reporting
• Partner with the TBM function and broader IT organization to extend enterprise AI initiatives into asset management, identifying and piloting new use cases
• Stay current on emerging AI/automation capabilities in the ITAM/SAM space and bring recommendations back to leadership

6. Team Leadership & People Management

• Manage software/hardware asset managers and contractors, evolving the team's remit from transactional provisioning toward data-driven, business-intelligence-style asset governance
• Guide team development, role evolution, and succession planning
• Partner closely with the VP of Finance & Business Operations and peer functional leads (Technology Sourcing and Procurement, TBM, FP&A) as part of the HTS Finance & Business Operations leadership team

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• 7+ years of experience in IT financial management, technology business management, FP&A, or digital finance
• At least 3 years of experience in a leadership or strategic capacity
• A background rooted in IT finance, technology business management, or digital finance — rather than traditional IT asset administration — with a genuine, demonstrated interest in technology and how it's financed, sourced, and governed
• Demonstrated experience with procurement processes, contract structuring/negotiation, and enterprise software licensing (e.g., Microsoft, Adobe, or similar large-scale agreements)
• Strong financial acumen: comfortable analyzing spend and utilization data, building total-cost-of-ownership models, and translating findings into clear recommendations for technical and executive audiences alike
• Demonstrated experience driving data quality or data governance improvement across a financial, technology, or reporting system
• Highly diplomatic, with excellent stakeholder management and negotiation skills, and a proven ability to build consensus across operational groups without direct authority over them
• Genuine enthusiasm for AI and automation as tools to modernize manual process, with examples of having championed or implemented automation in a prior role
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience presenting to senior executives

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of digital or technology operations
• Experience responding to internal and/or external audits (e.g., financial, compliance, or licensing audits)
• Experience leading a platform evaluation, RFP, or replatforming initiative
• FinOps, TBM Council (TBMA/CTBMP), or similar professional certification
• Experience managing a Microsoft enterprise agreement renewal, including familiarity with Microsoft's consumption/pricing constructs (e.g., CPS)
• Extensive career experience within publicly traded, public, or Fortune 500-type organizations

Key Tools & Platforms

• Enterprise TBM/ITFM platform (e.g., Apptio) — downstream cost/chargeback integration
• Microsoft 365 and Adobe licensing/administration portals
• Automation and virtual-agent tools for provisioning and self-service workflows
• Emerging AI tools for reconciliation, reporting, and license optimization

In accordance with applicable law, Hearst is required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role if hired in New York City. The reasonable estimate, if hired in New York City, is $170,000 - $190,000. Please note this information is specific to those hired in New York City. If this role is open to candidates outside of New York City, the salary range would be aligned to that specific location. A final decision on the successful candidate's starting salary will be based on a number of permissible, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to skills and experience, training, certifications, and education. Hearst provides a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, 401(k), paid holidays and paid time off, employee assistance programs, and more.

About Us

Hearst is a leading global, diversified information, services, and media company dedicated to innovating, informing audiences and leading with purpose, integrity and a culture of care. Our portfolio includes more than 360 businesses worldwide. On the consumer side, we operate 35 television stations, 28 daily newspapers and publish more than 200 magazine editions featuring many of the most iconic brands in media. We also hold ownership stakes in leading cable networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN. On the business-to-business side, our companies include Fitch Group, a global leader in financial information and analytics; Hearst Health, which provides intelligence and software that improve care outcomes; and Hearst Transportation, which delivers data and software for aviation, automotive and trucking. Our strength lies in