IT Operations & Security Lead

We’re looking for a hands-on IT Manager to own day-to-day IT operations for our office and team. You’ll also be a key partner to our Compliance & Security Director in maintaining our SOC 2 program. This role suits someone who is just as comfortable setting up a new hire’s laptop as preparing evidence for an auditor, and who understands that good IT hygiene and good compliance are the same work. You’ll be the go-to person for how our systems run, how they’re secured, and how we prove it.

What you’ll do

IT operations (about 60%)

• Own the employee device lifecycle: procurement, setup, onboarding and offboarding, inventory, and retirement
• Administer Google Workspace and other SaaS applications
• Manage user accounts, permissions, and access controls
• Manage endpoints through MDM including patching, encryption, and configuration standards
• Provide responsive helpdesk support and build self-service documentation so the team can solve common issues on their own
• Manage IT vendors, licenses, and the IT budget, and flag renewal and cost decisions early
• Assist with testing and evaluation of technology services, and applications
• Support process improvements and operational enhancements as needed

Security and compliance support (about 40%)

• Partner with the Director of Security and Compliance to maintain organized and audit-ready compliance evidence.
• Support cybersecurity audit and assessments
• Collaborate with system owners to reduce vulnerabilities and compliance gaps
• Maintain IT policies and procedures and keep them consistent with how the team actually works
• Support security incident response by triaging alerts, escalating appropriately, and documenting outcomes
• Leverage AI tools and automation to improve security monitoring, third-party risk management, and incident response

Qualifications

Required

• Deep alignment with DataKind’s mission and values, and demonstrated commitment to educational equity and data-driven social impact
• 5+ years in IT operations or systems administration, with at least 2 years owning IT for an organization or office
• Direct experience supporting a SOC 2 audit (or ISO 27001 or similar), including evidence collection and operating controls
• Strong working knowledge of operating systems (required: Windows, MacOS, preferred: Linux), identity and access management platforms, MDM, and SaaS administration
• Clear, patient communication with non-technical colleagues
• The judgment to prioritize between an urgent helpdesk ticket and a compliance deadline, and to say so when both can’t happen at once
• Experience creating documentation and standard operating procedures

Preferred

• Hands-on experience with GRC tools
• Certifications such as CompTIA Security+, Google Workspace Administrator, or Microsoft 365 Administrator
• Experience with HRIS-to-IdP integrations for automated provisioning
• Experience in a small or growing organization where you built processes from scratch