Manager, IT Operations

At Levitate, we’re on a mission to make a real impact - for our customers, our team, and the world around us. We believe the best work comes from people who are curious, driven, and excited to grow. Our five core values guide everything we do, and we look for teammates who embody the traits that make those values come to life: Creating Magic ✨ You have the persistence and grit to turn ambitious ideas into remarkable outcomes. Showing Customer Empathy ❤️ You bring humble confidence, listening deeply, and putting customers first. Making Data-Driven Decisions 📊 You pair creativity with insights to make smarter, faster choices. Focusing on Solutions, Not Problems 🔍 You approach challenges with positivity and critical thinking, always looking for the way forward. Making Small Improvements Every Day 🌱 You embrace coachability and lean into discomfort to grow, improve, and drive lasting change. Here, you won’t just do a job, you’ll help create meaningful experiences, solve real problems, and shape the future of our company.   Levitate is growing — in headcount, in locations, and in the complexity of the systems and tools that power our people and operations. We're looking for a Manager, IT Operations to lead our IT function at a critical inflection point: from a tactical, reactive support model to a strategic, proactive one. This is a leadership role for someone who can think architecturally about systems and infrastructure, manage and develop a small team, and act as a trusted partner to the Sr. Director of Operations, SVP of Engineering, and cross-functional leadership on all things IT. You'll own our IT strategy, systems architecture, AI tooling governance, compliance posture, and day-to-day IT operations while building the team and processes that allow Levitate to scale confidently across multiple locations. The right person for this role brings both technical depth and people leadership. You can have a credible conversation with an engineer about infrastructure decisions and turn around and translate that into clear direction for a Coordinator resolving a support ticket. You're comfortable with ambiguity, thrive in lean environments, and are energized by building something, not just maintaining it. What You'll Own IT Strategy & Architecture Define and maintain Levitate's IT systems architecture — how tools are selected, integrated, and governed across the organization Serve as the primary IT thought partner to the Sr. Director of Operations and collaborate closely with the SVP of Engineering on infrastructure decisions, systems integrations, and technical architecture Evaluate new technologies and make recommendations that balance business needs, security posture, cost, and scalability Own the IT roadmap, including multi-site infrastructure strategy as Levitate continues to expand across Raleigh, Toronto, and future locations AI Tooling Governance Own Levitate's AI tooling strategy including access governance, departmental alignment, contract management, and ongoing evaluation of AI platforms (e.g., ChatGPT Enterprise, Claude, and emerging tools) Conduct regular access audits to ensure the right teams have access to the right tools, aligned with our compliance and risk tolerance Stay current on the AI tooling landscape and bring forward-thinking recommendations on how Levitate can use AI to operate more efficiently and securely Security, Compliance & Risk Own IT's role in Levitate's SOC 2 Type 2 and HIPAA compliance programs, serving as a primary resource and technical partner to our Compliance Specialist Maintain and evolve our security tooling stack, including endpoint protection (CrowdStrike), access management, and identity governance Ensure least-privilege access principles are applied consistently across all systems and locations Support compliance readiness for additional frameworks as the business requires (PCI, etc.) Proactively assess IT risk and bring recommendations to leadership before issues escalate Systems Ownership & Administration Oversee system administration across Levitate's core IT stack — including Google Workspace, Zoom, Microsoft 365, MDM, JumpCloud, and other business-critical platforms Own SaaS license governance including renewal management, license optimization, and vendor relationships across the IT stack Own hardware and asset management lifecycle: procurement, enrollment, tracking, and offboarding across all locations Own and evolve our IT ticketing and service management solution, ensuring the team is delivering consistent, measurable support to the business Define standards and documentation for IT systems, configurations, and processes so knowledge is institutional, not individual Own and manage the internal IT budget, including partnering with Finance and cross-functional teams on annual planning, tracking spend, and identifying opportunities to optimize and reduce ongoing recurring costs across the IT stack People Leadership & Team Development Manage, coach, and develop individual contributors on the IT Operations  team Set clear expectations, provide regular feedback, and create development pathways that grow the team's capability over time Build team structure and processes that scale including clear intake, prioritization, and escalation frameworks As Levitate grows, partner with the Sr. Director of Operations to define and hire dedicated IT resources as needed Cross-Functional Partnership Act as a systems and IT consultant to department leaders evaluating new tools or processes — providing architecture input, security review, and integration guidance Collaborate with HR, Finance, RevOps, and other functions to ensure systems implementations are designed well, integrated cleanly, and maintained effectively Partner with the SVP of Engineering to maintain clear ownership boundaries between IT operations and engineering infrastructure, ensuring alignment without duplication What We're Looking For Required 5+ years of experience in IT management, systems administration, or IT operations with at least 2 years in a people leadership or team lead role Demonstrated experience owning IT infrastructure and systems architecture in a multi-site or distributed environment Hands-on experience with endpoint security and protection platforms (CrowdStrike or equivalent) Strong working knowledge of Google Workspace, MDM solutions, identity and access management (JumpCloud or equivalent), and SaaS application administration Experience supporting compliance programs — SOC 2, HIPAA, or similar frameworks Proven ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders, and to influence decisions across functions without direct authority Strong project management skills and comfort operating in a lean, fast-moving environment Preferred Experience in a SaaS company or high-growth technology environment Familiarity with AI tooling governance — evaluating, managing, and auditing AI platform access across an organization Experience building or scaling an IT function, not just inheriting one Background managing IT across multiple physical locations Relevant certifications (CompTIA Security+, CISSP, or equivalent) a plus   Our commitment to our staff is showcased not only through our strong company culture, but also through our employee-centric benefits and programs including: Daily catered lunches from locally-owned restaurants and diverse snack offerings  Employee-led groups (run club, disc golf club, and book club, just to name a few) that bring employees with similar hobbies and interests together to inspire and build relationships Plentiful opportunities to volunteer with and contribute to local organizations that align with the passions of our staff Flexible PTO to facilitate strong work-life balance  Paid parental leave that provides employees with support and flexibility as they grow their families Extensive benefit options including healthy lifestyle reimbursement, 401(k) matching, HSA/FSA, dental, vision, and mental health coverage, and much more Culture Crew and Emerging Leader programs to foster employee leadership development, inclusivity, and connection through year-round trainings and events Offices: (Raleigh);