IT Operations & Security Lead

Role overview An experienced IT and security leader is needed to take ownership of internal systems at a fast-growing education technology organization with roughly 600 people spread across the UK and US. Reporting to the CTO as the first dedicated hire on a new Business Systems team, the role will design and execute a clear, proportionate, and scalable IT and security posture that grows with the company.

Responsibilities - Own and evolve the internal IT environment, including identity, devices, access governance, and tooling across multiple offices. - Build automation and processes that eliminate recurring manual work in onboarding, offboarding, and access reviews. - Establish security defaults and continuous evidence collection so audits become routine rather than fire drills. - Evaluate software spend, rationalize overlapping tools, and surface clear return-on-investment signals for every license. - Advise the CTO and broader leadership on modern IT and security practices, including the responsible adoption of AI tooling.

Requirements - Eligibility to work in Canada; remote role collaborating with teams on the West Coast and in Europe, alongside a new Chicago hub. - Demonstrated track record implementing IT and security change at scale, taking processes from manual and ad hoc to repeatable and automated. - Strong communication skills with the ability to influence across technical and non-technical audiences. - Business-minded judgment that balances risk, cost, and mission impact when prioritizing investment. - Experience building governance, automation, and scalable systems rather than only running ticket queues.

Nice to have - Background in environments transitioning through rapid headcount and tooling growth. - Familiarity with security-by-default architectures, identity-first design, and AI-assisted IT operations. - Experience rationalizing SaaS portfolios and building just-in-time provisioning.

Benefits and work setup - Salary range up to $120,000 CAD-equivalent, with openness to negotiation based on experience. - Fully remote within Canada, collaborating across North American and European time zones. - Mission-driven organization focused on improving outcomes in schools through better matching of educators and classrooms.