Senior IT Manager

ABOUT DISTYL AI Distyl is an applied AI technology company partnering with the world’s most ambitious institutions to rearchitect critical operations for the frontier of AI. Our customers include the largest companies in telecom, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, consumer goods, and global social organizations. We research and deploy technologies that power AI-native operations — both for our partners and for Distyl itself. Our work spans research into self-constructing systems, the development of the most reliable execution of AI systems, and products that transform mission-critical workflows. As a result, Distyl's technologies affect some of the world's largest operations — from hundreds of millions of consumer interactions to tens of millions of supply chain transactions and millions of patient journeys. Distyl is backed by leading investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Coatue, DST Global, and the board-members of 20+ F500s. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR As Senior IT Manager, you’ll build and lead the IT organization that enables Distyl to scale from approximately 180 to 500+ employees globally. Based in San Francisco, we’re looking for a hands-on IT leader who can establish reliable onboarding, offboarding, and access management; improve endpoint compliance and employee support; build the team and operating practices needed for growth; and strengthen audit evidence and remediation for corporate IT controls. Distyl's teams deploy AI systems alongside Fortune 50 customers in complex, regulated environments. You’ll ensure employees can work securely and efficiently across corporate and customer systems, protecting sensitive data while supporting our SF and NYC hubs and international expansion. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Building the Function - Build, lead, and develop a high-performing IT team with clear ownership, accountability, and a strong service mindset. - Own the IT strategy, roadmap, budget, and operating model to support growth from approximately 180 to 500+ employees globally. - Partner with Engineering, Security, Legal, Finance, People, and Operations to prioritize investments and scale technology across our SF and NYC hubs and international locations. Secure Operations - Own implementation and operation of security controls across corporate IT, partnering with Security on policy, risk management, incident response, and compliance - Help drive relevant compliance initiatives, partnering with internal teams and external experts on audits, customer security assessments, vendor reviews, and remediation. - Develop and improve business continuity, disaster recovery, and incident response practices, helping coordinate resolution of complex IT and security issues. Employee Experience - Deliver reliable, responsive employee technology services across office and remote environments, including devices, collaboration tools, networking, and A/V. - Improve help desk and IT service management processes through clear service standards, effective knowledge management, and accessible self-service support. - Own software procurement, vendor relationships, license optimization, and technology lifecycle management, balancing employee productivity, security, and cost. Automation - Automate onboarding, offboarding, provisioning, and access reviews to improve speed, consistency, and security as the company grows. - Build integrations, self-service tooling, and AI-powered workflows that reduce manual work and allow IT to scale efficiently. - Personally implement high-priority technical initiatives, maintain deep familiarity with core systems, and measure improvements in reliability, responsiveness, and operational efficiency. WHAT WE REQUIRE - 7+ years of progressive experience in IT or corporate technology, including experience leading teams and scaling systems and processes through significant organizational growth - Demonstrated track record of successfully prioritizing and executing competing initiatives in fast-growing environments with limited resources - Exceptional communication skills and ability to partner effectively with executives, customers, and cross-functional stakeholders - Proven experience hiring, developing, and leading high-performing IT, security operations, or corporate technology teams - Deep expertise in identity and access management, endpoint management, SaaS governance, networking, and corporate security - Experience implementing controls and supporting audits across relevant compliance requirements, such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, GDPR, or HIPAA - Demonstrated ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on execution WHAT WE OFFER - The base salary range for this role is $170K – $215K, depending on experience. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for meaningful equity, along with a comprehensive benefits package - 100% coverage of medical, dent