IT Lead

As the IT Lead, you will be responsible for overseeing the company's technology infrastructure, IT operations, and system administration. Your primary focus will be to ensure the security, scalability, and reliability of IT systems, provide support to internal teams, manage vendors, and align the IT strategy with business needs, especially in a fast-paced, data-driven product environment. Key Responsibilities: - Manage and maintain office IT infrastructure including networks, firewalls, VPNs, etc. - Ensure uptime and reliability of systems, devices, and network. - Maintain inventory and lifecycle of laptops, desktops, software licenses. - Oversee IT support and troubleshooting for internal teams regarding hardware, software, and network issues. Cybersecurity & Compliance: - Implement cybersecurity protocols and data protection policies. - Manage identity access, endpoint protection, backups, and incident response. - Ensure compliance with GDPR, SOC 2. Business Applications & Tooling: - Administer internal platforms such as email (O365), Slack, Teams, Jira, GitHub, etc. - Support onboarding and offboarding automation including access provisioning and deprovisioning. - Evaluate and implement new tools to enhance productivity and security. Vendor Management: - Manage relationships with IT vendors, ISPs, cloud service providers, etc. - Negotiate contracts and track service performance. Planning: - Own IT budgets, roadmap, and capacity planning. - Collaborate with Data Engineering, Consulting, Product, HR, and Engineering teams to ensure seamless operations. Qualifications & Skills: Must-Have: - Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, or a related field. - 6+ years of experience in IT infrastructure and support roles. - Hands-on expertise in networking, system administration (Windows/Mac/Linux), and cloud (AWS, GCP, or Azure). - Familiarity with endpoint security and IT compliance frameworks. - Strong troubleshooting skills and ability to respond to incidents promptly. Good-to-Have: - Experience in a product/startup environment. - Certifications: CCNA, CompTIA Security+, AWS Certified SysOps Admin (preferred). Soft Skills: - Problem-solving mindset with strong ownership. - Excellent communication and documentation skills. - Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities. - Stakeholder management - ability to interact with leadership and cross-functional teams.,