IT Lead

The IT Lead will be responsible for leading the company's technology infrastructure, IT operations, and system administration. You will ensure secure, scalable, and reliable IT systems, support internal teams, manage vendors, and align the IT strategy with business needs, especially in a fast-paced, data-driven product environment. Key Responsibilities IT Infrastructure & Operations - 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 - Work closely with Data Engineering, Consulting, Product, HR, and Engineering teams to enable seamless operations Qualifications & Skills Must-Have - Bachelors 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,