Head of IT New Austin, TX

At Future Secure AI, we’re building something genuinely new — and we’re looking for people bold enough to build it with us. We work at the frontier of AI, tackling big, real‑world problems for global enterprises across multiple industries, armed with state‑of‑the‑art technology and a culture that prizes courage, rigor, and relentless curiosity. Our BRAVER values aren’t just words on a wall — they describe the kind of people we are and the standard we hold ourselves to every day. Our leadership team is entrepreneurial, experienced, and accessible, with an open‑door policy that means you’ll never be just a number here. We invest seriously in your growth because we know our success depends on yours. If you’re ready to work alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry, push into uncharted territory, and do work that genuinely matters, Future Secure AI is the place for you. About the Role We are a global AI company headquartered in Austin with 350 global FTE, increasing to ~700 over the next 3‑6 months, transitioning our IT function from an outsourced managed service to an in‑house capability. We’re looking for a Head of IT to own, build, and scale our internal IT function — ensuring our people are productive, secure, and supported wherever they work. This role is intentionally hands‑on to begin with. You’ll personally take ownership of core IT operations and support during the transition period, while designing the structure, processes, and roadmap to build a small, high‑performing IT team over the next 6‑9 months. Key Responsibilities Own the company’s end‑to‑end IT function, transitioning services from an outsourced provider to an internal model. Act as a hands‑on leader, directly managing IT operations and support in the initial phase. Define and execute an internal IT roadmap aligned with business growth, security, and compliance needs. Plan, hire, and build a small internal IT team over the next 6‑9 months to help transition from outsourced IT management to in‑house. Serve as the senior escalation point for IT issues and decision‑making. End‑User IT & Support Personally oversee – and initially execute – onboarding and offboarding of staff, including laptops, software, and access provisioning. Establish and run a staff IT helpdesk / helpline with clear SLAs and excellent user experience. Ensure employees have the right tools, licenses, and subscriptions to do their jobs effectively. Manage the full hardware lifecycle (procurement, asset tracking, replacements, repairs). Hands‑on experience with MS O365, i.e. the MS Office Productivity Suite and Teams & SharePoint. Cloud, Network & Security Own the security, reliability, and compliance of our cloud‑based IT environment. Own endpoint Zero Trust rollout and operations (client deployment, device compliance/posture, access policy enforcement, remediation/support). Collaborate closely with Platform Engineering, Security, and Risk to align ownership boundaries, standards, and audit requirements. Manage identity and access management, ensuring the right access for the right people. Implement and maintain security best practices (endpoint security, patching, backups, incident response). Lead audits, certifications, and compliance requirements as applicable (e.g. SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR). Manage relationships with IT vendors, SaaS providers, and any remaining managed services during the transition. Optimise IT spend across software licenses, subscriptions, and hardware. Negotiate contracts and ensure value for money without compromising security or reliability, including with internal LLM providers. Lead the end‑to‑end vendor due diligence process to ensure standards for security, resilience and performance are met. Process & Documentation Establish clear IT policies, processes, and documentation from the ground up. Ensure systems and procedures are scalable, repeatable, and auditable. Drive continuous improvement in IT service delivery and employee experience. What We’re Looking For Required Experience Proven experience leading IT operations in a growing company (tech, SaaS, or global organization preferred). Demonstrated ability to roll up sleeves and deliver hands‑on IT support when needed. Experience building or scaling small IT teams. Strong background in end‑user IT, cloud environments, and security best practices. Experience transitioning from outsourced IT to an in‑house model (or building IT from scratch). Hands‑on experience with identity and access management. Hands‑on experience with device and endpoint management (MDM). Hands‑on experience with SaaS license and vendor management. Experience supporting distributed or remote teams across multiple regions. Nice to Have Experience with security frameworks and compliance programs (SOC 2, ISO). Prior experience in fast‑growth or globally distributed organizations. Experience with hosted LLMs. Personal Attributes Comfortable operating as both doer and leader. Pragmatic, organized, and proactive. Strong communicator with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. Security‑minded without being overly bureaucratic. Calm under pressure with a bias toward action. Why Join Us? High‑performance culture. State‑of‑the‑art technology. Experience world‑class leadership. Scale of impact and purpose. A competitive salary and a huge growth trajectory. Work with the best in the industry. Flexible work environment. Diversity and creativity. We are an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic. #J-18808-Ljbffr