Head of IT

Location: London (preferred) or San Francisco - ability to go to the office at least 3 times per weekReports to: SVP of EngineeringTeam: You'll manage an IT Operations Engineer, with scope to grow the team as needs scaleThe OpportunityWe're looking for a Head of IT to build and lead IT Operations as a strategic function at Sanity. This isn't a keep-the-lights-on role. We need someone who sees IT, compliance, and procurement as levers for competitive advantage—someone who will proactively drive initiatives that help the entire company move faster.You'll own the systems and processes that enable our team members in Oslo, London, San Francisco, and across North America and Europe to do their best work. You'll turn compliance from a necessary burden into a genuine asset that accelerates enterprise sales. You'll approach procurement not as cost management, but as a way to level up every team by getting them the right tools and partnerships.The right person will be obsessed with using AI and automation to build operations that scale. We're a 240-person company that should feel like it has world-class operational infrastructure while staying stage-appropriate. Manual processes should keep you up at night.What You'll OwnIT OperationsBuild AI-powered workflows that make onboarding, offboarding, and day-to-day IT support nearly invisibleDesign self-service systems that scale with the company without requiring proportional headcount growthOwn the device lifecycle with automation-first thinking: provisioning, deployment, recovery, and secure disposalManage identity and access across our SaaS stack with security and usability in balanceCreate operational infrastructure that makes a 240-person company feel like it has Fortune 500 supportProcurement & Vendor ManagementAct as a sparring partner to teams in selecting tools—a center of excellence that helps identify, evaluate, and adopt the right solutionsMultiply procurement effectiveness across the company: structured processes, faster decisions, better vendor outcomes, reduced frictionBuild vendor relationships that give us startup agility with enterprise-grade capabilitiesOwn AI tool strategy and spending (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.), moving us from credit card chaos to strategic partnershipsCompliance & SecurityTransform compliance from a checkbox exercise into a sales accelerator that wins enterprise dealsOwn and execute our SOC 2 certification end-to-end with efficient, automated evidence gatheringTurn RFI and security questionnaire responses into a competitive advantage—fast, thorough, repeatableProactively manage sub-processor documentation, particularly for AI tools, so new capabilities don't create sales frictionBuild a security posture that enterprise customers trust and that doesn't slow down internal teamsStrategic LeadershipDefine and drive the IT Operations roadmap as a peer to other company leadersBuild an IT operations strategy that scales from 200 to 500+ employees without linear headcount growthPartner with SRE and Engineering to create a cohesive infrastructure and tooling experienceMeasure and communicate the impact of operational improvements on company velocityWhat We're Looking ForExperience7+ years in IT, with at least 3 years in a senior or leadership roleHands-on experience managing IT for a distributed, global team (200-500 people)Able to manage and procure upwards of 50+ vendors, owning a budget in the 7 digitsTrack record implementing and maintaining compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR)Experience with enterprise sales support in a B2B SaaS company—you've answered RFIs and security questionnairesProven ability to reduce IT operational burden through automationTechnical SkillsDeep knowledge of modern SaaS administration (Google Workspace, Okta/SSO, MDM solutions)Experience with IT service management and ticketing systemsUnderstanding of cloud infrastructure basics (GCP strongly preferred, AWS/Azure an asset)Familiarity with security tools: endpoint protection, vulnerability management, SIEMComfort with scripting and automation (Python, Bash, or similar)Nice to HaveExperience with AI tooling administration (API key management, spending controls, sub-processor documentation)Familiarity with service catalog tools like BackstageExperience supporting engineering-heavy organizationsWhat Success Looks LikeFirst 30 DaysMap the current operational landscape, tooling, and pain points across all departmentsReview and improve onboarding/offboarding processes for employees and consultantsBuild relationships with stakeholders in Engineering, Sales, Finance, and PeoplePrepare and execute on SOC 2 Type 2 auditFirst 90 DaysEstablish enterprise agreements with key AI vendors, ending ad-hoc spendingDeliver quick automation wins that demonstrate what's possibleAudit compliance posture and create a roadmap for turning it into a sales assetFirst YearOperational infrastructure scales efficiently, with automation handling growthClear metrics show how Operations contributes to company velocityCompliance is a competitive advantage: RFI responses are fast, thorough, and help close dealsExecution plan for expanding SOC 2 Type 2 audit period from 3 to 6-12 monthsWhat we can offerCompetitive salary and equity in a high-growth Series C companyFlexible remote work environmentComprehensive health plans and perksA positive, trust-based culture that encourages long-term professional and personal growthA highly-skilled, inspiring, and supportive teamA global, multi-culturally diverse group of colleagues and customersOur Commitment to InclusionWe're building a team that reflects the diversity of content creators worldwide. We evaluate candidates on demonstrated skills and experience rather than credentials alone. If you need accommodations at any stage of the hiring process, let us know—we're committed to removing barriers and creating an equitable experience for all candidates.How to ApplySubmit your resume. No cover letter required. We'll review applications on a rolling basis and reach out to schedule an initial conversation.Who we areSanity.io is a modern, flexible content operating system that replaces rigid legacy content management systems. One of our big differentiators is treating content as data so that it can be stored in a single source of truth, but seamlessly adapted and personalized for any channel without extra effort. Forward-thinking companies choose Sanity because they can create tailored content authoring experiences, customized workflows, and content models that reflect their business.Sanity recently raised a $85m Series C led by GP Bullhound and is also backed by leading investors like ICONIQ Growth, Threshold Ventures, Heavybit and Shopify, as well as founders of companies like Vercel, WPEngine, Twitter, Mux, Netlify and Heroku. This funding round has put Sanity in a strong position for accelerated growth in the coming years.You can only build a great company with a great culture. Sanity is a 200+ person company with highly committed and ambitious people. We are pioneers, we exist for our customers, we are hel ved, and we love type two fun! Read more about our values here!Sanity.io pledges to be an organization that reflects the globally diverse audience that our product serves. We believe that in addition to hiring the best talent, a diversity of perspectives, ideas, and cultures leads to the creation of better products and services. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or gender identity.