Head of IT Operations

Position: Head of IT Operations
Salary: $145,000
Department: Platform
Reports To: CEO
Other Key Relationships: Head of Engineering, CPO, CFO, Platform Team members (product, engineering, design), editors, external professional advisers, suppliers and partners.

About The Conversation

The Conversation’s mission is to democratise news, share knowledge and inform decisions. In a world that's infected with spin and fake news, it's more important than ever for us to deliver on our mission. The Conversation is an independent source of news, sourced from the academic and research community and delivered directly to the public. The Conversation International is a remote-first team focused on making sure our fundamentals are right across the business. Consequently, our process and tooling is constantly being improved and optimised so we can react and deliver across the changing landscape.

About the role

As Head of IT Operations, you will work together with the CEO and Head of Engineering to ensure The Conversation’s IT infrastructure is secure, efficient, and aligned with organisational goals. You’ll lead planning, oversee day-to-day IT operations, and manage key cloud services and hardware systems. In this hands-on role, you’ll address IT support requests, enhance security practices, and streamline processes to improve efficiency. This role is perfect for a proactive leader with technical expertise and a customer-focused mindset.

Responsibilities

Strategic Planning:

• Work closely with the CEO and the Head of Engineering to refine the IT strategy and roadmap and set measurable performance goals
• Audit IT services and integrations for efficiency and security, carrying out reconfigurations, upgrades, or consolidations where needed to meet performance and security objectives
• Provide recommendations on hardware and software
• Coordinate with the Finance Team for budgeting and forecasting, managing asset lifecycles and licensing costs based on usage trends and organisational needs

IT Operations Management:

• Manage and oversee day-to-day operations for core cloud services, including Google Workspace, Slack, Salesforce, and KnowBe4, ensuring efficient functionality and addressing user requests promptly
• Provide direct IT support for staff across managed cloud services, setting clear response times and prioritising support tickets to maintain high service standards
• Configure and maintain our service-request tracking system, supporting team engagement with IT and the Platform Team and enhancing automation for frequent support requests
• Directly procure, configure, upgrade, and troubleshoot software and hardware as required, taking full responsibility for timely and cost-effective resolutions
• Maintain and manage the mobile device management (MDM) system to ensure secure device use and lifecycle tracking
• Handle supplier relationships and track renewals, actively managing contracts to align with both budget forecasts and operational needs

Cybersecurity & Risk Management:

• Lead security protocols and initiatives for cloud applications, implementing and enforcing policies to reduce risk and improve security posture
• Oversee the cybersecurity program, including hands-on management of security awareness training and phishing simulations with the support of our cybersecurity partner
• Respond to privacy-related requests and data management requirements to maintain regulatory compliance

On and off-boarding & Training:

• Direct onboarding and offboarding processes, managing service access setup, initial training, and coordinating with the Platform Team to automate workflows where possible
• Provide initial IT training and orientation to new staff, ensuring understanding of core systems and security practices

Documentation & Policy Development:

• Document service-management procedures and configurations to ensure clarity and accessibility for internal use, including troubleshooting guides and configuration details
• Review and update IT policies and procedures regularly in collaboration with key stakeholders, particularly the Head of Engineering, to align with organisational needs and compliance requirements

About you

Requirements:

• Experience as Head of IT or a IT lead or senior admin looking to step up, able to set up systems, software, and hardware in a high-growth company
• Exceptional communication skills with an empathetic and customer-centric approach, with a measurable impact on customer satisfaction.
• Project management skills to manage IT infrastructure
• Proven experience with Macintosh administration using MDM tools like Mosyle, along with other services like Google Workspace and Slack
• Hands-on experience in actioning security protocols, credential management and storage systems and processes.

Desirable:

• Experience managing Salesforce, including plug-ins and role-based access
• Skills in scripting/programming or analytics (e.g., SQL, Looker Studio, Tableau)

• Experience in a global organisation, collaborating across time zones to deliver on key objectives

Benefits

Meaningful work:

Every minute you spend working with us, you're making a difference to share knowledge and inform the important decisions that affect people’s lives. From personal habits to major policy change - the more The Conversation grows, the bigger impact we have.

Work-life balance:

We have flexible working hours and we prioritise a healthy work-life balance. While this job will be based in our Melbourne office, our team has a remote-first working style to ensure that we can still collaborate when we need to be somewhere else.

Apply

Please send us a copy of your CV to [email protected] by 31 December 2024 (no cover letter required):