Director, IT (Operations/Strategy)

Aravo Solutions, Inc.; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employer-paid medical insurance

Maternity/paternity leave

Life and AD&D Insurance

Long-Term Disability Insurance

401K with company matching

Equity participation

4 weeks vacation

Fully stocked kitchens

Charitable day of giving

Multi-state eligibility

Job summary

Aravo Solutions, Inc. seeks a hands-on Director of IT to lead and scale our internal IT function for a growing SaaS organization. You will own corporate IT strategy, partner with Engineering, Security, Finance and HR, and drive a high‑performing, secure IT environment.

You will balance day‑to‑day operations with strategic transformation, ensure systems scale with growth, and lead a small IT team across onboarding, governance, and vendor management.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of IT experience with 5+ years in a leadership role.
• Hands-on experience with modern IT stack including AI tools.
• Experience automating user onboarding and offboarding with auditability.
• Experience with compliance frameworks such as SOC1, SOC2, Microsoft SSPA, and FedRAMP.
• Proven ability to operate strategically and hands-on.
• Strong project management and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience in a SaaS or cloud-first company (80–500 employees preferred).
• Experience scaling IT processes in a high-growth environment.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute IT roadmap aligned with growth and budgets.
• Lead a small IT team and mentor staff.
• Establish SLAs, KPIs, and user satisfaction metrics.
• Drive tool standardization and portfolio optimization.
• Own IT budgeting, forecasting, vendor management.
• Establish IT governance and operating standards.
• Serve as senior IT leader to executives and cross-functional leadership.
• Own core internal systems and license management.
• Ensure reliable onboarding/offboarding and lifecycle management.
• Maintain high availability of internal systems.
• Support hybrid/remote workforce with endpoint security.
• Establish scalable processes for growth.
• Partner with Security and Engineering on audits and compliance.
• Enforce identity and security policies.
• Govern onboarding AI usage and security practices.
• Support audits, vendor reviews and security posture.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Cloud-first SaaS

AI tools

Security/compliance mindset

Vendor management

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Location: Hybrid- Employees will be required to work out of the nearest office location 2-3 days a week and for quarterly meetings 1-4 times annually.Travel may also be expected as needed.

Aravo Solutions, Inc., provides leading third-party risk management (TPRM), ESG, and vendor lifecycle management solutions powered by intelligent automation software and designed to meet the needs of TPRM teams at Global 2000 enterprises.

At Aravo, we believe that in an increasingly interconnected world, managing risk is a critical pillar of global resilience. Traditional, manual approaches to TPRM can no longer keep pace with today’s scale and speed of disruption. That’s why we have pioneered an Intelligence-First approach.

Trusted by millions of third-party users in 195+ countries, Aravo provides guidance for the most complex third-party networks in the world, helping them mitigate risk, build business resilience, and protect their reputations. We are fundamentally redesigning how organizations see, understand, and act on risk by embedding AI directly into the core of their workflows.

Joining Aravo means working at the forefront of AI in TPRM and collaborating with a team that views AI as a partner, not a replacement. You will have the opportunity to work alongside industry experts, leverage the latest technologies, and contribute to shaping the future of third-party risk management!

Position Overview

Aravo is seeking a hands-on, strategic Director of IT to lead and scale our internal IT function. This role will own corporate IT and business systems strategy and operations while partnering closely with Engineering, Security, Finance, and HR teams to support a growing, distributed SaaS organization.

This leader will balance day-to-day operational excellence with forward-looking strategy and transformation, ensuring our systems, tools, processes, and IT capabilities scale efficiently with the company as it grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute Aravo’s IT roadmap, aligning it with company growth objectives, business strategy and operational needs while building stakeholder buy-in
• Lead, develop, and mentor a small, high-impact IT team (helpdesk, systems, IT ops)
• Establish and track SLAs, KPIs, and user satisfaction metrics, driving accountability and continuous improvement
• Drive tool standardization and rationalization, ensuring we are continuously consolidating toolsets and optimizing the technology portfolio
• Own IT budgeting, forecasting, vendor management, and strategic resource planning
• Establish IT operating standards, processes, and governance that support the company’s growth and evolving business needs
• Serve as the senior IT leader and strategic partner to executive and cross-functional leadership

Corporate IT Operations

• Own the strategy and operational management of core internal systems, including license management
• Ensure reliable, scalable onboarding/offboarding processes and lifecycle management
• Maintain high availability, performance, and reliability of internal systems
• Support a hybrid/remote workforce across multiple locations with effective endpoint, identity, and access strategies
• Establish scalable operational processes and controls that enable IT to support continued organizational growth

Security & Compliance Partnership

• Partner with Security and Engineering to support audit and customer-driven compliance requirements
• Enforce identity, access control, and endpoint security policies
• Establish governance for onboarding AI solutions and usage that adhere to proper security and data practices
• Support audits, evidence collection, and vendor security reviews
• Drive security awareness and best practices across employees
• Partner with Security and Engineering leadership to continuously strengthen the company’s overall security and compliance posture

End-User Experience & Support

• Own the IT support function with a focus on responsiveness, quality, scalability, and automation
• Deliver a seamless employee experience across onboarding, support, and tooling
• Continuously improve documentation, self-service, and internal processes
• Establish a culture of service excellence and accountability across the IT function

Vendor, Asset & SaaS Management

• Own the SaaS application portfolio, licensing strategy, and cost optimization
• Track and manage IT assets and lifecycle (procurement → retirement)
• Negotiate vendor contracts and manage third-party relationships
• Drive strategic vendor evaluation and consolidation to optimize cost, security, functionality, and employee experience

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in IT, with 5+ years in a leadership role
• Strong hands-on experience with modern IT stack, including AI tools
• Automating user onboarding and offboarding with auditability and traceability
• Experience supporting compliance frameworks such as Microsoft SSPA, SOC1, and SOC 2
• Support FedRamp related activities and compliance
• Proven ability to operate both strategically and hands‑on
• Strong project management and cross‑functional collaboration skills
• Experience in a SaaS or cloud‑first company (80–500 employees ideal)
• Experience scaling IT processes in a high‑growth environment

Preferred Skills

• Familiarity with zero trust security principles
• Exposure to customer‑facing security or audit requirements

Key Competencies

• Hands‑on leadership with the “roll up your sleeves” mindset
• Self‑starter with entrepreneurial attitude towards managing everything IT
• Strong operational discipline and attention to detail
• Ability to prioritize effectively in a lean environment
• Clear communication with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Customer‑first mindset

Why Join Us

At Aravo Solutions, Inc., we offer a dynamic and inclusive work environment where employees are encouraged to innovate, grow, and make a meaningful impact. We provide competitive compensation and benefits packages, opportunities for professional development, and the chance to work alongside industry experts on cutting‑edge projects.

Benefits

• 100% Employer Paid Medical Insurance options for the Employee and Family
• Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• 401K with Company Matching
• Equity Participation
• 4 Weeks of Vacation
• Fully Stocked Kitchens
• Company‑Sponsored Charitable Day of Giving Events
• Aravo Solutions Inc. is registered as an employer in many, but not all, states. If an applicant is not in or able to work from a state where Aravo Solutions Inc. is registered, they may not be eligible for employment. The eligible states include: FL, GA, MA, MO, NC, NH, NV, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, and UT.