Director of IT & Security - iOT / Infrastructure / Cloud / Security / Onsite OC

Motion Recruitment; Lake Forest (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401(k) plan

Generous paid time off

11 paid holidays

Job summary

Motion Recruitment represents a client seeking a Director of IT & Security to lead corporate IT, infrastructure, cloud governance, and information security in a fast-moving, PE-backed environment.

The role reports to the CTO and focuses on building an IT foundation for operational excellence, security resilience, and growth readiness, including strategy, governance, and team development across time zones.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of IT experience with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
• Direct ownership of endpoint security, cloud security, vulnerability management, and incident response.
• Strong hands-on Microsoft 365 and Azure experience including Entra ID, Intune, Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, and cloud governance.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot, configure, and operate systems while setting technical direction.

Responsibilities

• IT Operations & Employee Support: own onboarding/offboarding, device mgmt, remote access, service standards; manage Microsoft 365 stack.
• Security & Compliance: own endpoint, network, cloud security, vulnerability mgmt, incident response; lead SOC 2 readiness and audits.
• Cloud Infrastructure & Engineering Support: govern Azure and GCP environments, CI/CD reliability, and infrastructure standards.
• IT Strategy & Vendor Management: develop IT roadmap and budget; manage vendors, MSPs, SLAs, licenses; ensure business continuity.
• AI & Data Governance: establish enterprise AI standards, manage data inventories, SaaS governance, and licensing.

Skills

IT leadership

Cloud governance

Security strategy

Vendor management

Distributed team leadership

SOC 2 / ISO 27001

Tools

Microsoft 365

Azure

Entra ID

Intune

Exchange

Teams

SharePoint

Job description

Our client is a global leader in the IoT space, specializing in retail loss prevention, operations management, and analytics, with its headquarters based in South Orange County, California. The company maintains a strong global presence, with offices in the UK, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Germany, France, and Canada.
This is a high-impact, high-ownership role for a hands-on IT leader who thrives in a fast-moving, PE-backed environment. The Director of IT & Security will report directly to the CTO and serve as the company’s primary IT and security leader — accountable for building the IT foundation required for operational excellence, security resilience, and growth readiness.
They are seeking a Director of IT & Security to lead corporate IT, infrastructure, cloud governance, and information security. This hands-on leadership role will improve employee support, strengthen security, and build an IT function that supports continued growth.

The ideal candidate can develop strategy while resolving technical issues, leading a distributed team, and holding vendors accountable. Initial priorities include assessing the IT environment and improving service reliability within 60 days, followed by a scalable team and technology roadmap within 90 days.

Responsibilities

IT Operations & Employee Support

• Own employee support, onboarding and offboarding, device management, remote access, and service standards.
• Administer Microsoft 365, Entra ID, and Intune across Windows, macOS, and mobile devices.
• Lead a small India-based cloud and security team and support engineering labs, testing infrastructure, and regional IT needs.

Security & Compliance

• Own endpoint, network, cloud, identity, and data security, including monitoring, patching, vulnerability management, and incident response.
• Lead SOC 2 Type II readiness, security policies, audit evidence, and control reviews.
• Partner with engineering and legal on biometric and customer data governance supporting BIPA, CCPA, and GDPR compliance.

Cloud Infrastructure & Engineering Support

• Govern Azure and GCP environments, including access controls, security configuration, and costs.
• Partner with engineering on staging and QA environments, CI/CD reliability, and infrastructure standards.
• Implement centralized monitoring and alerting for customer deployments and connected devices.

IT Strategy & Vendor Management

• Assess technology gaps and develop the IT roadmap, staffing plan, and budget to support growth.
• Manage vendors, MSPs, contracts, service levels, software licensing, and hardware lifecycle.
• Maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans and report risks and progress to leadership.

AI & Data Governance

• Establish enterprise AI standards covering approved tools, sensitive data access, identity, and security.
• Advise on infrastructure requirements and apply AI and automation to improve IT operations.
• Maintain data inventories, SaaS governance, and productivity tool licensing.

Required Experience

• 10+ years of IT experience, including at least 3 years in a senior leadership role with broad responsibility for IT operations.
• Direct ownership of endpoint security, cloud security, vulnerability management, and incident response.
• Strong hands-on Microsoft 365 and Azure experience, including Entra ID, Intune, Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, and cloud governance.
• Ability to troubleshoot, configure, and operate systems directly while setting technical direction.
• Experience managing IT vendors and MSPs, including contracts, service levels, and outsourcing decisions.
• Experience implementing security controls under SOC 2, ISO 27001, or a comparable framework.
• A track record of building or improving employee IT support and service delivery.
• Experience managing distributed technical teams across time zones, particularly India.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to explain technical risks and investment priorities to executive audiences.
• A proactive approach to resolving issues and building processes that scale.

Strongly Preferred

• GCP experience covering IAM, security configuration, and cost governance.
• Experience with BIPA, CCPA, GDPR, or biometric data governance.
• Direct ownership of a SOC 2 Type II audit.
• Experience in a private equity-backed or high-growth organization, including technical due diligence and acquisition readiness.
• Experience partnering with software and hardware engineering teams on infrastructure, staging environments, and DevOps.
• Experience deploying and governing enterprise AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot, Claude, or similar platforms.

The Offer

• Attractive total compensation package between 170-200k
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage; Life/ADD/LTD insurance; FSA/HSA options
• 401(k) Plan with employer match
• Generous paid time off policy
• Observance of 11 paid company holidays