Head of IT and Cybersecurity

TRL11, Inc.; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

TRL11, Inc. is a venture-backed startup building advanced video technology for space and aerospace/defense. As Head of IT and Cybersecurity, you will create scalable IT and security functions and drive compliance programs in a growing organization.

You will own the system security plan, lead certification efforts (CMMC Level 2), and collaborate across engineering, operations, and auditors to align security with business needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information management systems, computer science, or a similar field.
• Experience designing, building, certifying, and managing systems in a compliance-heavy environment.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise IT infrastructure, cloud environments, IAM, cloud security, and DevOps.

Responsibilities

• Build out the IT and cybersecurity functions.
• Own the system security plan.
• Prepare for and achieve CMMC Level 2 certification with a C3PAO.
• Build and integrate business systems.
• Handle basic IT helpdesk items while the team scales.
• Help scale the IT and cybersecurity teams while the business is still small.

Skills

IT leadership

Cybersecurity strategy

CMMC & NIST compliance

Cloud security

DevOps practices

IAM & access management

Audits & liaising with auditors

Cross-functional collaboration

Agile methodologies

Hands-on IT support

Education

Bachelor's degree in information management systems

Bachelor's degree in computer science

Certs preferred

Tools

AWS/Azure

GCP

Security tooling

Job description

TRL11, Inc. is a venture-backed startup developing advanced video technology for space and aerospace/defense applications. The company is building technology for demanding environments where security, reliability, and thoughtful systems design matter. This is an opportunity to join a growing business at a formative stage and help establish the foundations that support both day-to-day operations and long-term compliance readiness.

As Head of IT and Cybersecurity, you will take on a broad, high-impact mandate across internal IT, security, and business systems. This role is well suited to a hands-on leader who enjoys building functions from the ground up, working across technical and operational teams, and creating practical processes that can scale with the company. You will play a central role in shaping how the organization approaches security, compliance, and internal systems as it continues to grow.

Responsibilities

• Build out the IT and cybersecurity functions.
• Own the system security plan.
• Prepare for and achieve CMMC Level 2 certification with a C3PAO.
• Build and integrate business systems.
• Handle basic IT helpdesk items while the team scales.
• Help scale the IT and cybersecurity teams while the business is still small.

• Bachelor's degree in information management systems, computer science, or a similar field.
• Experience working at companies that design and build their own hardware and software products, along with a track record of helping scale IT and cybersecurity functions in a small company environment.
• Major contributor or leadership experience within an IT or cybersecurity team, with experience designing, building, certifying, and managing systems in a compliance-heavy environment.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise IT infrastructure, security tooling, cloud environments, identity and access management, cloud security, and DevOps practices.
• Strong knowledge of CMMC, NIST 800-171, and FedRAMP, with experience applying Agile practices and NIST SP 800-218.
• Experience working effectively with leadership, auditors and assessors, customers, software engineering, and operations stakeholders.
• Eligibility to work in the United States is required.
• Experience with ISO 12207 is a plus.
• CISSP, CISM, or Security+ certification is preferred.

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (with prior approval), for Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays, Maternity, Paternity