Head of IT and Security

Matter Intelligence; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity package

Health, dental, and vision coverage

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Matter Intelligence in San Francisco is seeking a Head of IT and Security to build and operate systems, controls, and support that keep the company productive and secure as it scales. This leadership role owns practical IT operations and cybersecurity, spanning cloud, facilities, and government programs, and partners with engineering and operations to enable progress without blocking execution.

Success requires translating risk into actionable controls, maintaining auditable evidence, and

Qualifications

• Experience leading IT operations and cybersecurity in a growing organization.
• Strong knowledge of identity, endpoint, network, cloud, vendor, and incident response practices.
• Ability to translate risk and compliance requirements into practical controls and accountable operations.
• Clear communication and service-oriented approach to supporting employees.

Responsibilities

• Own enterprise IT operations, including identity and access, endpoints, networks, collaboration systems, vendors, and employee support.
• Build a risk-based security program spanning policies, technical controls, monitoring, incident response, and employee practices.
• Partner with engineering and operations teams to secure cloud, laboratory, facility, and program environments without blocking execution.
• Lead compliance readiness and evidence management for applicable customer, government, and company requirements.
• Develop a scalable operating model for service reliability, asset lifecycle, access reviews, vendor management, and security response.

Skills

IT operations leadership

Cybersecurity leadership

Identity and access management

Cloud security

Incident response

Risk & compliance controls

Vendor management

Communication & judgment

Job description

About Matter Intelligence

Welcome to Matter, where we are building the future of vision AI: pairing a world-first sensor that sees molecular chemistry, temperature, and 3D shape with a Large World Model that will be the most powerful intelligence engine for the physical world. This system doesn't just see what something looks like; it understands everything from a single pixel. We call this Superintelligent Vision.

Our team has delivered technologies to Mars for NASA/JPL, designed advanced sensors for U.S. Defense, and frontier artificial intelligence systems. We are now building the next generation of space- and airborne-based sensing systems.

About the Role

Matter is hiring a Head of IT and Security to build and operate the systems, controls, and support that keep the company productive and secure. This leader will own practical IT operations and cybersecurity as Matter scales its team, facilities, technical environments, and customer and government programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Own enterprise IT operations, including identity and access, endpoints, networks, collaboration systems, vendors, and employee support.

• Build a risk-based security program spanning policies, technical controls, monitoring, incident response, and employee practices.

• Partner with engineering and operations teams to secure cloud, laboratory, facility, and program environments without blocking execution.

• Lead compliance readiness and evidence management for applicable customer, government, and company requirements.

• Develop a scalable operating model for service reliability, asset lifecycle, access reviews, vendor management, and security response.

Qualifications

Required

• Experience leading both IT operations and cybersecurity in a growing organization.

• Strong working knowledge of identity, endpoint, network, cloud, vendor, and incident-response practices.

• Ability to translate risk and compliance requirements into practical controls and accountable operations.

• Clear communication, sound judgment, discretion, and a service-oriented approach to supporting employees.

Preferred

• Experience in aerospace, defense, regulated technology, or environments handling export-controlled or sensitive information.

• Experience preparing for security or compliance assessments and maintaining auditable evidence.

• Experience building an IT and security function at an early-stage or rapidly scaling company.

What Success Looks Like

• Employees have reliable, well-supported access to the systems they need while unnecessary access and unmanaged assets decline.

• Security risks, incidents, and compliance obligations are visible, prioritized, and handled through repeatable processes.

• IT and security scale with company growth without becoming a recurring blocker for technical or customer programs.

Location

This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires onsite work.

ITAR Requirements

To comply with U.S. export regulations, applicants must be one of the following:

• A U.S. citizen or national

• A lawful permanent resident (green card holder)

• Eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State

Employee Offerings and Benefits

At Matter, we believe in rewarding high performance and providing the support you need to thrive. Our compensation and benefits package includes:

• Competitive compensation based on experience

• Early-stage equity package

• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage

• Opportunity to work on novel sensing, data, and AI systems with real-world deployment paths to the largest industries in the world

Matter Intelligence is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds who can raise the ambition and performance of the team.