Head of IT & Security

Security Executive Council; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Base, a next-generation power company, seeks a Head of IT & Security to build and lead the IT function, owning strategy, architecture, security, and every system keeping our workforce productive and data secure across offices, factories, warehouses, and field operations.

The role blends strategic leadership with hands-on execution, from enterprise security architecture to vendor management, network design, and IT operations oversight, partnering with Engineering, Hardware, Workplace, HR and

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software engineering, IT or security with leadership experience.
• Hands-on cybersecurity including endpoint protection, SIEM and incident response.
• Experience designing IT infrastructure for office and industrial environments.
• Strong IAM, MDM, and enterprise SaaS administration skills.
• Ability to lead both strategic planning and hands-on IT tasks.
• Experience evaluating AI tools for enterprise productivity.
• Excellent communication across all levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

• Own Base’s security posture end-to-end including policy, audits and vulnerability management.
• Develop and execute an IT strategy aligned with growth across new locations.
• Lead internal IT support and manage hardware/software lifecycle.
• Negotiate vendor contracts and optimize IT spend.
• Govern AI tool adoption, licensing, and governance.
• Design and maintain networks, firewalls, switches, and site connectivity.
• Automate IT processes to scale the function without headcount growth.

Skills

Security leadership

Cybersecurity expertise

IT strategy

Network security

AI tools governance

Vendor management

Incident response

Identity & access management

Job description

About the job

About Base

Base is America’s next-generation power company. We’re rebuilding the foundation of modern civilization–electricity–by deploying a vast network of distributed batteries that is transforming today’s fragile, centralized grid into a resilient and abundant system. We are engineers, operators, and creatives solving some of the most complex, interdisciplinary challenges of our time.

About the Role

We are looking for a Head of IT & Security to build and lead Base’s information technology function. This is a foundational leadership role where you will own the strategy, architecture, security, and every system and process that keeps our workforce productive, our data secure, and our operations running.

Base is scaling rapidly - across offices, factories, warehouses, and field operations and our IT team needs to scale with it. You will be responsible for cybersecurity, hardware and software procurement, network infrastructure across all physical sites, AI tool adoption and governance, automation of IT workflows, and leading the existing IT operations team (support and infrastructure). You will set the standard for how technology is deployed, secured, and maintained at Base.

This role reports into Operations and partners closely with Software Engineering, Hardware, Workplace, HR, and Finance. The right person is both a strategic thinker and a hands‑on operator who can design an enterprise security architecture in the morning and troubleshoot a conference room AV setup in the afternoon.

What You’ll Do

• Own Base’s security posture end-to-end; risk assessment, tool selection and implementation, monitoring, incident response, and compliance. Build and maintain security policies, conduct internal audits, and lead vulnerability management across corporate and OT/factory environments.
• Develop and execute an IT strategy that anticipates Base’s growth across new states, new facilities, and an expanding workforce. Align IT investments with business priorities.
• Manage and up-level the existing internal support function that keeps our team productive.
• Own the lifecycle of all corporate technology assets both hardware and software. Assist in negotiating vendor contracts, manage inventory, and optimizing spend.
• Lead the evaluation, procurement, and governance of AI tools across the company. Track usage, establish acceptable-use policies, manage licensing, and partner with teams to drive adoption of AI capabilities that improve productivity.
• Design, deploy, and maintain wired and wireless networks across HQ, factory, and warehouse locations. Manage firewalls, switches, access points, VLANs, and site-to-site connectivity. Ensure reliable, secure connectivity for both corporate and industrial environments.
• Identify and automate repetitive IT processes such as account provisioning, device enrollment, patch management, monitoring alerts, and reporting to scale the function without scaling headcount linearly.

Qualifications

What You’ll Bring

• 8+ years of progressive experience in the software engineering, IT or Security field, with at least 3 years of people management in a leadership role owning a broad IT function (not just one sub-discipline).
• Expertise in cybersecurity with hands‑on experience with endpoint protection, SIEM, vulnerability scanning, firewall management, and incident response. Familiarity with frameworks like NIST CSF, CIS Controls, or SOC 2.
• Experience building IT infrastructure in environments that include both office/corporate settings and manufacturing or industrial operations
• Strong command of identity and access management, MDM, and enterprise SaaS administration
• Comfort operating as both a strategic leader and a hands‑on contributor; you are not above fixing a printer or setting up a laptop when the situation calls for it.
• Experience in evaluating and deploying AI tools for enterprise productivity.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills across all levels of the organization.
• Experience at a high-growth scale-up where you helped build the IT function from an early stage.

Please note: Base is a startup, which means priorities shift and evolve quickly. Your role may expand or change based on the needs of the business at any given time, so the responsibilities listed may not be exhaustive.

Our Values

• First Principles Thinking: Question assumptions. Principles > rules.
• Operate at Base Pace: Focus on what matters, act quickly, and learn by doing.
• Give & Get Feedback: Be direct, be humble, and maintain a growth mindset.
• Everyone’s an Owner: Follow through on commitments and own results.
• Strong Opinions, Loosely Held: Drive clarity and make calls with imperfect information.
• Committed to the Mission: Rebuilding the grid is a big challenge. We work hard because we care deeply about the impact we’re creating. We work in‑person. It’s not a 9-to-5. We are all‑in.
• Fun & Optimism Coexist with Grit: Collaboration and celebration coincide with the intensity of building real things.

We know how to fine‑tune corporate security because we've led effective and efficient Fortune 500-level security programs. The SEC helps businesses find the best balance of risk mitigation, cost and innovation.