Information Technology Manager

MACH Ai8 Corporation; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

MACH Ai8 is seeking an IT Manager to own the technology environment, lead the help desk, manage endpoints and identities, and govern security and compliance programs. The role spans networking, cloud, AI-enabled IT operations, and budget stewardship for a security-focused, U.S.-owned advanced wireless systems company.

You will drive CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 controls, oversee lab connectivity, and implement modern AI tools to optimize IT processes while ensuring auditable control evidence

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on IT experience in startup or small-company environments.
• Hands-on networking with firewalls, VLANs, VPN, DNS/DHCP, NAT and 802.1X.
• Experience implementing CMMC Level 2 or NIST SP 800-171 with evidence collection.
• Strong written communication and ability to translate technical issues for business decisions.
• Experience using AI platforms and automation to improve IT operations.
• Ability to collaborate with executives, vendors, and assessors.

Responsibilities

• Office and lab networking design, deployment, and support.
• CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 implementation across 14 domains.
• Advanced help desk and end-user support.
• Cybersecurity operations and daily defense practices.
• Systems, cloud, and SaaS administration.
• AI platforms deployment and IT operations governance.
• Vendor, asset, and IT budget management.
• Internal lab and engineering support.
• Documentation, policy, and team buildout.

Skills

IT management

Networking

Cybersecurity

SaaS administration

Cloud platforms

Documentation

Education

Security+ or equivalent

CCNA/CCNP

Tools

Jira Service Management

Freshservice

Zendesk

HaloITSM

NinjaOne

Kaseya

ConnectWise

CrowdStrike

Okta

Job description

MACH Ai8 builds the next generation of American wireless connectivity products designed for reliability, security, and scale. The company is being formed as a U.S.-owned and controlled advanced wireless systems company that designs, engineers, manufactures, certifies, provisions, and manages secure connected devices for the American market.

We serve both internal house-brand product launches and external ODM/private-label customers that need trusted U.S.-controlled product development, firmware control, secure provisioning, lifecycle software, supply-chain provenance, and domestic or nearshore production pathways.

The IT Manager will own the technology environment MACH Ai8's own employees depend on every day, and the security posture the company must be able to prove to customers, partners, and government-adjacent programs. This person will run the help desk, manage endpoints and identity, administer SaaS systems, design and support office and lab networking including internet and connected 5G/LTE FWA links, deploy and govern AI platforms, and lead the practical implementation of CMMC Level 2 / NIST SP 800-171.

The right candidate is a hands-on IT generalist with real depth in networking and cybersecurity, the discipline to own a compliance program, and genuine fluency with modern AI tools. The role requires enough technical depth to configure a firewall and trace a network path personally, enough rigor to build and maintain control evidence that survives an assessment, and enough judgment to know what to automate, what to document, what to buy, and what to escape.

Core responsibilities

Office and lab networking, including connected FWA

Design, deploy, and support MACH Ai8's internal networks: firewalls, VLANs and segmentation, switching, enterprise Wi-Fi, VPN and secure remote access, DNS/DHCP, NAT, RADIUS/802.1X, QoS, ISP circuits, and 5G/LTE connected FWA gateways used as backup or primary WAN for the office and lab. Own uptime, failover testing, and network documentation.

CMMC Level 2 and NIST SP 800-171 implementation

Lead the internal implementation of the 110 NIST SP 800-171 controls across the 14 CMMC domains: scoping and enclave design for CUI, System Security Plan (SSP) authoring, POA&M management, control evidence and artifact collection, annual self-assessment and SPRS scoring, and readiness for a C3PAO assessment where a contract requires one. Coordinate outside RPO/C3PAO advisors where used.

Advanced help desk and end-user support

Own the help desk end to end: ticketing system, published SLAs, triage and escalation, onboarding and offboarding, asset and license inventory, imaging and MDM for a mixed Mac and Windows fleet, mobile devices, conference rooms and AV, printers, and a knowledge base that measurably reduces repeat tickets.

Cybersecurity operations

Run day-to-day security: identity with MFA/SSO, least privilege and periodic access reviews, endpoint protection and EDR, patch and vulnerability management, email and phishing defense, logging and alert review, encryption and key handling, backup integrity, incident-response runbooks and tabletop exercises, security awareness training, and zero-trust principles applied practically.

Systems, cloud, and SaaS administration

Own the practical systems layer: Microsoft 365 / Entra ID or Google Workspace, Windows and Linux servers, cloud tenants and infrastructure, file storage and permission models, endpoint management, backup and disaster recovery with tested restores, monitoring, collaboration tools, SaaS consolidation and license spend, lab and test environments, and secure data-room support.

AI platforms and AI-enabled IT operations

Deploy and govern AI where it improves the business: administer approved AI platforms and copilots, set acceptable-use and data-handling policy, prevent shadow AI and confidential-data leakage, and apply AI and scripting to ticket triage, documentation, configuration generation, log and alert review, vulnerability summarization, knowledge-base creation, compliance-evidence drafting, and onboarding automation.

Vendor, asset, and IT budget management

Manage ISPs, carriers, MSPs, hardware and software vendors, and security tooling: quotes, contracts, renewals, warranty and RMA, asset lifecycle, license true-ups, and a defensible IT budget with prioritized spend recommendations and clear trade-offs for the CEO.

Internal lab and engineering support

Support Engineering and Quality with lab connectivity, bench network access, test equipment on the network, isolated test VLANs, and controlled access for contractors - without owning product architecture, firmware rollout, device provisioning strategy, or customer deployments.

Documentation, policy, and team buildout

Create and maintain IT and security policies, SOPs, runbooks, network diagrams, asset registers, onboarding/offboarding checklists, and escalation paths. Define the future help desk, systems, and security hiring plan as headcount grows, and keep the environment explainable to an auditor.

Required experience

• 5+ years of hands-on IT experience covering end-user support, endpoints, identity, SaaS administration, networking, and security, with at least 2 years at manager, team-lead, or sole-IT level. Startup or small-company experience where the person personally owned the environment is strongly preferred.
• Hands-on networking: firewalls, VLANs and segmentation, switching, enterprise Wi-Fi, VPN/IPsec, DNS/DHCP, NAT, RADIUS/802.1X, QoS, ISP and circuit troubleshooting, and high-availability or failover connectivity. Must be able to configure and troubleshoot personally, not only direct a vendor.
• Practical experience with cellular / connected FWA: LTE and 5G routers and gateways, SIM/eSIM and APN basics, signal metrics and antenna placement, carrier troubleshooting, and using FWA as a backup or primary WAN link with tested failover.
• Direct, hands-on experience implementing CMMC Level 2 or NIST SP 800-171: scoping and enclave design, control implementation, SSP authoring, POA&M management, evidence collection, and self-assessment or C3PAO preparation. Candidates who have carried an organization through an actual assessment should be prioritized.
• Cybersecurity as daily practice: identity and MFA, least privilege, EDR, patching and vulnerability management, SIEM/logging, secure remote access, PKI and certificates, email security, verified backups, incident response, and zero-trust principles.
• Advanced help desk ownership: ticketing systems, SLA definition, triage and escalation, onboarding and offboarding at volume, mixed Mac/Windows fleets, MDM, asset inventory, and knowledge-base discipline.
• Demonstrated, current use of AI platforms and automation - copilots, scripting, workflow tools - to improve support speed, documentation, monitoring, security review, and configuration management, with a clear understanding of confidentiality and data-handling limits.
• Ability to work directly with employees, executives, vendors, and assessors without hiding behind jargon, and to translate technical and compliance issues into clear business and budget decisions.
• Strong written communication and documentation discipline. MACH Ai8 needs a builder who produces diagrams, SOPs, policies, and control evidence - not just verbal answers.

Preferred background

• Experience at defense-adjacent manufacturers, aerospace and defense suppliers, or Defense Industrial Base contractors that have completed or are actively pursuing CMMC; at MSPs/MSSPs serving those clients; or at hardware, wireless, or electronics companies of roughly 25-250 employees where IT was a small, hands-on team.
• Experience standing up or reorganizing IT for a growing company: new office or lab buildout, SaaS consolidation, identity migration, MDM rollout, first-time security program, or a first-time compliance program.
• Experience supporting engineering, hardware, or lab environments: test benches, instrumentation on the network, contractor access, segregated test networks, and equipment that cannot be patched on a normal schedule.
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365 / Entra ID, Intune, Google Workspace, Jamf, Okta, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Meraki or Ubiquiti, Cradlepoint / Peplink / Digi / Inseego FWA gateways, ITSM ticketing (Jira Service Management, Freshservice, Zendesk, HaloITSM), RMM (NinjaOne, Kaseya, ConnectWise), EDR (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender), and GRC/compliance tooling.
• Certifications such as Security+, Network+, CCNA/CCNP, Microsoft MD-102/AZ-104/SC-200/SC-300, Fortinet NSE/FCP, CISSP, CISM, CISA, ITIL, or CMMC CCP/CCA. For this role, Security+ or equivalent plus demonstrated NIST SP 800-171 work matters more than any single certificate.