IT Generalist

Great Books Foundation; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The Great Books Foundation seeks an IT Generalist to lead technology operations for their nonprofit team. This fully remote role involves supporting staff across the US, managing cloud services, and ensuring cybersecurity. Ideal candidates will have strong experience in IT support and SaaS management with a commitment to educational values.

Benefits

Paid Time Off

Health Benefits

403(b) Retirement Plan

Flexible Spending Account

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in IT support or systems administration.
• Strong knowledge of Google Workspace and remote collaboration tools.
• Experience managing multiple SaaS platforms.

Responsibilities

• Provide responsive remote tech support for staff across US time zones.
• Administer and maintain cloud platforms and security controls.
• Design scalable workflows to improve organizational efficiency.

Skills

Technical Support

Google Workspace

SaaS Management

Cybersecurity Awareness

Customer Service

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Google Workspace

Cloud Platforms

CRM Platforms

Job description

Role Overview

As the IT Generalist at our fully remote, education-focused nonprofit, you will be the go-to technology leader

supporting a small, mission-driven team. As the primary IT employee, you’ll manage and maintain the digital

infrastructure that powers our internal operations and the delivery of educational products and services. You will

oversee a suite of cloud-based and SaaS tools, provide day-to-day technical support, and ensure a secure, efficient,

and user-friendly tech environment across the organization. Your work will be critical to helping our team operate

smoothly, recommending ways to optimize performance. This role blends hands-on support, systems

administration, and strategic guidance, and is ideal for someone who thrives in a flexible, collaborative, and

mission-oriented environment. This role occasionally demands off-peak work hours to monitor, repair, and upgrade

software to minimize work interruptions during regular business hours.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

End-User & Remote Support

• Provide responsive remote tech support for staff across US time zones, including troubleshooting
  
  

hardware, software, internet, cloud platforms, and user account issues.

• Maintain and manage user accounts, permissions, and security settings within Google Workspace and other
  
  

key platforms.

• Support employee onboarding/offboarding, including setup of hardware and security, access to required
  
  

tools and software, and IT orientation for new team members.

SaaS & Cloud Tools Administration

• Oversee and optimize use of core SaaS tools including CRM, e-commerce platform, Make automation
  
  

software, finance, customer support apps, and learning tools.

• Design and document scalable workflows that improve organizational efficiency and data accuracy across
  
  

departments.

• Use HTTP modules, Webhooks, and JSON/REST APIs to exchange data between systems, format payloads,
  
  

and parse responses.

• Handle authentication (API keys), manage rate limits, and troubleshoot failed requests or malformed data
  
  

during automation runs.

• Administer and troubleshoot systems such as Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Docs, etc.), RingCentral,
  
  

Zoom, and others as needed.

Systems & Data Security

• Administer and maintain cloud platforms, email systems, data backups, and security controls.
• Maintain security tech stack and ensure cybersecurity practices are followed and maintained in a remote
  
  

environment (e.g., MFA, password management, cyber security training, and phishing prevention).

• Ensure compliance with privacy policies, PCI-DSS, and grant/funder requirements for data handling.
• Develop and maintain a cyber security disaster recovery plan (DRP) in the event of a cyber-attack or any
  
  

other system failures.

IT Strategy & Operations

• Act as the internal expert and advisor on technology operations and remote infrastructure.
• Maintain documentation for IT policies, procedures, and systems.
• Manage IT inventory, vendor relationships, warranties, licenses, and renewals, collaborating with
  
  

leadership on budget.

• Assist with the integration of technology into educational programming and digital product support.
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., computer science or information technology) or equivalent work
  
  

experience.

• 3+ years of experience in IT support or systems administration, ideally in a remote and resource-conscious
  
  

environment.

• Strong working knowledge of Google Workspace (Gmail, Derive, Admin Console) and remote collaboration
  
  

tools.

• Experience managing and supporting multiple SaaS platforms, ideally related to sales, CRM, customer
  
  

service, and workflow automation.

• Comfortable managing both end-user support and backend systems in a low-resource environment.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot across diverse systems independently and explain technical issues to
  
  

non-technical users.

• Extraordinary customer service and relationship management experience.
• Self-motivated and capable of working independently without daily supervision.
• Organized, adaptable, and able to balance strategic and tactical work with limited oversight.
• Experience supporting mission-based or educational work is highly desirable with a high degree of
  
  

adaptability.

Physical Requirements/Working Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully

perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with

Disabilities To Perform The Essential Functions.

• This is largely a sedentary role that frequently requires long periods of sitting to perform desk-based computer
  
  

tasks.

• The person will occasionally perform tasks that require standing, walking, twisting, using fine manipulation,
  
  

grasping, using a telephone, writing by hand, and sorting and filing paperwork, as well as lifting, carrying,

pushing, and pulling objects that weigh up to 25 pounds.

• The person works in a remote home office setting with a light to moderate noise level, in accordance with the
  
  

Foundation’s remote work policy.

About The Great Books Team

The Great Books Foundation (the Foundation) empowers readers of all ages to become more reflective and responsible

thinkers. To accomplish this, we teach the art of civil discourse through the Shared Inquiry method and publish

enduring works across disciplines. Our dynamic team is always ready for a challenge and excited to collaborate to

meet the needs of our customers and educational partners. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit best known for having

originated the Shared Inquiry method of teaching and learning that has been a favorite of teachers and students

for more than 77 years. We believe that literacy and critical thinking help form reflective, knowledgeable citizens

equipped to participate constructively in a democratic society.

Working at the Great Books Foundation

The Great Books Foundation has been headquartered in Chicago since 1947! We are proud of our person-centered

culture, longevity, and ability to adapt while offering competitive salary and benefits packages.

The Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage and seek applications from women,

people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and

transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national

origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or

medical condition, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions.

Reasonable accommodation will be made so that all qualified applicants may participate in the application

process. Please notify us in writing of special needs at the time of application.

Benefits-eligible positions offer paid time off including vacation, sick, holiday, and volunteer time, as well as

excellent benefits, including health, dental, vision, basic AD&D, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible

spending account, dependent care account, and 403(b) retirement plan.