IT Lead

About Distyl AI Distyl is an applied AI technology company partnering with the world’s most ambitious institutions to rearchitect critical operations for the frontier of AI. Distyl’s customers include the largest companies in telecom, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, consumer goods, and global social organizations. We research and deploy technologies that power AI-native operations — both for our partners and for Distyl itself. Our work spans research into self-constructing systems, the development of the most reliable execution of AI systems, and products that transform mission-critical workflows. As a result, Distyl’s technologies affect some of the world's largest operations — from hundreds of millions of consumer interactions to tens of millions of supply chain transactions and millions of patient journeys. Distyl is backed by leading investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Coatue, DST Global, and the board-members of 20+ F500s. The results reflect this approach: a 100% production deployment success rate for our customers and one of the few enterprise AI companies to run a profitable business. What We Are Looking For As Head of IT, you will build and lead Distyl's global IT organization during a period of rapid growth. Reporting to executive leadership, you will own the strategy, systems, security controls, compliance programs, and operational processes that enable Distyl to scale from approximately 180 employees today to 500+ employees globally. This is a highly hands‑on leadership role. You will lead a small but growing team, personally execute critical initiatives, and establish the foundations of a world‑class IT organization capable of supporting enterprise customers, international expansion, and increasingly sophisticated security and compliance requirements. Distyl operates a highly customer‑facing, forward‑deployed model, partnering directly with Fortune 50 enterprises to deploy AI systems in complex and highly regulated environments. Our employees regularly work within customer environments and handle sensitive enterprise data, creating unique challenges around endpoint security, compliance, access governance, secure collaboration, and customer security requirements. You will oversee employee technology, identity and access management, endpoint security, corporate networking, SaaS governance, office technology, compliance programs, and corporate security operations across the United States and international markets. You will play a critical role in supporting our NYC and San Francisco hubs while helping establish and scale Distyl's international footprint. The ideal candidate combines strong technical depth, exceptional operational discipline, proven experience building IT organizations in high‑growth technology companies, and the ability to balance strategic leadership with hands‑on execution. Key Responsibilities IT Leadership & Organizational Development Build and lead Distyl's IT organization, including hiring, coaching, and developing a high‑performing team Establish a culture of operational excellence, accountability, responsiveness, and attention to detail across the IT organization Define the long‑term IT strategy, operating model, budget, and roadmap Build an IT organization capable of supporting a global workforce of 500+ employees Develop strong relationships with stakeholders across Engineering, Security, Legal, Finance, People, and Operations Security & Risk Management Establish and maintain strong controls across identity, devices, networks, SaaS platforms, emerging AI technologies, and corporate infrastructure Lead initiatives to improve endpoint security, access governance, device compliance, and network security Establish governance around corporate and customer data, including data handling standards, secure transfer mechanisms, retention policies, and access controls Develop and maintain business continuity, disaster recovery, and incident response capabilities for corporate technology systems and employee operations Own corporate compliance programs, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, GDPR, HIPAA, and future certifications required to support US and international markets Support customer security assessments, vendor reviews, due diligence requests, audits, and enterprise compliance requirements SaaS, Identity & Employee Technology Deliver a world‑class employee technology experience across office and remote environments Establish and continuously improve self‑service employee support, knowledge management, and ITSM processes to reduce friction and improve responsiveness Establish and continuously improve processes for software procurement, vendor management, license optimization, and lifecycle management. In particular for a growing collection of AI tools and emerging technologies Drive automation of employee lifecycle management and access governance Establish standards and controls that balance security, employee productivity, and operational efficiency Infrastructure & Global Operations Oversee office technology, networking, AV systems, and employee support across NYC, SF, remote, and international locations Support the expansion and operation of Distyl's international offices and global workforce Hands‑On Execution Personally lead critical technical and operational initiatives while the team scales Identify and eliminate manual operational work through automation, self‑service tooling, and AI‑powered workflows, building an IT organization that scales efficiently Serve as the escalation point for complex IT, security, and compliance issues Maintain deep familiarity with the systems and controls underpinning Distyl's IT environment Balance strategic planning and leadership responsibilities with hands‑on execution of high‑priority projects Who You Are 7+ years of experience leading IT, corporate technology, or security operations as a company scales from 100-1000 employees Demonstrated track record of successfully prioritizing and executing competing initiatives in fast‑growing environments with limited resources. Exceptional communication skills and ability to partner effectively with executives, customers, and cross‑functional stakeholders. Proven experience hiring, developing, and leading high‑performing IT, security operations, or corporate technology teams. Deep expertise in identity and access management, endpoint management, SaaS governance, networking, and corporate security. Experience leading compliance programs such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, GDPR, HIPAA, and other modern compliance frameworks Demonstrated ability to balance strategic planning with hands‑on execution. What We Prefer Experience building IT organizations from an early‑stage or growth‑stage startup environment Experience supporting globally distributed teams and international office expansion Experience operating in highly regulated environments or serving Fortune 500 customers Hands‑on experience with Okta, Kandji, Google Workspace, Tailscale, endpoint security tooling, and modern SaaS governance platforms Experience supporting AI, software, cloud‑native, or enterprise technology companies What We Offer The base salary range for this role is $170K – $220K depending on experience, location, and level. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for meaningful equity, along with a comprehensive benefits package 100% covered medical, dental, and vision for employees and dependents 401(k) with additional perks (e.g., commuter benefits, in‑office lunch) Access to state‑of‑the‑art models, generous usage of modern AI tools, and real‑world business problems Ownership of high‑impact projects across top enterprises A mission‑driven, fast‑moving culture that prizes curiosity, pragmatism, and excellence This role requires in‑office collaboration 5 days a week. We have offices in San Francisco, CA and New York, NY. This role is available in San Francisco, CA only. We believe diverse perspectives make our work stronger and more impactful. We are an equal opportunity employer and evaluate all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. #J-18808-Ljbffr