Head of IT

Aerospike is the real-time database for mission-critical use cases and workloads, including machine learning, generative, and agentic AI. Aerospike powers millions of transactions per second with millisecond latency, at a fraction of the total cost of ownership compared to other databases. Global leaders, including Adobe, Airtel, Barclays, Criteo, DBS Bank, Experian, Grab, HDFC Bank, PayPal, Sony Interactive Entertainment, The Trade Desk, and Wayfair, rely on Aerospike for customer 360, fraud detection, real-time bidding, profile stores, recommendation engines, and other use cases. At Aerospike, we dream big and deliver even bigger. Our mission is to unleash the power of the world’s real-time data with a database built for infinite scale, speed, and sustainability. To foster strong team alignment and productivity, Bay Area–based team members are expected to work from the office 3 times per week—typically Tuesday through Thursday. If you're ready to shape the future of data, join us. Aerospike operates with staff working in-office and remotely across multiple countries, and IT is what keeps every function running without friction. We're hiring a Head of IT to lead the function end to end: ownership of the architecture decisions behind the systems the company runs on, and hands-on leadership of day-to-day operations and helpdesk. This person leads a team that will scale with the business, sets IT priorities, and reports on them directly to executive leadership. Key Responsibilities Systems, Architecture, and Vendor Management ● Own IT architecture decisions for company-wide systems ● Own core IT systems administration, including directory services, email and collaboration tools, and SaaS application management ● Manage the IT vendor portfolio, including license optimization and tool evaluation. Maintain an accurate inventory of company hardware and software licenses ● Own network infrastructure for office locations, including connectivity, Wi-Fi, and conferencing systems IT Operations and Helpdesk ● Own IT helpdesk operations, including ticket queue management, response time targets, and escalation paths ● Own employee onboarding and offboarding logistics, including hardware provisioning, account setup, and access deprovisioning, in partnership with People Ops ● Own endpoint hardware lifecycle management, including procurement, deployment, and refresh cycles ● Coordinate with Security & Compliance on endpoint security tooling and identity and access management, ensuring IT operations align with security policy Leadership and Cross-Functional Planning ● Manage a team of 2-3 IT professionals, with a hiring plan tied to company growth ● Set IT support standards and service level targets ● Own IT governance practices for company systems, including access review cadence and system audit readiness ● Own the IT budget and prioritize spend against operational need ● Serve as the IT lead on cross-functional initiatives ● Partner with People Ops on IT components of office moves and expansions Requirements ● 8-12 years in IT roles, including 3-5 years managing a team ● Experience owning IT architecture decisions for business-critical systems ● Direct experience running a helpdesk function at a company of comparable size, including ticketing systems and SLA management ● Experience managing vendor relationships and mitigating sprawl in growing organizations ● Comfort operating with a small team and building process ● Experience at a hybrid company preferred, given Aerospike's distributed workforce Aerospike is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing an environment free from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Join us at Aerospike and be part of a dynamic team that is shaping the future of data management. Salary Range for California Based Applicants: [$250,000 - $280,000] (actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law) To keep our recruitment pipeline as high-performance as our database, Aerospike uses AI-driven tools to streamline resume reviews, scheduling, and communication. While we love smart tech, we value human connection even more. AI helps us optimize the process, but real people make 100% of the actual hiring decisions