Systems Operations Manager - Palo Alto, CA

Systems Operations Manager

Are you passionate about technology, project management, and delivering exceptional internal support? Join a mission-driven organization focused on long-term impact and community benefit.

Why You'll Love This Role

You'll support a collaborative team of 70+ employees while helping maintain and evolve a secure, reliable technology environment. This is a highly visible role with broad ownership across systems, security, and day-to-day IT operations.

This position serves as the primary administrator for core technology platforms and is responsible for maintaining secure, efficient, and scalable operations. You'll oversee identity and access management, device lifecycle, endpoint protection, backups, and cloud services while ensuring compliance with security and risk standards.

As the first point of contact for internal technology needs, you'll provide hands-on support, coordinate with external vendors, and lead onboarding/offboarding processes. You'll also contribute to cross-functional initiatives including system improvements, infrastructure upgrades, and adoption of emerging technologies.

Work Environment

This is a full-time, primarily onsite role with some flexibility depending on business needs. The position is based in a collaborative office environment with access to commuter benefits.

Duties & Responsibilities

Infrastructure, Identity & Security

• Administer identity and access systems (SSO, MFA, user lifecycle management)
• Manage cloud productivity platforms, file storage, and collaboration tools
• Maintain role-based access controls and device compliance standards
• Oversee endpoint protection, backups, and disaster recovery processes
• Monitor systems for security risks and enforce best practices

Security, Compliance & Risk

• Enforce organization-wide security policies including MFA, patching, and access controls
• Support audits and compliance initiatives
• Monitor for vulnerabilities and respond to incidents

Systems Administration & IT Support

• Manage onboarding and offboarding processes across systems and devices
• Maintain documentation, SOPs, and internal knowledge base
• Configure hardware, software, and user workstations
• Serve as liaison with third-party IT vendors
• Troubleshoot system issues and outages

Technical Support

• Provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support across devices, collaboration tools, and network access
• Escalate complex issues when needed
• Track and resolve support requests
• Train employees on tools and best practices
• Support virtual meetings and internal events

Systems Improvement, Automation & Optimization

• Identify and implement automation and workflow improvements across cloud platforms
• Evaluate tools and systems for optimization, consolidation, and cost efficiency
• Support infrastructure planning and modernization efforts

Salesforce Administration & Support

• Administer Salesforce environment, including user setup, permissions, profiles/roles, and basic configuration
• Support data integrity, reporting, and dashboard needs while assisting teams with day-to-day Salesforce usage
• Partner with internal stakeholders to maintain integrations between Salesforce and other business systems

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with internal teams on system integrations and digital initiatives
• Contribute to projects involving new tools, automation, and operational improvements

Supervision

• May oversee external contractors or technical resources as needed

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in systems administration or IT operations
• Strong experience with cloud-based environments and identity management
• Experience managing device lifecycle (preferably macOS environments)
• Familiarity with endpoint security tools and backup systems
• Experience with collaboration platforms and enterprise SaaS tools
• Experience supporting or administering Salesforce (user management, reporting, basic configuration)
• Solid understanding of security best practices and compliance
• Strong troubleshooting skills across systems, networks, and access control
• Experience working with third-party IT vendors
• Excellent communication and organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects

Nice to Have

• Experience with automation tools or scripting
• Background in scaling IT systems for growing organizations
• Experience with Salesforce integrations or cross-platform data workflows

Additional Requirements

• Ability to lift and move light equipment as needed
• Occasional off-hours support may be required