Senior IT Manager -/Hands-On IT Operations & Infrastructure /Onsite OC

Our client is a global leader in the IoT space, specializing in retail loss prevention, operations management, and analytics, with its headquarters based in South Orange County, California. The company maintains a strong global presence, with offices in the UK, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Germany, France, and Canada. They are seeking an experienced, highly hands-on Senior IT Manager to oversee daily IT operations for a growing global technology organization. This individual will be responsible for ensuring reliable internal IT support, maintaining a secure technology environment, and managing a small IT team while remaining actively involved in day-to-day technical responsibilities. The ideal candidate is a strong technical problem-solver who enjoys being hands-on rather than solely managing people. This role will be approximately 80% hands-on technical work and 20% team leadership, vendor management, and strategic planning.

This positoin is 4 days a week onsite Responsibilities

• Oversee daily IT operations, including end-user support, infrastructure, systems administration, and troubleshooting.
• Serve as a hands-on technical escalation point for complex hardware, software, network, and system issues.
• Manage and mentor a small internal IT team of approximately 2-3 employees while remaining directly involved in technical support.
• Maintain and support corporate IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, cloud applications, and employee devices.
• Oversee IT security, including endpoint protection, access management, system updates, and security best practices.
• Manage user accounts, permissions, onboarding/offboarding, and employee technology needs.
• Coordinate with third-party vendors, managed service providers, and offshore IT resources to ensure timely issue resolution.
• Support IT projects, system upgrades, software deployments, and infrastructure improvements.
• Maintain IT policies, documentation, asset management, and operational procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve IT efficiency, security, reliability, and overall user experience.
• Provide IT support and coordination across the company’s global offices.

Must Have Skeills / Tech

• 7+ years of experience in IT operations, infrastructure, systems administration, or technical support.
• Previous experience leading or managing a small IT support or infrastructure team.
• Strong hands-on technical background with the ability and willingness to resolve issues personally.
• Experience supporting corporate IT environments, including Windows systems, Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and cloud-based applications.
• Solid understanding of networking, VPNs, firewalls, endpoint management, and IT security fundamentals.
• Experience managing IT vendors, external service providers, and offshore technical teams.
• Experience supporting users and IT operations across multiple locations, ideally within a global organization.
• Ability to prioritize daily support requests while managing infrastructure and security responsibilities.
• Strong troubleshooting, communication, and organizational skills.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where the IT Manager must balance leadership responsibilities with direct technical execution.

Nice to Have

• Experience working in an IoT, SaaS, hardware, or connected-device technology company.
• Experience with Azure, Intune, Entra ID, or similar enterprise management tools.
• Familiarity with cybersecurity compliance, vulnerability management, and security audits.
• Experience supporting geographically distributed teams and remote employees.
• Experience implementing IT automation and process improvements.

• Attractive total compensation package between 140-155k
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage; Life/ADD/LTD insurance; FSA/HSA options
• 401(k) Plan with employer match
• Generous paid time off policy
• Observance of 11 paid company holidays