Manager of IT Operations, Sprout Social

• We're looking for an operationally sharp, technically capable people leader who can run a distributed IT operation and improve it at the same time. If you take ownership seriously, lead by developing others, and still love getting hands-on with the build, we'd love to talk
• The minimum qualifications for this role include:
• 5+ years of professional IT experience, including direct people management or team leadership experience
• Demonstrated ability to coach, develop, and manage the performance of a technical team
• Proficiency supporting both Apple and Windows operating systems
• Hands-on experience with MDM platforms and managing hardware lifecycles
• Experience with ITAM software and IT asset management practices
• Experience with Google Workspace administration
• Experience with identity and access management platforms (Okta or similar)
• Working knowledge of network fundamentals, DNS, DHCP, VPN, and basic network troubleshooting
• Familiarity with endpoint security practices, patch management, and operational security hygiene
• Ability to write and maintain clear documentation including SOPs, runbooks, and process guides
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Familiarity with ITSM platforms and a solid understanding of ITIL principles and frameworks
• We know experience is built in a number of ways. Even if your background doesn’t match the exact requirements, we encourage you to apply and share any relevant skills in a cover letter

Desirable

• We're hiring an IT Operations Manager to lead our IT Service Desk (ITSD) team and own the systems and services every Sprout employee depends on
• This is a hands-on leadership role: you'll manage and develop the ITSD team, run day-to-day operations across our four global offices, and stay deep enough in the work to drive automation and AI-enabled improvements yourself
• You'll be the operational owner who keeps the lights on while continuously making our processes faster, smarter, and more scalable
• Sprout’s Corporate IT team is a combination of adjacent squads working on projects under one umbrella. This unique structure is an exciting opportunity to grow your career in technology with exposure to projects all across our discipline—something you don’t see often in other organizations
• It allows us to move quickly and collaborate with minimal friction or red tape. As a part of this team, you’re also given the space and encouraged to stretch beyond your core function, and make a deeper impact on the broader organization. In short, the work you do here matters, and you feel that day in and day out
• Lead and grow the ITSD team. Directly manage the full IT Service Desk team, holding regular 1:1s, owning performance management, coaching technical and professional development, delegating work effectively, and building a cohesive, high-output team culture
• Own global IT operations. Own IT operations execution across our three global offices in Chicago, Krakow, and Dublin, ensuring each location has the support and technology it needs to operate effectively, including help desk, endpoint management, identity and access, onboarding/offboarding, SaaS administration, and office and event support
• Stay hands-on technically. Contribute directly to complex build, automation, and integration work rather than only delegating it. Partner with Senior Systems Administrators and the Automation team on production changes across core platforms including Atlassian, Okta, and MDM solutions
• Drive automation and AI enablement. Identify where operations are slow or manual and apply automation and AI to fix them. Champion the "teach people to fish" enablement model on the front line, recommending and standing up the right tooling to deflect and resolve volume
• Plan and delegate. Serve as project lead on operational IT initiatives, scoping through delivery, distributing work effectively across the team, monitoring progress, and removing blockers
• Maintain documentation hygiene. Ensure SOPs, runbooks, and process guides are created, current, and consistently followed across the team
• Act as senior escalation point. Provide guidance and support to resolve complex IT issues promptly
• Partner cross-functionally. Work with the Director of IT to surface operational gaps and improvement opportunities, and partner closely with Security/GRC on shared work across identity, access, endpoint, offboarding, and compliance
• Own budget and purchasing decisions. Hold approval authority up to $50,000 for office IT infrastructure, employee hardware, standardization decisions, and operational tools and software. Purchases above that threshold are approved with the Director of IT
• Travel periodically to global office locations to ensure consistent IT operations and support
• Within 1 month, you'll plant your roots, including:
• Complete Sprout's New Hire training program alongside other new Sprout team members
• Get to know your team through 1:1s, and get acclimated to the team's current tools, workflows, and operational priorities
• Familiarize yourself with our global office structure and existing IT support and operations processes
• Within 3 months, you'll start hitting your stride by:
• Taking full ownership of the ITSD team and Service Desk operations, including the onboarding/offboarding workflow
• Managing local and global office technology needs, ensuring hardware, conference rooms, and onsite support meet our quality standards
• Establishing a clear cadence of 1:1s, priorities, and delegation that keeps the team proactive rather than purely reactive
• Building relationships with key stakeholders across departments, office locations, and Security/GRC
• Within 6 months, you'll be making a clear impact through:
• Driving measurable improvements in ticket resolution times, asset management, and operational consistency across offices
• Leading operational IT initiatives from scoping through delivery, and developing your team's ability to take on more complex build work
• Standing up automation and AI-enabled improvements that deflect and resolve volume
• Establishing yourself as the senior escalation point and operational owner for ITSD
• Within 12 months, you'll make this role your own by:
• Serving as a trusted operational partner to the Director of IT, consistently bringing boots-on-the-ground insight that shapes team priorities
• Having built repeatable, scalable processes and a team that can build at a higher level, reducing manual effort and key-person dependencies
• Surprising us! Use your unique ideas and abilities to change the team in beneficial ways