Associate Director of IT

Overview

The Associate Director of IT is responsible for building, scaling, and securing the company's enterprise IT and infrastructure foundation. This includes enterprise systems architecture, cloud platforms, identity & access management, endpoint lifecycle management, SaaS governance, and security/compliance programs. This role combines strategic leadership with hands‑on execution to build and scale secure, reliable, and cost‑efficient infrastructure. As the most senior IT leader, you’ll set direction, establish best practices, and partner cross‑functionally to support company growth.

This is a high‑impact opportunity to build and evolve a modern, hybrid infrastructure spanning cloud and on‑premises environments in a collaborative, fast‑growing setting.

• Infrastructure Strategy & Architecture: Define and execute the infrastructure roadmap, designing scalable, resilient systems that support growth and high availability.

• Cloud & Automation (AWS): Lead cloud architecture and operations with a focus on performance, security, and cost optimization. Drive Infrastructure‑as‑Code and automation to improve efficiency and scalability.
• Security, Identity & Compliance: Oversee identity and access management, SSO, and security standards. Support compliance efforts, including IT general controls and audit readiness.

• Reliability & Operations: Establish monitoring, incident response, and disaster recovery practices to ensure system reliability and business continuity, and all day‑to‑day IT Operations and support.

• SaaS & Vendor Management: Manage SaaS ecosystem and vendor relationships, optimizing tools, usage, and spend.
• Endpoint & IT Operations: Oversee device lifecycle management, endpoint security, and MSP partnerships.

• 8‑10+ years of experience in IT, infrastructure, or systems engineering
• 3–5+ years in a leadership or senior‑level role (e.g., Manager, Lead, or Director)
• Bachelor’s degree or master’s in computer science, Information Technology, Computer engineering or a related field (preferred)
• Hands‑on experience designing and operating cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred), including networking, scalability, high availability, and disaster recovery
• Experience with identity and access management (IAM/SSO) and security best practices
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (e.g., ITGCs/SOX), including access, change management, and audit controls
• Experience managing SaaS environments, vendors, and licensing optimization
• Working knowledge of monitoring, alerting, and incident response practices
• Exposure to Infrastructure‑as‑Code (e.g., Terraform), automation, and version‑controlled environments
• Proven ability to partner cross‑functionally and manage competing priorities in a fast‑paced environment
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for business stakeholders

• Experience supporting data‑intensive or scientific computing environments
• Experience in biotech, pharma, or other regulated industries
• Experience scaling infrastructure in a high‑growth company

• Industry‑competitive compensation
• Annual target bonus
• Stock options
• 401K plan
• Career advancement opportunities
• Monthly town halls to share business and scientific updates

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans for employees and their dependents
• Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with a monthly Neomorph contribution
• Employee Assistance Program
• 10 holidays + Winter Shutdown + 3 weeks of vacation time with additional accruals after 2nd year of employment, separate sick leave.
• Supplemental pay for Pregnancy Disability Leave
• Paid Parental Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care

• Casual work environment
• Volunteer days off each year to spend time contributing to causes you care about
• Flexible work schedule
• Access to onsite gym
• On‑site space to store your bicycle (or surfboard)

We believe in work/life balance, and Fun is at the core of our Core Values. In addition to department and company happy hours, we have regular company‑wide and department lunches and social events (e.g., Padres games,…