IT Support Manager - XQ

XQ Institute is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to rethinking the high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in life. We work in communities nationwide, with individual schools and entire school systems, to help them dream big about what high school could be, turn their innovative ideas into action, and create more rigorous and equitable schools.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the CFAO, the IT Support Manager will be at the forefront of transforming education through technology. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead impactful projects, collaborate with a passionate team, and contribute to the evolution of high school education in America. This position will work closely with the Emerson Collective IT team and will be based in Oakland, CA, four days a week.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

• High internal drive to develop lasting changes and sustain improvements over time
• Ability to prioritize and re-shift focus to meet the needs of the organization.
• Organize and optimize IT Client Operations.
• Create and maintain processes to deliver the highest levels of customer service.
• Troubleshoot hardware and software issues.
• White glove service for the executive suite
• Monitor the performance of information technology systems to determine cost and productivity levels and to make recommendations for improving the IT infrastructure.
• Measure and continuously improve customer satisfaction.
• Analyze business requirements by partnering with key organizational stakeholders to develop solutions for IT needs.
• Alongside the Emerson Collective Systems Team, advise in developing and refining end user-facing systems.
• Participate in IT projects, including designing and deploying new IT systems and services.
• Participate in designing and revising IT infrastructure strategy, architecture, and processes.
• Software and Applications: In tandem with IT Products & IT teams, Evaluate, select, and implement software and applications that align with the nonprofit's needs, such as donor management, volunteer tracking, or program monitoring tools; Train staff on using new software effectively
• Infrastructure: Oversee the maintenance and management of the nonprofit's IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, networks, and servers. Alongside EC IT: Ensure systems are up-to-date, secure, and operating smoothly; Address technical issues promptly to minimize downtime. Participate in designing and revising IT infrastructure strategy, architecture, and processes.
• Compliance and Reporting: Ensure the nonprofit's IT practices comply with relevant regulations and standards; Prepare and present regular reports on IT activities, achievements, and challenges to senior management, facilitated by Emerson Collective IT System Administrators within shared systems
• Backup and Disaster Recovery: Advise in implementing robust backup and disaster recovery solutions to ensure the organization can recover from data loss or system failures facilitated by EC IT for shared systems. Regularly test and update these solutions to maintain their effectiveness.
• Budgets: Develop and manage the IT budget, including procurement of hardware, software, and services; Seek cost-effective solutions and manage expenditures within the allocated budget
• Vendor Management: Liaise with external vendors, consultants, and service providers to obtain and provide technical assistance when needed; Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and service level agreements
• Collaborate with the Operations, MarComm & Community and Product teams to foster safe and effective use of technology in their work streams.
• Operations Collaborate with the Operations team to power the organization to maximize impact by establishing processes and systems and embedding a culture that enables our people to deliver results joyfully. 
• Digital Communication and Outreach Collaborate with MarComm & Community team and Website Production Manager to enhance the nonprofit's online presence, including its website, social media, and email marketing; Implement digital communication strategies to engage donors, volunteers, and stakeholders.
• Product: Collaborate with Product team to design, develop, test, launch, and continuously improve products and tools that accelerate high school transformation and drive learner outcomes

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.  A master's degree is a plus
• 7+ years of experience working in IT operations
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience leading and managing large IT projects and rolling out IT infrastructures across various technologies
• Strong critical thinking and decision-making skills
• Strong knowledge of IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, and project management.
• Knowledge of the education sector or a passion for driving positive change in education is highly desirable.
• Deep-seated experience with Apple devices is required
• Solid knowledge of Okta, Office 365, Box, Drive, Slack, and Zoom is required
• MDM experience via JAMF is required
• Video and audio conferencing equipment experience is required
• General networking experience is required
• Knowledge of Palo Alto Networks and Juniper is a plus

XQ Mindsets

Ours is a world defined by uncertainty, a society in flux, a state of unprecedented upheavals. While we don’t anticipate any quick fixes, we can anchor ourselves to what we see emerging. That’s why we have established a set of collective XQ Mindsets to ground us. 

• 100% accountability: This doesn't mean you have 100% ownership. It means you are not responsible for everything that needs to be done. It means choosing to take responsibility for our collective success and impact.
• Maker mindset: We build stuff. We won’t always get it right the first time—in fact, we rarely will. But by quickly making and testing our work, we can learn what works and what doesn’t.
• We are the ones we’ve been waiting for: Critique is insufficient. It is on us to create the solutions—no matter where we sit in the organization. We are a well-resourced organization filled with brilliant people. No one else is coming to our rescue.
• Opportunity knocks: We are ready, willing, and able to take on anything. Pivots are a natural part of our approach, so let’s embrace them to experience them joyfully.
• Stand on the shoulders of giants: We honor those who came before us, who aren’t seated at our tables, and build on others’ and our earlier work with respect and reverence.

Benefits

Compensation

The salary range for this role is $140,000-175,000. XQ offers excellent organizational benefits.