Manager, IT Operations

Description 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. Why join Sprout's IT Team?  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.  What you'll do 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. What you'll bring 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. Preferred qualifications for this role include: Experience managing IT operations across multiple office locations and time zones. Scripting and automation ability in PowerShell, Python, or Bash, and a track record of building automations or integrations that reduce manual work. Comfort working with LLMs and AI tools in a professional setting, and a point of view on applying them to IT operations. Experience with Jamf and/or Intune. Experience with Jira Service Management. Experience partnering with Security/GRC on shared identity, access, and compliance work. Ability to work from Sprout’s Chicago office at least three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) with the possibility of additional in-office days depending on business needs How you'll grow 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 o