Head of IT

Elroy Air•Byron, CA

17h•$200,000 - $270,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As we enter our next phase of growth and scale the Chaparral aircraft from flight testing into full rate production, Elroy Air is seeking a Head of IT to build and lead secure, scalable, and high-performance IT systems across the company. This role is responsible for architecting and operating our internal IT infrastructure, including corporate IT, identity and access management (physical and digital), endpoint systems, networking, and compliance frameworks required for export-controlled environments. You will be a foundational leader and doer, working directly with engineering, security, legal, and leadership to ensure our systems are robust, compliant, and enable rapid successful execution without compromise. This is not only a maintenance role. You will shape and build the systems that allow the company to mature and operate efficiently as we scale.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, IT operations, or IT systems engineering
Deep experience with enterprise IT systems, networking, and cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP/Azure)
Experience implementing and automating identity systems (Okta, Azure AD, or similar)
Strong understanding of network architecture, VPNs, firewalls, routes, and segmentation
Proven track record of integrating enterprise IT systems in a fast-paced environment
Must be eligible to work in the United States
Ability to receive and maintain access to export-controlled information (ITAR/EAR)

Nice To Haves

Experience operating in ITAR, EAR, or other export-controlled environments
Familiarity with NIST 800-171, CMMC, or similar compliance frameworks
Background in aerospace, defense, energy, or deep tech startups
Experience supporting hardware labs, manufacturing environments, or secure facilities
Prior experience scaling IT from early-stage to growth-stage company

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end IT corporate infrastructure: corporate IT, networking, endpoints, and SaaS
Design and implement secure and compliant environments, including access controls, data segregation, and auditability
Build and enforce identity and access management (IAM) systems with least-privilege principles
Establish secure device management (MDM), endpoint detection and response (EDR), and fleet lifecycle processes
Architect and maintain secure network infrastructure across office, lab, and production environments
Lead vendor selection and management across IT, security, and infrastructure tooling
Develop and enforce IT policies and procedures aligned with export control and security requirements
Partner with engineering to support high-performance cloud computing, lab systems, and specialized environments
Evaluate and improve monitoring, logging, and incident response capabilities for IT systems
Ensure business continuity and disaster recovery planning
Act as a key stakeholder in security audits, compliance readiness, and regulatory inspections
Own and streamline IT elements of employee onboarding / offboarding
Support the security and maintainability of the corporate website