IT Business Operations Manager

Panthalassa • Portland, OR

13h • $130,000 - $150,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Panthalassa is hiring an IT Business Operations Manager to run the business side of technology. The role owns how the company purchases, tracks, and pays for the software and hardware its teams use, including vendor relationships, contracts and renewals, license allocation, the IT budget, and forecasting. The manager will partner closely with Finance, Legal, and IT engineers. The Business Systems Engineer administers platforms, while this role owns their commercial relationships and associated spending.

This is Panthalassa’s first dedicated role for this function. The manager will build its processes, reporting, and operating rhythm from the ground up. The position requires strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment.

The role is ideally based on-site at Panthalassa’s offices, lab, and shop in Portland, Oregon. Exceptional remote candidates may be considered if they can work on-site in Portland at least one week per quarter. If remote, quarterly visits to the Portland headquarters are required. The role may intermittently require longer hours around budget cycles and major renewals; flexible PTO and working hours are offered.

Requirements

• Strong attention to detail, including the ability to catch renewal dates, duplicate invoices, and inconsistent seat counts.
• Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to keep multiple workstreams moving at once.
• A track record of project or asset management in a software tool, with accurate status and clearly assigned responsibilities.
• General familiarity with financials and budgeting.
• Exceptional external communication skills and comfort serving as the primary vendor contact, including in difficult conversations.
• Skillful written communication, including vendor emails and internal documentation.
• A history of strong partnerships with stakeholders across an organization.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with SaaS business models, including pricing tiers, seat-based licensing, and renewal terms.
• Familiarity with information security concepts as they apply to vendors, including security reviews and data handling.
• Familiarity with procurement processes, including purchase approvals, quotes, and purchase orders.
• Familiarity with SCIM provisioning and how it relates to license assignment.

Responsibilities

• Own relationships with IT software and hardware vendors, including account reviews, escalations, and vendor performance.
• Lead renewal and new-purchase negotiations with Finance and Legal, including pricing, terms, and multi-year commitments.
• Maintain a contract repository and renewal calendar so renewals are reviewed before decisions are made.
• Run new-vendor intake with Information Security, including risk reviews before purchase.
• Own the SaaS application inventory, including business owner, license counts, cost, and renewal dates.
• Track license utilization and reclaim, reassign, or right-size unused seats.
• Partner with IAM and Business Systems Engineers so license assignment follows automated provisioning rather than manual requests.
• Prepare for and manage vendor true-ups and license audits.
• Build and manage the annual IT operating and capital budget with Finance.
• Forecast spending against headcount growth, new facilities, and planned projects.
• Track actuals against budget monthly, explain variances, and flag risks early.
• Code and reconcile IT invoices and purchases with Finance.
• Report IT spending to IT leadership and department heads in actionable terms.
• Own hardware purchasing and vendor relationships for laptops, phones, peripherals, and office technology.
• Maintain an accurate hardware asset inventory from purchase through assignment, repair, and disposal.
• Plan and budget hardware refresh cycles with the Endpoint Engineer, who owns technical standards.
• Coordinate certified hardware disposal and maintain supporting records.
• Build the function’s operating rhythm, including renewal calendars, budget reviews, and vendor scorecards.
• Own the technology purchase-request and approval workflow, working with the Business Systems Engineer to automate it.
• Support asset and vendor management controls in the compliance framework, such as NIST or equivalent, including evidence.
• Document processes in Confluence.

Benefits

• Flexible paid time off.
• Health insurance: the company pays 100% of a gold-level PPO plan for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Dental insurance: the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Vision insurance: the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Disability insurance, with the company paying 100% for a policy that provides long-term financial support if the employee becomes disabled.
• Ability to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, including a 401(k), health FSA, and dependent care FSA.
• Relocation assistance to facilitate a move to Portland, if needed.
• Equity in the company.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed