IT Manager

Sawhorse Productions•Los Angeles, CA

9h•$100,000 - $120,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Sawhorse Productions is a Los Angeles based, Award winning full-service creative studio turning ideas into unforgettable experiences through captivating branded content, viral social moments, and groundbreaking interactive experiences. We partner with industry-leading brands, artists, and studios such as Walmart, Google, NBCUniversal, Fanatics, Toyota, Pepsi and Alo to deliver industry leading, innovative multi-platform content. At Sawhorse, we believe in fostering a culture of collaboration, creativity, and relentless excellence while shaping the future of digital storytelling. Our projects include: Branded content Social/Digital Content Broadcast commercials UGC Gaming platform experiences Interactive/Web3 activations (AR, VR, MR, AI) We’re seeking a smart, solution-oriented, and hands-on IT Manager to oversee Sawhorse’s infrastructure, servers, and cybersecurity while keeping our fast-paced creative studio running at full speed. This role blends technical expertise with problem-solving agility. You will manage onboarding, security systems, and day-to-day IT operations while ensuring our workflows meet top-tier entertainment industry security standards. Our office is located in Los Angeles. While we are a remote-first company, hybrid in-office presence will be required to maintain servers, oversee infrastructure, and support production teams on-site.

Requirements

Experience: 8+ years in IT management roles supporting creative studios, production companies, or post houses, with a mix of startup and enterprise workflows.
Server & Infrastructure Expertise: Strong knowledge of server management, Mac Studio + PC setups, rack management, network administration, and troubleshooting.
Security Expertise: Proficiency with Okta, Microsoft security agreements, and data/asset protection for high-security projects. Familiarity with MPAA/TPN, SOC2, or ISO 27001 standards.
Disaster Recovery: Experience with backup and archival tools (e.g., Veeam, AWS Glacier, Backblaze) and continuity planning.
Cross-Platform Knowledge: Skilled in both MacOS and Windows environments, with an ability to support hybrid creative/production workflows.
Network Engineering: Knowledge of VPNs, VLANs, firewalls, and enterprise-level network configurations.
Software & Workflow Tools: Strong knowledge of Airtable (company-wide workflow tool), G Suite, Slack, and other core studio platforms.
Problem Solving: Solution-oriented and capable of delivering fast, pragmatic fixes under pressure when systems go down.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with cloud and hybrid storage workflows (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Certifications such as CompTIA Security+, CISSP, or Microsoft Certified Security Engineer.
Experience liaising directly with major studios to handle IT/security audits.
Participation in entertainment industry security networks (e.g., Trusted Partner Network).
Experience with API integrations or lightweight automation tools (Zapier, Make, n8n, custom scripts) to connect platforms like Airtable, Slack, Frame.io, and servers.
Background in system monitoring and observability (dashboards, alerts, and proactive reporting)
General awareness of AI-enabled creative workflows and a sense of how to adopt new tech securely.

Responsibilities

Infrastructure & Server Management: Maintain and upgrade in-house servers, LTO machines, secured Mac Studio racks, PCs and IT room infrastructure and networking. Ensure uptime, redundancy, and performance across all environments.
System Administration & Security: Manage onboarding and offboarding for staff, including Okta, Airtable, and Microsoft accounts. Oversee access rights for high-security projects and maintain strict data controls.
Cybersecurity & Compliance: Implement and enforce best-in-class security protocols. Monitor and safeguard against breaches, ensuring compliance with entertainment industry standards. Must have extensive experience working with major entertainment studios (Universal, Warner Bros., Netflix, Disney, etc.) and their IT security requirements. This includes handling audits, responding to client security flags, and ensuring that Sawhorse’s infrastructure aligns with studio-mandated policies and protocols.
Office IT & Support: Oversee daily office IT operations including internet, workstations, networked machines, and printers. Provide rapid response to outages or technical issues to minimize downtime.
Workflows & Scaling: Build secure, efficient workflows for both in-office and remote teams. Support scaling as the company grows, ensuring speed and reliability.
Purchasing & Vendor Relations: Evaluate, recommend, and procure new hardware, servers, and software licenses. Manage vendor contracts and service agreements.
Data Security & Access Management: Oversee secure data transfer, asset protection, and access controls for confidential projects. Ensure access is limited based on need-to-know.
Disaster Recovery & Continuity: Develop and maintain backup, archival, and disaster recovery plans to ensure business continuity.
Licensing & Asset Management: Oversee software licensing, renewals, and compliance across the company.
Documentation & Training: Maintain IT policies, onboarding/offboarding guides, and provide occasional training for staff on best practices for security and workflows.