IT Manager

Parallel Systems•Los Angeles, CA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

Parallel Systems is pioneering autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles designed to transform freight transportation by shifting portions of the $900 billion U.S. trucking industry onto rail. Our innovative technology offers cleaner, safer, and more efficient logistics solutions. Join our dynamic team and help shape a smarter, greener future for global freight. Parallel Systems is seeking an experienced, hands-on IT Manager to own and scale the company’s internal IT function. This role is responsible for both strategy and execution. You will design, implement, and operate the IT systems that support a fast-growing engineering and operations organization. You will report into the engineering organization and work primarily on-site at our California offices. This is not a helpdesk-only role. You will be the primary owner of corporate IT, expected to make decisions, drive improvements, and personally execute where needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, or 5+ years of full-time professional IT experience
Experience owning and administering corporate IT environments, including Active Directory or equivalent identity systems and MDM platforms such as Kandji or Intune
Hands-on experience designing, maintaining, and improving office and enterprise network infrastructure using Unifi or comparable solutions
Experience managing IT budgets, forecasting spend, and driving cost efficiency across tools and infrastructure
Experience managing IT vendors, contracts, and SaaS licensing
Experience defining, tracking, and reporting IT performance metrics and KPIs
Strong understanding of IT security best practices, including endpoint security, access controls, data protection, and incident response
Ability to perform on-site physical tasks, including standing, bending, lifting, and carrying equipment up to 50 lbs

Nice To Haves

Experience acting as the primary IT owner or lead in a startup or high-growth environment
Experience building or improving IT automation and operational workflows
Working knowledge of authentication and identity protocols such as Kerberos, SAML, OAuth, or similar technologies
Strong understanding of wireless networking technologies, network planning, and security configurations
Experience supporting engineering-heavy or hardware-focused organizations

Responsibilities

Own the end-to-end IT strategy and operating model, ensuring infrastructure, tooling, and security scale with company growth and business priorities
Act as the primary IT owner for the company, serving as the main technical partner to leadership and department heads
Design, maintain, and continuously improve corporate IT infrastructure, including networking, conference room systems, end-user devices, and cloud-based assets
Lead network architecture and long-term infrastructure improvement projects across offices and facilities
Manage IT budget, forecast spend, and drive cost efficiency across hardware, SaaS tools, and managed service providers
Own vendor relationships and contract negotiations, including SaaS renewals, hardware procurement, and external IT services
Execute hands-on, on-site technical work as needed, including installing, configuring, repairing, and replacing devices, network equipment, and software
Serve as the escalation point for technical issues and ensure timely resolution of IT requests received via Slack, email, or other support channels
Design and own IT automation and workflows, including onboarding, offboarding, access provisioning, and device lifecycle management
Own device management and internal MDM services across all endpoints
Establish, document, and enforce IT policies and standards, including device management, access controls, data protection, and acceptable use
Define, track, and report IT performance metrics such as uptime, ticket SLAs, security incidents, and cost efficiency
Track IT tickets through JIRA to completion and communicate status updates clearly and consistently