Senior Manager, IT Systems & Operations

Aravo Solutions•Portland, OR

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Aravo Solutions, Inc., provides leading third-party risk management (TPRM), ESG, and vendor lifecycle management solutions powered by intelligent automation software and designed to meet the needs of TPRM teams at Global 2000 enterprises. At Aravo, we believe that in an increasingly interconnected world, managing risk is a critical pillar of global resilience. Traditional, manual approaches to TPRM can no longer keep pace with today’s scale and speed of disruption. That’s why we have pioneered an Intelligence-First™ approach. Trusted by millions of third-party users in 195+ countries, Aravo provides guidance for the most complex third-party networks in the world, helping them mitigate risk, build business resilience, and protect their reputations. We are fundamentally redesigning how organizations see, understand, and act on risk by embedding AI directly into the core of their workflows. Joining Aravo means working at the forefront of AI in TPRM and collaborating with a team that views AI as a partner, not a replacement. You will have the opportunity to work alongside industry experts, leverage the latest technologies, and contribute to shaping the future of third-party risk management! Position Overview: Aravo is seeking a hands-on, technically strong Senior Manager, IT Systems & Operations to help lead and scale our internal IT function. This role will be responsible for the reliable operation, administration, automation, and continuous improvement of Aravo’s corporate IT systems. The Senior Manager will oversee core IT systems and operations including identity and access management, endpoint management, IT service management, employee onboarding and offboarding, hardware lifecycle, and IT support. This role will partner closely with Engineering, Security, Finance, HR, and business stakeholders to deliver secure, scalable, and efficient technology services across a distributed workforce. The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who can manage people and vendors while also diving into technical problems, improving processes, automating repetitive work, and driving a high-quality employee IT experience.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in IT, with 3+ years in a management or technical leadership role
Strong hands-on experience with modern IT stack, including AI tools
Automating user onboarding and offboarding with auditability and traceability
Experience supporting compliance frameworks such as Microsoft SSPA, SOC1, and SOC 2
Support FedRamp related activities and compliance
Proven ability to operate both strategically and hands-on
Strong project management and cross-functional collaboration skills
Experience in a SaaS or cloud-first company (80–500 employees ideal)
Experience scaling IT processes in a high-growth environment
Hands-on leadership with a “roll up your sleeves” mindset
Self-starter with entrepreneurial attitude towards managing everything IT
Strong operational discipline and attention to detail
Ability to prioritize effectively in a lean environment
Clear communication with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Customer-first mindset

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with zero trust security principles
Exposure to customer-facing security or audit requirements

Responsibilities

Execute and operationalize Aravo's IT roadmap, translating strategic priorities into actionable projects, initiatives, and operational improvements
Lead, develop, and mentor a small, high-impact IT team (helpdesk, systems, IT ops)
Establish and track SLAs, KPIs, and user satisfaction metrics, driving accountability and continuous improvement
Drive tool standardization and rationalization, ensuring we are continuously consolidating toolsets and optimizing the technology portfolio
Partner with IT leadership on budgeting, forecasting, resource planning, and cost optimization
Establish IT operating standards, processes, and governance that support the company’s growth and evolving business needs
Partner closely with business and technical stakeholders to understand needs, prioritize initiatives, and deliver effective IT solutions
Own the strategy and operational management of core internal systems, including license management
Ensure reliable, scalable onboarding/offboarding processes and lifecycle management
Maintain high availability, performance, and reliability of internal systems
Support a hybrid/remote workforce across multiple locations with effective endpoint, identity, and access strategies
Establish scalable operational processes and controls that enable IT to support continued organizational growth
Automate employee onboarding, offboarding, access provisioning, device provisioning, and other repetitive IT processes
Identify opportunities to integrate HR, identity, SaaS, endpoint, and ITSM platforms
Establish appropriate processes and controls for adoption of AI-enabled IT tools
Leverage AI and automation to improve IT efficiency, service quality, and employee experience
Partner with Security and Engineering to support audit and customer-driven compliance requirements
Enforce identity, access control, and endpoint security policies
Establish governance for onboarding AI solutions and usage that adhere to proper security and data practices
Support audits, evidence collection, and vendor security reviews
Drive security awareness and best practices across employees
Partner with Security and Engineering leadership to continuously strengthen the company’s overall security and compliance posture
Own the IT support function with a focus on responsiveness, quality, scalability, and automation
Deliver a seamless employee experience across onboarding, support, and tooling
Continuously improve documentation, self-service, and internal processes
Establish a culture of service excellence and accountability across the IT function
Own the SaaS application portfolio, licensing strategy, and cost optimization
Track and manage IT assets and lifecycle (procurement → retirement)
Negotiate vendor contracts and manage third-party relationships
Drive strategic vendor evaluation and consolidation to optimize cost, security, functionality, and employee experience