Director, IT

Role overview

Cynch is a Series A business that has increased revenue fourfold over the last year. The company develops specialized neuro-symbolic AI applications that help accounting and tax professionals deliver high-quality financial services. Its workforce includes both remote and onsite team members, with offices in San Francisco, the South Bay, and the East Bay.

The company is hiring a senior IT leader to take a fragmented environment and turn it into a secure, reliable, and scalable IT operation. This is a highly hands-on position that combines day-to-day support with strategic ownership of compliance, infrastructure, and security. You will be expected to design the solution and also implement it yourself, especially at the beginning when the function is effectively a one-person department.

The role is hybrid and based from either the Pleasanton or Cupertino office. The work model is initially onsite, then moves to a schedule of three days per week plus as needed, shaped by both tax-season demands and technical priorities.

Key responsibilities

• Unify IT ownership across the organization and create a single operating model.
• Set clear accountability for IT processes, tools, and support.
• Cut down on unauthorized tools and standardize systems and workflows.
• Determine the right growth model for IT, including internal hiring, managed service providers, or a blended structure.
• Recruit and lead IT team members as the company expands.
• Own the long-term IT roadmap.
• Centralize and manage the identity and access platform.
• Set up and maintain device management for both macOS and Windows fleets.
• Administer desktop software, SaaS applications, and Azure-based virtual apps.
• Coordinate and organize external vendors.
• Improve employee onboarding and offboarding experiences.
• Deliver dependable IT support for both remote workers and office-based staff.
• Strengthen identity management, access controls, and endpoint security.
• Create practical security policies and controls that can be implemented effectively.
• Work with engineering and leadership on security practices.
• Prepare the organization for SOC 2 readiness.

Success measures for the first 6 months

• Complete a SOC 2 gap assessment.
• Select and roll out a unified identity system across the company.
• Document onboarding and offboarding processes for remote, onsite, and hybrid employees.
• Put automated SCIM provisioning in place.
• Lower shadow IT by reviewing existing SaaS tools and setting up a formal approval and procurement workflow.
• Align on additional priorities with executive leadership.

Requirements

• At least 10 years of IT experience, including 3 years in a management role, preferably in a startup or other fast-growing company.
• Strong comfort with both strategy and execution, including support tasks such as printer setup alongside building systems and preparing for SOC 2.
• Hands-on experience deploying identity platforms such as JumpCloud, Okta, Entra ID, or Google Workspace.
• Azure experience beyond Entra ID, specifically for application security and deployment.
• Experience managing Mac and Windows device fleets using MDM tools such as Jamf, Kandji, or Intune.
• Deep knowledge of SSO, MFA, SCIM provisioning, RBAC, and access lifecycle management.
• Prior work preparing a company for SOC 2.
• Experience managing SaaS ecosystems, vendors, and shadow IT reduction efforts.
• Ability to automate workflows and integrations.
• Proven ability to bring structure to fast-changing environments by standardizing systems, documenting procedures, and building durable IT foundations across multiple offices.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, life insurance, and long-term disability coverage.

Additional information

This position is intended for someone who can both define the IT function and execute the work directly. The role begins with broad individual responsibility and is expected to evolve as the company grows.