IT Operations Manager

About the Company

Samba TV is a media intelligence business focused on understanding what audiences are watching, reading, and thinking about in real time across every screen. Its consent-based data platform, built from the activity of more than a billion people, gives brands a deeply cultural view of consumer attention and helps them make better decisions.

The company tracks streaming and broadcast viewing globally through proprietary data and technology. Its mission is to reshape the viewing experience by helping media companies reach audiences for new content and enabling advertisers to measure reach and engagement across devices.

Role Overview

This position is for a senior hands-on IT professional who will act as the London office lead for corporate technology operations. The role covers the complete IT function for the assigned site, including employee support, endpoint management, identity and access administration, office systems, AV support, infrastructure reliability, and compliance tasks.

The successful candidate will work independently on a day-to-day basis, with strategic guidance from the VP of Technology Operations. This is an individual contributor role with broad ownership rather than direct people management.

The person in this role becomes the main owner of IT for the site. Typical responsibilities include ensuring a new hire receives a laptop on day one, fixing meeting room AV issues, resolving identity access problems, and collecting evidence for audits. It is suited to someone who enjoys variety, full accountability, and keeping an office running smoothly.

Core Responsibilities

You will provide broad IT support across the assigned office location, manage local systems and devices, and act as the first point of contact for employees needing technical help. You will also oversee onboarding and offboarding workflows, identity services, office network and AV infrastructure, vendor coordination, security compliance, and site-level IT projects.

System Administration and User Support

• Act as the main IT contact for employees at the assigned office sites.
• Maintain and monitor end-user devices, office connectivity, SaaS tools, and audio-visual systems.
• Diagnose and resolve hardware, software, and network-related problems quickly while keeping systems highly available.
• Handle helpdesk requests, making sure issues are prioritized, tracked, and closed within SLA expectations.
• Create and maintain a local knowledge base and self-service guidance to reduce repeat issues and help users solve common problems independently.

Device Management and Procurement

• Manage the complete device lifecycle, from purchasing and imaging to rollout, maintenance, and retirement for both Mac and Windows environments.
• Work with MDM tools such as Jamf, Intune, or similar platforms to enroll devices, enforce policies, deploy applications, and monitor compliance.
• Coordinate with suppliers for hardware purchasing, order management, inventory control, and asset tracking.
• Keep software and hardware inventory records accurate and ensure devices continue to meet company standards.

Onboarding and Offboarding

• Carry out the IT setup for new employees, including account creation, device setup, app access, and making sure everything is ready for their first day.
• Manage exit processes by disabling accounts, removing access, collecting equipment, and handling data appropriately.
• Improve onboarding and offboarding processes over time to make them more efficient and user-friendly.
• Work closely with HR, Finance, and hiring managers to ensure smooth technology-related transitions.

Identity and Access Management

• Administer an identity platform such as Okta or an equivalent solution, including provisioning, single sign-on setup, MFA enforcement, and group or policy control.
• Process access changes, role updates, and entitlement reviews in line with security requirements.
• Maintain identity-layer security controls, watch for vulnerabilities, and support response actions when issues arise.
• Resolve login, authentication, and authorization problems across SaaS applications.

Office Infrastructure and AV

• Support office network equipment and local connectivity, including Wi-Fi and switches.
• Own meeting room AV systems, including setup, maintenance, troubleshooting, and upgrades.
• Coordinate with building management and internet providers to address connectivity problems and support office moves.
• Help ensure office technology is dependable, secure, and suitable for hybrid work.

Security and Compliance

• Support ISO audit activities by gathering evidence, documenting controls, and taking part in audit walkthroughs.
• Apply endpoint security standards through MDM and keep devices aligned with compliance expectations.
• Assist with vulnerability management and patch compliance at the endpoint level.
• Develop and maintain IT procedures, policies, and best practices that strengthen efficiency and security.
• Escalate security incidents appropriately and support incident response when required.

Vendors and Partners

• Work with outside vendors for purchasing hardware, software, and related services.
• Maintain vendor relationships to support reliable service and cost-effective delivery.
• Oversee renewals for contracts, maintenance, and software licenses.
• Assess new tools and technologies that could improve site-level IT service delivery.

Projects and Cross-Functional Support

• Lead local IT initiatives such as upgrades, office buildouts, and technology deployments.
• Define project scope, timelines, deliverables, and resource needs for site-based work.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and Operations to align technology support with business needs.
• Contribute observations and input to longer-term IT strategy and roadmap planning.

Required Qualifications

The ideal applicant should hold a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related discipline, or have equivalent practical experience. At least 5 years of experience in IT systems administration, IT operations, or a similar multi-disciplinary role is required.

Strong hands-on experience with macOS and Windows endpoint management in enterprise settings is needed, along with practical knowledge of MDM platforms such as Jamf, Intune, or Kandji. Experience administering identity providers like Okta or Azure AD is also expected, including SSO, MFA, and user lifecycle management.

The role also requires a solid understanding of networking basics such as Wi‑Fi, DNS, DHCP, VPNs, and basic firewall concepts, plus strong troubleshooting, independent working ability, and the capacity to juggle multiple priorities. Clear communication skills are important for explaining technical issues to non-technical colleagues.

Preferred Qualifications

Helpful extras include prior support experience in AdTech, MarTech, or data-led businesses; IT certifications such as Apple Certified Support Professional, Jamf Certified, Okta Certified Professional, CompTIA, or ITIL; and hands-on use of service management tools like Jira Service Management, ServiceNow, or Freshservice.

Exposure to scripting and automation using Bash, PowerShell, or Python is advantageous, as is experience with AV systems, distributed international teams, cloud services in a support role, scaling IT during fast growth, and working with ISO or SOC 2 compliance frameworks. Knowledge of endpoint encryption, patching, and data protection is also beneficial.

Cultural Fit

• You take full ownership of your sites and are committed to keeping everything operating smoothly.
• You speak up when the right technology decision needs to be made, even if it means challenging hierarchy.
• You prefer practical, maintainable solutions over unnecessary complexity.
• You learn quickly and stay current as tools and platforms evolve.
• You are comfortable handling both small tasks and leadership-level communication in the same day.

Equal Opportunity and Privacy

Samba is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity, inclusion, and meaningful work that reflects the communities it serves.

The company may collect personal information directly from applicants and may also receive data from third parties such as background, employment, or reference checks, in line with applicable law. For additional details, applicants should refer to the company’s Applicant Privacy Policy. For residents of the EU, Samba Inc. acts as the data controller.

The hiring process may use artificial intelligence tools to support tasks such as application review, resume analysis, or response assessment. These tools assist the recruitment team but do not replace human judgment, and final hiring decisions are made by people.