Tech Ops Manager

Valarian Technologies is a dual-use technology company building critical tools to safeguard the future in an era of evolving global security challenges. We're rethinking security beyond traditional military domains, addressing asymmetric threats that impact our technological advantage, economic strength, and democratic institutions.

We build Acra – the platform foundation for everything we do as a dual-use technology company. The platform’s name, rooted in the Greek word for citadel (or, fortress), reflects the design and purpose of our infrastructure-agnostic secure enclaves: protecting critical data. Some of the government and commercial workflows include: increased operational resiliency for mission-critical systems and functions; enabling organizations to more quickly and widely adopt emerging technologies while ensuring the integrity of their intellectual property; information flow during disaster response scenarios, and zero-trust / least-privilege environments for M&A, attorney-client privileged communications, etc. And we’ve only scratched the surface.

At our core, we're driven by a shared mission and a belief in making a tangible impact on our world. Whether you join our London HQ or the wider global organisation, you’ll be a part of collaborative, high-performing teams, creating cutting-edge software, platforms, and infrastructure.

As IT Lead at Valarian, you will own and evolve our internal IT function, ensuring it is secure, scalable, and aligned with our mission to build resilient, sovereign digital infrastructure. You will be responsible for managing a modern, cloud-first environment, while partnering closely with the Head of Information Security to strengthen and expand our compliance and security posture.

This is a hands-on leadership role where you will define IT strategy, implement best-in-class tooling and processes, and build the foundations required to support a high-growth, security-conscious organisation operating under frameworks such as ISO-27001, Cyber Essentials and SOC-2 (with ongoing expansion of controls).

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  Own and operate Valarian’s IT environment, including device management, identity systems, and SaaS tooling across a fully cloud-based infrastructure

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  Design, implement, and continuously improve IT policies, standards, and processes to support a secure and scalable organisation

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  Partner closely with the Head of Information Security to align IT operations with security strategy, contributing to and supporting compliance initiatives (CE/CE+, SOC 2, and future frameworks)

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  Lead the expansion and maturity of IT controls that underpin broader security and compliance programs

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  Manage and optimise endpoint management, access control, and identity lifecycle processes (e.g. onboarding, offboarding, role-based access)

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  Evaluate, select, and implement IT tools and systems that improve productivity, security, and operational efficiency

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  Act as the primary escalation point for IT issues, while also building lightweight, scalable support processes for the business

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  Maintain visibility and control over asset management, device posture, and system health

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  Support business continuity and resilience planning from an IT systems perspective

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  Build and, over time, scale the IT function as the company grows

• Proven experience leading or owning IT in a modern, cloud-first environment

• Experience operating in a high-growth startup environment, including supporting the setup and scaling of new office locations, IT infrastructure, and employee onboarding processes

• Comfortable building IT operations from the ground up in fast-moving environments, with experience establishing reliable systems, vendor relationships, and workplace technology for expanding teams

• Strong hands-on experience managing macOS fleets (e.g. via MDM solutions such as Jamf, Kandji, or similar)

• Deep familiarity with SaaS-based infrastructure, identity providers (e.g. Okta, Google Workspace, Azure AD), and zero-trust principles

• Experience working alongside security teams and contributing to compliance frameworks such as SOC-2; exposure to UK government standards is highly desirable

• Strong understanding of IT controls, access management, and endpoint security in high-assurance environments

• Clear communication skills and the ability to work cross-functionally with security, engineering, and operations teams

• A proactive, ownership-driven mindset with a focus on continuous improvement

• Alignment with Valarian’s mission to drive security, resilience, and digital sovereignty

Our culture is built on inclusivity, compassion and flexibility – we want everyone to be empowered to achieve their goals at Valarian.

The world is changing, and so is our way of working. If you want to join us in the London office – it’s quite nice! – you’re welcome to; and if you’d prefer to work remotely, that’s fine too.

And as we build elegant solutions to simplify the complexities of business collaboration, we also simplify work life: contribute wherever and whenever allows you to be your best self. We trust each other to consistently raise the bar, and we challenge each other to continually reach new heights.