Head of IT

Emergence Software
San Francisco, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Geared toward candidates with M&A integration experience and a track record of balancing global and local IT optimization, comfortable with establishing IT architecture and leading cross-functional collaboration in the Bay Area.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with hands-on experience leading IT through acquisitions and building scalable systems for diverse organizations.
    — “Has led IT through acquisitions and can balance global vs. local optimization”
  • Professionals who have worked in regulated environments and are familiar with managing sensitive data.
    — “Experience with regulated data; HIPAA is a plus”

Things to consider

  • The role demands a high level of collaboration with the CISO and M&A leadership, not just technical execution.
    — “Collaborate with the CISO and the Head of M&A Integration”
  • Candidates must be prepared to lead hiring decisions for IT teams, including roles they may not have personally filled.
    — “You hire people stronger than yourself, including in functions you have not done”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your experience in designing IT systems for acquired companies and your ability to document processes clearly.
    — “Writes the first version of the OpCo standard”
  • Emphasize your track record of building shared services and integrating IT systems post-acquisition.
    — “Lead IT systems integration plan for each new OpCo”
  • Showcase your ability to work with non-technical leaders and explain complex IT concepts in simple terms.
    — “Can explain it plainly to operators who are not technical”
  • Demonstrate your ability to lead and manage teams with a mix of FTEs, contractors, and managed service providers.
    — “Lead IT org design, blending FTEs, contractors, and managed service providers for maximum efficiency and impact”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Company

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • establish IT architecture for RootCo
  • execute day-to-day operations of RootCo IT
  • develop portfolio IT architecture and points of integration
  • own effectiveness and efficiency of IT diligence process for M&A activities
  • lead IT systems integration plan for each new OpCo
Typical background
IT leadershipacquisition experience

Skills & requirements

Required

IT ArchitectureCloud IdentityEmail And Endpoint KnowledgeRegulated Data ExperienceClear Communication With Non-technical Operators

Preferred

Hipaa Experience

Stack & domain

IT ArchitectureCloud IdentityEmail ManagementEndpoint ManagementRegulated Data HandlingBYOD StrategyIT Systems IntegrationM&A IntegrationIT DiligenceShared Service DesignIT Org DesignLeadershipCommunicationProblem SolvingTeam ManagementNegotiationProject ManagementTechnologyITMergers And Acquisitions

About the role

Original posting from Emergence Software via Ashby

Reporting to the CISO

Bay Area preferred

Compensation range: $200k-$250k

ABOUT EMERGENCE

Emergence buys technology companies and keeps them. We don’t flip them. The founders and leadership teams who run each company stay in charge, and we provide shared systems, standards, and support to make their jobs easier. We currently own multiple companies across 3 verticals, and we’re growing fast.

We measure ourselves by one thing: every company should grow faster after it joins us than it did before. We hire people who are humble, driven, and picky about the quality of their own work.

THE ROLE

Run RootCo IT and set the technology standard for every OpCo, so that each acquisition lands on systems we can support, secure, and measure. Give every deal a technology diligence view before it closes, and move each new company onto the standard in the first 90 days after close. This is a hands-on seat: you build the standard, lead the integration work, and hire the team that runs it. We want someone who has taken IT through acquisitions and can explain it plainly to operators who are not technical.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

  • Establish the IT architecture for RootCo (identity, productivity, endpoints, AI)
  • Execute day-to-day operations of RootCo IT, including onboarding, offboarding, and changes
  • Develop the broader portfolio IT architecture and points of integration, including shared service design and execution
  • Own effectiveness and efficiency of IT diligence process for M&A activities
  • Lead IT systems integration plan for each new OpCo
  • Develop BYOD and corporate device strategy
  • Lead IT org design, blending FTEs, contractors, and managed service providers for maximum efficiency and impact
  • Collaborate with the CISO and the Head of M&A Integration

WHAT YOU BRING

Nobody has done exactly this job, so we do not look for a matching résumé. We look for what carries over.

  • You learn unfamiliar functions quickly, ask sharp questions, and say plainly what you do not yet know.
  • You motivate people without a mandate. Operators who work with you would choose to work with you again.
  • You hire people stronger than yourself, including in functions you have not done.
  • You have seen how both messy startups and large organizations work, and you know what to copy from each.

AND, FOR THIS ROLE

  • Has led IT through acquisitions and can balance global vs. local optimization
  • Hands-on knowledge of cloud identity, email, and endpoint
  • Experience with regulated data; HIPAA is a plus
  • Clear communicator with non-technical operators

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

IN YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS

Inventories systems, vendors, and access at RootCo and each OpCo. Writes the first version of the OpCo standard. Has the technology diligence template in use on the next deal.

BY THE END OF YOUR FIRST YEAR

The team is hired, whether FTEs or contractors. A technology diligence section is in every investment committee memo. Cost per entity is tracked.

HOW WE HIRE

You will meet with our leadership team (CISO, your direct manager; Chief Human Resources Officer, a key stakeholder; a few key technical stakeholders; and at least one Operating Partner). After completing the interview, we will reach out to a few people you worked with to learn how best to partner with you as we embark on this journey together. Along the way, you will do a few short exercises, such as learning a new topic and teaching it back, and working through a realistic scenario. We design them to show how you think and test how working together really feels. We will tell you what to expect before each step.

Source: Emergence Software careers (Ashby)

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