Manager, IT in Lincolnshire, Illinois at 95 PERCENT GROUP LLC

Position Summary:

The Manager, IT is responsible for the day-to-day management of 95 Percent Group's IT infrastructure, applications, and technical operations, ensuring employees have reliable access to the systems, equipment, and support they need to do their jobs. This role oversees the IT support function, manages the deployment and configuration of company hardware, integrates cybersecurity processes into technology operations, and helps maintain the controls and policies the organization relies on. The Manager, IT leads a team of IT professionals and works cross-functionally with other departments and business partners to meet internal and external customer requirements.

This is a player-coach role: the Manager, IT splits time between leading and developing the team and rolling up their sleeves as a hands-on subject matter expert — troubleshooting complex issues, configuring systems, as well as setting and communicating our technical direction alongside the work of managing people and process.

95 Percent Group is actively modernizing its IT practice, and this role will be a key driver of that effort — building and executing a roadmap to automate IT operations (e.g., identity and access management, provisioning, and device lifecycle, etc.) so the team can scale efficiently as the company grows. The role is based out of our Lincolnshire, IL office, where the Manager, IT will work on-site a couple of days per week and provide in-person IT support to the office.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Manage and continuously improve the IT support function, including ticket queue oversight, SLA adherence, and escalation handling using our ticketing platform (SolarWinds)
• Hire, coach, and manage IT support staff; set priorities and hold the team accountable to service standards
• Own the end-to-end provisioning process for new hires and equipment refreshes across both PC (Windows) and Mac environments, including standardized device images, configuration baselines, and full device lifecycle management
• Gather and validate functional and technical requirements for proposed IT projects and solutions; develop and maintain project plans and timelines
• Maintain and support cloud computing, including public and hybrid cloud environments (AWS and Azure)
• Support the organization's SOC 2 compliance program, including implementing security controls, maintaining IT procedures and policies, managing change control processes, and supporting audit evidence collection
• Administer and maintain Okta (IAM/SSO) and Keeper (credential and secrets management); support planning and implementation of SASE / ZTNA network security architecture
• Own tracking and management of software licensing across the organization, including provisioning/deprovisioning of application access and maintaining an up-to-date license and contract inventory
• Maintain and support reporting infrastructure using Azure Fabric and Power BI, including dashboards for IT operations, helpdesk performance, licensing, and compliance metrics
• Manage and prioritize the workload of IT team members; conduct training, supervision, and performance evaluations to enhance productivity and ensure department outcomes are achieved
• Participate in hardware and software evaluations and assist in vendor contract management; develop and manage relationships with technology providers
• Own IT budget planning and cost management for hardware, software, and services
• Represent the IT function as a stakeholder during internal company meetings, when appropriate
• Support the implementation and ongoing management of the organization's Data Loss Prevention (DLP) program, including policy tuning, alert monitoring, and incident investigation
• Build and execute a roadmap to automate IT operations — including leading implementation of Aquera for automated on/offboarding and Microsoft Intune/Autopilot for zero-touch device provisioning
• Maintain awareness of new and emerging technologies that may impact company systems, devices, and security
• Perform additional duties as assigned

Skills and Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in IT or related field, or equivalent experience
• 5+ years in IT management, IT operations, or systems administration, including direct people management experience
• Comfortable operating as a player-coach — able to lead and develop a team while also staying hands-on with day-to-day technical work as needed
• Hands-on experience supporting and provisioning both Windows and macOS environments
• Experience implementing or managing DSPM and DLP security tooling
• Experience operating within a SOC 2 (or similar compliance framework, e.g., NIST CSF, NIST 800-53, ISO 27001) environment, including familiarity with control documentation and audit support
• Experience with implementation and change management for SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS environments
• Experience supporting internal and external software development in public cloud environments, including supporting DevOps and CI/CD pipelines
• Strong understanding of IT security fundamentals: access control, MDM, patch management, endpoint protection
• Working familiarity with AWS and Azure, sufficient to support a cloud-based environment
• Experience with IAM platforms (e.g., Okta) and credential/secrets management tools (e.g., Keeper)
• Experience managing software licensing and application provisioning at an organizational level
• Experience designing or driving IT automation initiatives (e.g., automated on/offboarding, zero-touch device provisioning)
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to anticipate and solve problems
• Organized, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and timelines
• Self-starter who can work independently as well as lead a team
• Strong interpersonal skills that build relationships of trust and confidence
• Ability to work with confidential information in a professional manner
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical issues for non-technical stakeholders

Preferred

• Experience building or scaling an IT support function from the ground up
• Track record of building and executing an IT automation or modernization roadmap
• Interest in literacy and improving reading achievement for students

Physical Requirements / Work Environment:

• Use of standard office equipment/computers
• This position requires a moderate to heavy level of physical work and the ability to lift up to 51 pounds
• The employee is frequently required to walk, stoop, kneel, or crouch, and use ladders; they will be required to reach with and use arms and hands, as required in installing standard office equipment
• The work environment is an office setting with a low/average noise level

Benefits:

Flexible Hybrid Schedule with one core office day at HQ in Lincolnshire, IL

Additional days onsite may be required for training, events, planning or other related activities to meet the needs of the business.

Laptop and any necessary equipment to perform the duties required

Monthly technology stipend

Professional development support - tuition reimbursement program

BCBS Medical and Vision with employee premiums

FREE Dental

FREE basic life insurance policy and short and long-term disability programs

401k with generous company match and immediate vesting

PTO policy that starts accruing upon hire up to a maximum level based on tenure and does not expire

9 Holidays, 3 Floaters and a 4-day Winter Closure between Christmas and New Year

1 Paid Volunteer Day annually

Donate a PTO Day program for colleagues in need

3 Weeks Paid Parental Leave after 12-months of employment for birth, adoption or foster placement

Company Description:

95 Percent Group is a leader in literacy intervention instruction for pre-K through grade 8 across the U.S. The company offers professional development training for teachers and administrators as well as print and online products to assist teachers with helping students who struggle with reading. 95 Percent Group's comprehensive educational consulting, professional development, diagnostic assessments, and instructional materials help schools deliver intervention instruction that consistently and significantly increase reading achievement.

The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Lincolnshire, IL (northwest suburban Chicago). Its customers are primarily school districts across the U.S., and they are served by consultants who travel for on-site training as well as through online training.

95 Percent Group has a fully engaged and highly committed leadership team who cares deeply about our mission. We've hired the best from inside and outside the industry. This is a tremendous opportunity to join a company positioned for continued significant growth. An added plus is knowing that what you're doing every day is making a significant difference in children's lives. Come work with a group of smart, fun, passionate professionals who value creativity, innovation, and making an impact.

95 Percent Group, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.