(Sr.) IT Operations Manager

Caribou is a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome-editing biopharmaceutical company founded by pioneers in this field. Leveraging our proprietary technologies, we are developing genome- edited, off-the-shelf immune cell therapies for the treatment of patients with devastating human diseases, including cancer. We believe that cell therapies are critical now and for the future of cancer therapeutics, and that advanced genome editing is necessary to develop sophisticated cell therapies to treat a variety of malignancies. We are developing a pipeline of wholly-owned, genome-edited, off-the-shelf CAR-T and CAR-NK cell therapy product candidates for a range of tumor types. Caribou’s headquarters are in Berkeley, California.

Members of the Caribou herd open their minds to new ideas and welcome diverse perspectives. We proudly assert that teams do their best work when their members are personally engaged, their ideas are taken seriously, their contributions are recognized, and their needs are met.

Our newly created role of IT Operations Manager/Senior Manger of IT Operations will be responsible for the day-to-day management of our internal IT Service Desk. As IT’s customer service champion, you will foster a customer first culture within the support team. You will monitor the daily intake of requests to ensure that the IT team provides a frictionless customer service experience.

While the focus of this role is on front-end support, the person we hire will be expected to frequently collaborate with IT leaders on planning, budgeting, and improving processes. You will lead or oversee projects for the support team, including but not limited to hardware deployments, software implementations, and process improvements to support key business objectives. 

This role reports to the Director of IT and will be expected to work at the Company’s headquarters in Berkeley, CA

Responsibilities will include:

• Manage day to day operations of our Helpdesk and Lab support teams, including directly managing members of the Helpdesk team
• Oversee employee onboarding and separation for Caribou IT; ensure all IT deliverables are ready for new hires on day one, and confirm separated employee accounts are closed in a timely manner and all equipment is returned
• Collaborate with Operations to achieve shared objectives
• Work with cross-functional leaders to help achieve key business goals
• Track key operational metrics, identify process improvement opportunities
• Drive iterative process improvements and measures by defining metrics to meet quality and delivery goals
• Lead projects for IT including but not limited to hardware deployment, software implementations, and process improvements
• Partner with IT leadership to develop long range plans for Caribou IT
• Foster a customer service first culture within the Helpdesk and Lab support teams
• Conduct or coordinate training sessions to help solidify employee understanding of our technology solutions
• Provide day-to-day coordination and quality assurance for projects and tasks
• Own our IT Asset Management workstream which includes but is not limited to supporting every step of hardware assets lifecycle, assisting with software procurement, and licensing management
• Be IT’s SME for configuration of endpoints to meet compliance obligations, such as SOX, GXP, or others
• Provide coaching and ongoing feedback for team members and external service partners
• Support all Caribou endpoints through the IT Asset Lifecycle
• Ensure Caribou has adequate inventory to continue operations, including spare hardware, software licensing, peripherals, and more
• Manage on-call rotation to cover support needs during nights and weekends

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in CIS, MIS, or related field or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of experience owning IT service management in an enterprise IT environment with evidence of increasing responsibilities
• 2+ years of people management experience
• Proven track record implementing ITSM solutions, ITIL methodologies, IT Asset Management, Change Management, and supporting a distributed workforce
• 5+ years of IT asset management experience with detailed understanding of each step of the procure to pay process
• 3+ years supporting a clinical stage biotech company that is moving towards commercialization. Familiarity with lab systems and software, along with compliance requirements such as GxP
• 3+ years of project management experience including but not limited to leading software implementations, process and policy creation, and hardware deployment. Ability to run a project from inception to go-live with minimal oversight. Strong experience transitioning from implementation resources to operational support
• 3+ years of IT procurement experience with detailed understanding of each step of the procure to pay process. Ability to support employees through Caribou’s process to ensure every due-diligence step is completed, which includes coordinating with our Legal team, completing a third-party security assessment, helping finalize the appropriate licensing and quantities, and other areas
• Self-starter who takes ownership of their areas of responsibility and feels comfortable driving change. Partner with IT leadership to identify opportunities for improvement via technology or process
• Exemplary customer service leadership.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills. Ability to break down complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences

Nice-to-haves:

• Experience with regulatory compliances, such as SOX, GxP
• Experience with AWS a plus
• Experience with Okta a plus
• Experience with Microsoft 365 a plus
• Experience with KnowBe4 a plus
• Experience with CrowdStrike a plus
• Experience with ArcticWolf a plus

Caribou compensation and benefits include:

• Comprehensive compensation package, which includes stock options and an employee stock purchase program for all employees 
• Salary Range: $135,000 - $170,000 - This represents the present low and high end of the Company’s pay range for this position.  Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to location, skill, experience, and performance.   
• Generous paid vacation time, in addition to company-observed holidays and floating holidays 
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision insurance 
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, which includes matching employer contributions 
• Tuition reimbursement program

The benefits and stock purchase described above are subject to the terms and conditions of any governing plans, policies, practices, agreements, or other materials or documents as in effect from time to time, including but not limited to terms and conditions regarding eligibility. 

Caribou is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding), genetic information, taking or requesting statutorily protected leave, or any other basis protected by law. In addition, Caribou prohibits the harassment of any individual on any of the bases listed above or any other characteristics protected under federal, state, or local laws.

Legal authorization to work in the United States is required. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. 

For more information about Caribou, visit www.cariboubio.com and follow the company @CaribouBio.