[Hiring] IT Manager @Players Health

Role Description

At Players Health, IT isn't just infrastructure, it's the first impression every employee has of the company, from the moment their laptop arrives to the day-to-day speed of getting a problem solved. You'll own that experience end to end.

You'll lead IT strategy execution, infrastructure, and security for a fully remote, distributed team, and you'll own the relationship with our offshore and U.S.-based help desk vendor partners, holding them accountable for the service quality for our employees. This isn't a role buried in tickets, it's a role building the systems, vendor accountability, and processes that make sure problems get solved fast, accounts get provisioned on day one, and technology budget is spent well. You'll bring recommendations and ideas to the table on where IT strategy should go and will be someone who can think a step ahead. The successful candidate will have real room to grow over time.

This role reports to the Chief People Officer. You'll also work closely with our fractional Head of Product & Technology, who provides technical strategy input and mentorship as you build and modernize how IT runs here, and you'll partner with our fractional CISO on security priorities and execution so you're never carrying security decisions alone.

This role is fully remote, with a preference for candidates in states where Players Health already has employee presence - Minnesota in particular, where our People, Executive Assistant, and IT functions have historically been based given the occasional physical/logistics component of these roles. The compensation range for this role is $90,000–$130,000, depending on skills and experience.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive IT experience, including vendor/outsourced-support management.
• Proven experience in cybersecurity, compliance, and risk management fundamentals.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 and general digital-tool fluency, including comfort adopting new/AI-enabled tools.
• Demonstrated experience designing or building out a remote/distributed work experience.
• A builder and owner mentality, someone who takes initiative, sees gaps, and builds solutions rather than waiting to be told what's broken.
• A genuine team player who enjoys working directly with people.
• Demonstrated ability to work productively and asynchronously in a remote environment.
• Proficient with Microsoft 365, Azure, and supporting a mixed PC/Mac environment.
• Strong written communication skills.

Requirements

• May require limited home storage space for a small amount of IT hardware/equipment used for testing and quality assurance.
• May require occasional local trips to send or receive physical IT hardware.

Benefits

• Remote-First: Work from any approved location (home) in the U.S.
• Time Off: Flexible PTO policy, and 10 company-paid holidays.
• Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life (Basic & Supplemental), LTD, STD, 401k, Hospital Confinement, Accident, Critical Illness, Enhanced Employee Assistance Program.
• Professional Development & Tools: Access to The Institutes Knowledge Group platform for ongoing insurance education and continued professional development in the industry.

Responsibilities (Inclusive of but not limited to):

• Help Desk & Vendor Management: Own the relationship with our offshore and U.S.-based help desk vendor partners.
• Set and monitor SLAs and KPIs for vendor-delivered support.
• Manage vendor contracts, invoicing cycles, and renewals.
• Run regular service reviews with vendor partners.
• Build clear escalation paths for unresolved issues.
• Employee Technology Experience & Lifecycle: Own end-to-end IT onboarding and offboarding.
• Design and maintain scalable onboarding/offboarding workflows.
• Build and maintain a well-organized IT resource hub on our SharePoint intranet.
• Own the lifecycle of IT hardware and assets.
• Keep internal SOPs and employee-facing documentation current.
• Track and report on metrics that reflect real employee productivity impact.
• IT Budget & Vendor Spend: Build, monitor, and report on the IT budget.
• Evaluate vendor and tool costs on a regular cadence.
• Infrastructure, Systems & Security: Oversee core IT systems and infrastructure.
• Conduct periodic identity and access reviews.
• Own cybersecurity fundamentals in partnership with our fractional CISO.
• Maintain and periodically test IT business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
• Establish and maintain a lightweight change-management process.
• Support the CISO, General Counsel, and business stakeholders with IT-related audits.
• AI Enablement & Digital Skills: Own the operational rollout of AI tools across the company.
• Build and maintain well-designed Claude skills and AI agents.
• Visibility, Culture & Team Engagement: Own the technical and AV logistics for company all-hands meetings.
• Actively participate in company culture and engagement activities.
• Lead by example, not just by title.
• IT Strategy & Continuous Improvement: Bring recommendations to leadership on technology priorities.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience managing IT budgets and vendor spend/contracts.
• Comfort with AI tools and genuine interest in driving smart, responsible AI adoption.
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field, a plus.
• Experience partnering with a fractional or outsourced CISO/security function.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and negotiation/conflict-resolution skills.
• Strong emotional intelligence and cross-departmental relationship-building.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to travel occasionally for team events, collaboration, or conferences.
• Must have a dedicated, safe, and secure remote work environment.
• Must have the ability to work and be productive in a remote setting.
• Exceptionally self-motivated with the ability to work autonomously.
• Proactive communicator across email, verbal, and instant messaging.
• Willingness to attend virtual meetings, primarily with camera on.
• Located in or willing to work Central or Eastern Time Zone.
• Must be 18 years or older and work location must be in the United States.
• Must have unrestricted work authorization to work in the United States.