Head of IT

Allow us to introduce ourselves Hello there! We’re Appinio, a global market research company that combines an AI-powered insights platform with expert consultancy. On a mission to make the world a little more fact-based, we help companies understand how consumers think and make smarter decisions. We started out in Hamburg back in 2014, but we’re now humbled to call the world our playground, with over 260 employees spread across 13 countries (we’re remote-first), 2600+ international clients, delivering research from +190 markets, globally. Want to be a part of the Appinio movement? 🚀 Here at Appinio, we value transparency in our recruitment process, and we've created a blog to share what to expect during each step of our journey together: here   Your mission as a Senior IT Administrator (m/f/d) We are looking for a hands-on Senior IT Administrator to manage and continuously improve our internal IT environment. You will take care of day-to-day IT operations, SaaS administration, user access, hardware provisioning, and support processes, ensuring that employees have the tools and systems they need to work securely and efficiently. As the company grows, this role will expand toward broader ownership of our IT systems and processes. You will help define scalable ways of working, automate recurring tasks, improve our security and compliance setup, and shape how internal IT supports the business. This is a strong fit for someone who enjoys practical execution today and wants to take on increasing responsibility over time. Location & working model: This role follows a hybrid model and is based in Hamburg. You’ll be expected to be in the office approximately 2 times per week, depending on tasks and collaboration needs. What you'll do * SaaS Architecture: Lead the administration, configuration, and maintenance of Google Workspace, Slack, ClickUp and other SaaS tools across the business, ensuring compliance with security standards and supporting business operations * Security & Compliance: * Design and maintain a robust IAM framework, overseeing single-sign on (SSO) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enable efficient and secure user access provisioning * Configure and enforce security and compliance rules to ensure user endpoint devices are properly secured from threats and meet compliance requirements (e.g. ISO 27001, SOC 2, …) * IT Operations & Automation: * Implement automated workflows across SaaS platforms using APIs and orchestration platforms (e.g. Zapier) to eliminate manual work * Design and implement scalable support workflows and automation to minimize manual overhead, while overseeing complex escalations * Develop and maintain documentation, including IT guides, knowledge base articles, and standard operating procedures * On- and offboard employees, ensuring timely access and hardware provisioning / deprovisioning * Vendor Management: * Manage vendor relationships, negotiate contracts for software licenses and hardware procurement * Support other departments in the onboarding, management and offboarding of department-owned vendors, ensuring that solutions are integrated into the system landscape and meet compliance requirements * Hardware Strategy & Lifecycle Planning: This role involves the entire lifecycle management of company hardware assets * Define the hardware strategy, manage procurement vendor relationships, and establish automated deployment processes to streamline equipment provisioning for our remote-first workforce * Manage IT logistics partnerships for the efficient shipping and reception of equipment * Performing routine maintenance and upgrades for all company-owned IT equipment * Build and maintain an automated, detailed and accurate inventory of all IT assets You will thrive in this role if   Must have: * You have experience in IT administration within a SaaS-heavy environment * You have hands-on experience administering Google Workspace * You are confident working with IAM, SSO, and MFA, and understand identity and access management best practices * You have experience managing macOS devices and endpoint security in a professional setting * You have owned onboarding and offboarding processes, ensuring smooth and secure user access provisioning * You have experience with vendor and IT asset management * You communicate clearly and document processes in a structured and accessible way * You are based in Hamburg, Germany Nice to have: * You have worked with security and compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001 or SOC 2 * You have experience with automation or scripting, including API-based workflows * You have experience administering tools such as HubSpot or ClickUp * You are familiar with remote-first hardware logistics and device provisioning * You have helped build, scale, or improve an IT function from the ground up A few words about the team: You'll join a small, tight-knit team of three. We sit within Appinio's engineering department (~50 people), which means you'll work closely with other engineers - not in a silo.   We take ownership seriously. The team is small by design, so everyone has real autonomy over their domain and a direct line to decision-making. There's no layer of management between you and the work. If you see something broken or a process that could be automated, you're expected to fix it - and you'll have the time and backing to do so.   Automation and tooling are core to how we operate. We're not a click-ops team. Where it makes sense, we script, integrate, and build instead of doing things manually. You don't need to be a developer, but a willingness to write the occasional script will make you much more effective here.   We make an effort to stay connected - regular game nights, knowledge-sharing sessions with the wider engineering org, and team meet ups. What’s in it for you? * Flexibility Policy - Average is 30 days taken, however, we do not have a hard cap of number of vacation days as we know life happens * Temporary work from abroad - You can work outside your country of residence for up to 180 days per year * All the hardware you need and your own MacBook * You'll get a Deutschland ticket or access to a mobility budget with the NAVIT app to get you to and from the office space * Subsidised Urban Sports Club membership * You will get access to our Co-working spaces Our interview process * Screening Call with Hiring Manager * Case Interview with Team Lead and Head of IT Infrastructure * (Optional) Team Interview  * Executive Interview  * Reference Check  * Offer  Kind reminder: Please ensure that your application is submitted in English. This post not only outlines our ideal candidate but also serves as an inspiration for what this role can evolve into. Even if you consider yourself an 80% fit but have a genuine passion for this position, we encourage you to apply. We're eager to hear from individuals who share our enthusiasm. Appinio is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. Please read our privacy policy here. Learn more about us:  appinio.com    LinkedIn    Xing     Kununu    Instagram