Director, IT Operations & Business Systems

About the role

ILIA Beauty is a mission-driven clean beauty brand committed to innovation, sustainability, and empowering its team. The company is seeking a Director, IT Operations & Business Systems to lead and scale its internal technology ecosystem, transitioning IT from an operational support model to a strategic enabler of business performance.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute a multi-year IT and business systems roadmap aligned with company growth.
• Serve as the functional owner of internal business systems, ensuring scalability, efficiency, and data integrity.
• Act as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on technology investments, risks, and opportunities.
• Establish governance frameworks for IT operations, security, and systems architecture.
• Build and evolve IT policies, standards, and best practices across the organization.
• Define governance for AI tools and automation, and drive their adoption to improve operational efficiency.
• Oversee the selection, implementation, integration, and optimization of enterprise systems (ERP, HRIS, CRM, collaboration tools).
• Ensure systems are interconnected, scalable, and aligned with business processes.
• Oversee wholesale and fulfillment system integrations, including EDI and 3PL.
• Partner cross-functionally to identify system gaps and drive process improvements through technology.
• Lead data governance initiatives to ensure accuracy, accessibility, and security of business-critical data.
• Own SaaS lifecycle and license management to control costs and reduce risk from application sprawl.
• Oversee the lifecycle of company-owned devices, infrastructure, and core systems.
• Ensure reliable, secure, and scalable IT environments that support a hybrid workforce.
• Maintain oversight of identity and access management, including SSO and MFA.
• Drive continuous improvement of IT service delivery and employee experience.
• Own relationships with external IT vendors, including the Managed Service Provider (MSP).
• Define and enforce SLAs, KPIs, and performance standards.
• Evaluate vendor performance, optimize partnerships, and identify opportunities for consolidation or cost savings.
• Ensure vendor-delivered work aligns with company standards, security requirements, and long-term strategy.
• Establish and oversee IT security programs to protect company data and systems.
• Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA).
• Implement and monitor controls related to data privacy, system access, and infrastructure security.
• Lead risk assessments, audits, and remediation efforts.
• Own business continuity and disaster recovery planning, including backups and incident response.
• Foster a culture of security awareness across the organization.
• Own the IT budget, including forecasting, planning, and cost optimization.
• Prioritize and lead cross-functional IT and systems projects (implementations, upgrades, integrations).
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies to enhance productivity, scalability, and security.
• Balance short-term operational needs with long-term strategic investments.
• Establish scalable processes and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for IT and systems management.
• Ensure high-quality documentation for systems, workflows, and policies.
• Lead internal enablement efforts, including training and change management for new tools and systems.
• Elevate IT from a support function to a proactive, service-oriented partner to the business.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in IT, with 3–5+ years in a leadership or director-level role.
• Experience at a CPG or D2C brand is preferred.
• Proven experience owning IT strategy and business systems in a growing organization (150+ employees).
• Strong experience with enterprise systems (e.g., ERP, HRIS, SaaS ecosystems) and systems integration.
• Deep understanding of IT infrastructure, device management (Mac & Windows), and cloud-based environments.
• Experience managing external vendors and MSPs with accountability to SLAs and performance metrics.
• Strong knowledge of security and compliance frameworks (SOC 2, GDPR, CCPA).
• Experience owning business continuity and disaster recovery, including backups and incident response.
• Demonstrated success managing budgets, roadmaps, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience establishing governance for AI tools and automation to improve operational efficiency.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to operate at both executive and hands-on levels.
• Excellent communication skills with a collaborative, service-oriented mindset.
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, high-growth, values-driven environment.

Benefits

• Bonus opportunity.
• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Flex Time Off with no cap on personal time off and paid company holidays.
• Seasonal Flex Days for flexible scheduling during Spring and Summer.
• Up to 18 weeks paid parental leave.
• 401(k) with a company match.
• Monthly stipends for remote work and self-care.
• Quarterly stipend for ILIA products.