IT Business Operations Manager

About the Company

We are a renewable energy and ocean technology company committed to rapidly developing and deploying technologies that will ensure a sustainable future for Earth by unlocking the vast energy potential of its oceans. Our focus is on capturing civilizational levels of ultra-low-cost renewable energy for applications including computing and affordable renewable fuels delivered to shore.

The company is a public benefit corporation headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and backed by leading venture capitalists, philanthropic investors, university endowments, and private investment offices. We operate as an idea meritocracy in which the best ideas change the company’s direction on a regular basis.

Our staff have worked at organizations such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, Tesla, Apple, Virgin Orbit, Astra, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, New Relic, Bridgewater, Raytheon, Disney Imagineering, and the US Army and Air Force, as well as research universities, startups, and small companies across a range of industries.

About the Job

Our core technology is the node, a device that produces energy in the ocean's harshest conditions for years at a time without human maintenance or intervention.

We're looking for an IT Business Operations Manager to run the business side of technology at Panthalassa. You'll own how we buy, track, and pay for the software and hardware our teams depend on. That means vendor relationships, contracts and renewals, license allocation, the IT budget, and forecasts that stay ahead of a growing company.

This role is for someone who can read a contract, build a forecast model, and sit down with an engineer to figure out whether they actually need the enterprise tier. You'll partner closely with Finance, Legal, and our IT engineers. Our Business Systems Engineer administers the platforms, and you own the commercial relationship and the spend behind them.

This is the first dedicated role for this function at Panthalassa. You'll build the processes, reporting, and operating rhythm from the ground up.

Candidates should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to thrive in a creative, scrappy, and collaborative environment in which the best ideas change the company's direction on a regular basis.

Responsibilities

Vendor and Contract Management

• Own relationships with IT software and hardware vendors, including account reviews, escalations, and vendor performance
• Lead renewal and new purchase negotiations with Finance and Legal, including pricing, terms, and multi-year commitments
• Maintain a contract repository and renewal calendar so nothing renews without a decision
• Run new vendor intake with Information Security, including risk review before purchase

Software Licensing and SaaS Inventory

• Own the SaaS application inventory, including business owner, license counts, cost, and renewal dates
• Track license utilization, then reclaim, reassign, or right-size unused seats
• Partner with our IAM and Business Systems Engineers so license assignment follows automated provisioning rather than manual requests
• Prepare for and manage vendor true-ups and license audits

Budget and Forecasting

• Build and manage the annual IT operating and capital budget with Finance
• Forecast spend against headcount growth, new facilities, and planned projects
• Track actuals against budget monthly, explain variances, and flag risks early
• Code and reconcile IT invoices and purchases with Finance
• Report IT spend to IT leadership and department heads in terms they can act on

Hardware Asset Lifecycle

• Own hardware purchasing and vendor relationships for laptops, phones, peripherals, and office technology
• Maintain an accurate asset inventory from purchase through assignment, repair, and disposal
• Plan and budget refresh cycles with our Endpoint Engineer, who owns hardware technical standards
• Coordinate certified disposal and keep records that support audit

Process and Reporting

• Build the operating rhythm for the function: renewal calendar, budget reviews, and vendor scorecards
• Own the purchase request and approval workflow for technology, working with our Business Systems Engineer to automate it
• Support the asset and vendor management controls in our compliance framework (NIST or equivalent), including evidence
• Document processes in Confluence so the next person can pick them up

Required Qualifications

• Strong attention to detail: you catch the renewal date, the duplicate invoice, and the seat count that doesn't add up
• Exceptional organizational skills, with the ability to keep many workstreams moving at once
• A track record of project or asset management in a software tool, keeping status accurate and responsibilities clearly assigned
• General familiarity with financials and budgeting
• Exceptional external communication: you're comfortable as the primary point of contact for vendors, from routine check-ins to tough conversations
• Skillful written communication, from vendor emails to internal documentation
• A history of strong partnerships with stakeholders across an organization

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with SaaS business models, including pricing tiers, seat-based licensing, and renewal terms
• Familiarity with information security concepts as they apply to vendors, such as security reviews and data handling
• Familiarity with procurement processes, including purchase approvals, quotes, and purchase orders
• Familiarity with SCIM provisioning and how it ties to license assignment

The above qualifications are desired, not required. We encourage you to apply if you are a strong candidate with only some of the desired skills and experience listed.

Additional Requirements

• Intermittently able to work longer hours around budget cycles and major renewals (flexible PTO and working hours offered)
• If remote, quarterly visits to our HQ office in Portland, OR.

Compensation and Benefits

If hired for this full-time role, you will receive:

• Cash compensation of $130,000 - $150,000.
• Equity in the company. We’re all owners and if we’re successful, this equity should be far and away the most valuable component of your compensation.
• A benefits package that helps you take care of yourself and your family, including:
  • Flexible paid time off
  • Health insurance (the company pays 100% of gold-level PPO plan for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Dental insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Vision insurance (the company pays 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents)
  • Disability insurance (the company pays 100% for a policy to provide long-term financial support if you become disabled)
  • Ability to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, including 401(k), health FSA, and dependent care FSA
• Relocation assistance to facilitate your move to Portland (if needed).

Location

This is ideally an on-site position, based at our offices, lab, and shop in Portland, Oregon. We will consider exceptional remote candidates who can commit to being on-site in Portland, Oregon at least one week per quarter.