IT Operations Lead

Our mission is to reinvent the way people learn, starting with language.

Learning a language can change a life by opening doors to new cultures, careers, and communities. Two billion people around the world are actively trying to learn a language, but the best way to learn (one-on-one tutoring) is hard to access at scale and hasn’t been meaningfully improved in decades. Speak is building a human-level, AI-powered tutor in your pocket: a conversation-first experience that lets learners actually speak, get instant feedback, and progress through carefully designed lessons. The result is a complete path from beginner to confident speaker across multiple languages.

Speak first launched in South Korea in 2019, where Speak has now become the number one language learning app, and we now serve learners across many markets and 15+ languages. Speak is one of the world’s leading AI companies, with over $150m raised in venture investment from OpenAI, Accel, Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, and more, with a distributed team across San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and Ljubljana.

Our team is growing and we’re looking for a founding IT Operations Lead to join Speak. Our HQ is in SF, but we’re globally distributed with offices in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. As the first hire in this function, you’ll take on a pivotal role in building and improving our company’s IT infrastructure and day-to-day operations, with a focus on security, efficiency, and scalability. You’ll be the first point of contact for technical support. You’ll architect solutions that ensure everything runs smoothly. You’ll also have the opportunity to drive our IT strategy and roadmap, including tool selection, implementation, and best practices. You’ll collaborate with teams, including People Operations, Engineering, and Finance, to create a seamless tech ecosystem and deliver exceptional operational support.

Speak has a strong in-office culture and our hub-based employees work from the office three days a week. You must be based in San Francisco.

• Day-to-day IT Operations

  • Support all of Speak’s internal IT needs from troubleshooting user issues to optimizing device management.

  • Manage our core IT infrastructure (e.g., SSO, Google Workspace, Kandji), ensuring our teams have the tools and environments they need.

  • Manage all global on/offboarding processes related to applications and tools.

  • Set up and maintain A/V for conference rooms and collaboration spaces in SF HQ, and provide remote support for non-US offices.

  • Manage and maintain asset inventory of hardware and software, including procurement.

• Operate & Evolve Our IT Security Program

  • Implement and monitor security controls, identify potential threats, and respond to incidents.

  • Manage vendor security assessments and third-party risk management.

  • Design and deliver security awareness training, including phishing simulations.

• Champion Data Privacy & Compliance

  • Manage the implementation of data privacy policies and compliance frameworks (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR).

  • Support incident response planning, disaster recovery, and business continuity initiatives.

• Build & Automate Internal Tools

  • Optimize workflow processes across the organization, driving efficiency so our teams can move faster.

  • Develop and implement custom software solutions, scripts, and integrations to automate repetitive tasks and create leverage for the organization.

• Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Partner with teams across the business to align IT priorities with broader business objectives.

  • Translate technical complexities into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders.

If you don't think you meet all of the criteria below but still are interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box, and we're looking for someone excited to join the team.

• You have at least 5 years of hands-on experience in IT Operations, including systems administration and security operations;

• You have a deep understanding of SSO, SAML, SCIM and third-party application integration;

• You’re experienced with macOS management;

• You understand MDM practices, solutions, and security protocols;

• You have knowledge of security frameworks (SOC 2) and compliance processes;

• You’re proficient in troubleshooting technical issues and providing remote support;

• You’re a clear communicator, both verbal and written;

• You’re able and willing to work from the SF HQ three days a week (and up to five when needed).

• You are an expert AI user (ChatGPT, Claude, etc).

Bonus points:

• You’ve worked in a start-up environment

• You have experience working in a globally distributed workforce

• Initiative and Resourcefulness. When you see an issue, you jump in and fix it. When you don’t know where to start, you lean on your intuition and judgment and just start somewhere. You work independently to achieve your goals and pull in other members of the team when necessary. You are resourceful in finding answers and solutions on your own whenever possible because that is how you learn and grow.

• Continuous improvement: You’re always looking for ways to make things run smoother, faster, and with fewer manual steps. If something feels repetitive or inefficient, you don’t just accept it — you look for a way to automate or improve it. You view every recurring ticket or process as a chance to level up how the team operates, and you take pride in building systems that scale.

• Customer Service: You approach every interaction with empathy, reliability, and a deep desire to help. You understand that for many people, tech issues are frustrating and disruptive, and your reliability and clear communication turns those moments into positive experiences. You don’t just fix the problem; you make the person feel supported throughout the process.

1. Join a fantastic, tight-knit team at the right time: we're growing very quickly, we've most recently raised our Series C from some of the top investors in the valley, and we've achieved product-market fit in our initial markets. You'd join at a magical time when a single person could significantly change the course of the company.

2. Do your life's work with people you’ll love working with: we care strongly about our craft and want every person at Speak to feel like they're growing every day. We believe in the idea that working with people you both enjoy and have respect for makes everything better. We hire thoughtfully and only work with people we admire deeply.

3. Global in nature: We're live in over 40 countries and launching in a number of new markets soon. We have dedicated offices in San Francisco, Ljubljana, Seoul, and Tokyo, and you’ll have the opportunity to talk to users in each of these regions on a regular basis as well as travel.

4. Impact people's lives in a major way: Learning a language is one of the single most life-changing skills one can learn, and right now 99% of people never achieve their goal because the process is broken. We’re helping millions of people achieve their goals and improve their lives.

Speak does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.