IT Operations Manager

IT Operations Manager

Join us on our mission to become the #1 retail trading platform in the world. Welcome to the dynamic world of NinjaTrader! As an industry-leading trading platform and futures broker, we're on a mission to empower traders to take control of their financial destiny. How do we do it? We provide cutting-edge products and services that enhance the trading journey. Whether a seasoned pro or just starting out, NinjaTrader equips traders with award-winning software and brokerage services to navigate the world's leading financial markets with confidence.

Our growth story is nothing short of exhilarating. Over the last 20 years, NinjaTrader has been dedicated to understanding and supporting traders on their journey toward trading triumph. In the last five years alone, our user base has grown by 400% to over 1.9 million users and we have become the number one rated futures brokerage worldwide. But we're not stopping there. We're constantly evolving, pushing boundaries, and modernizing the futures industry. Our commitment to innovation means users will always have access to dynamic tools, real-time support, and a community of like-minded traders.

So, why work at NinjaTrader? Here, you're not just part of a team; you're part of a movement. We empower employees to reach new heights in their careers by providing a dynamic culture focused on social connection, professional development, and employee recognition initiatives. Sounds too good to be true?

Join us as we redefine what's possible in trading, advocate for our customers, and continue our journey toward becoming the world's top retail-focused trading platform in the world.

What You'll Do

On-site 5 Days a Week: Chicago Office

We're searching for a hands-on manager to run day-to-day IT operations in our Chicago headquarters. This role will report to the Director of IT & Security. You'll manage a cross-functional support team, champion the smart use of AI tools and automation, own service reliability and employee experience metrics, and partner with stakeholders across Product, Engineering, People, and Finance to keep our rapidly growing organization productive and secure.

In this role you will:

• Lead, mentor, and develop an onsite IT team (help desk, systems, AV, and procurement)
• Foster a collaborative, service-first culture and act as the final escalation point for critical incidents
• Define, track, and continuously improve CSAT, SLAs, MTTR, and first-response times
• Build self-service resources and automate repeatable tasks to eliminate bottlenecks in onboarding, offboarding, and access provisioning
• Design and maintain Jira dashboards to track team workload, resolution times, customer satisfaction, asset inventory, and budget burn
• Present concise, data-backed insights to executive leadership and turn findings into quarterly OKRs
• Plan and execute IT projects—from office network upgrades to SaaS rollouts—using formal project methodology
• Own vendor relationships, licenses, and hardware life-cycle management; ensure spend stays within forecast
• Administer our core SaaS stack (Okta, O365, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Jamf, Intune, etc.)
• Enforce best-practice security and compliance controls
• Partner with Corporate Security and Facilities on physical access, endpoint compliance, and incident response playbooks

What You'll Need

• 3+ years managing an IT operations or service-desk team with measurable success driving CSAT/SLA improvements
• 8+ years of hands-on enterprise IT support (macOS, Windows, SaaS, networking, AV)
• Expertise in Jira Service Management (JSM), including configuring service projects, setting up workflows, SLAs, request types, queues, and automation rules
• Proven experience leading onsite staff—coaching, hiring, performance management, and career development
• Demonstrated ability to turn operational data into actionable insights and executive-level reports
• Advanced administration skills in Okta, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Jamf Pro, and other modern SaaS / MDM platforms
• Solid understanding of Microsoft infrastructure (AD, O365, Azure), network management, virtualization, and IT security practices
• Track record managing hardware/software procurement and vendor negotiations within budget
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable collaborating with engineers and non-technical partners alike

Bonus Points For

• Experience scaling IT systems for a high-growth tech company
• Familiarity with ITIL / ITSM frameworks and automation (e.g., BetterCloud, Workato, PowerShell, Python)
• Prior ownership of SOC 2, ISO 27001, or similar compliance initiatives
• Comfort supporting mixed macOS/Windows/Linux endpoints and corporate network infrastructure (Fortinet, Cisco, Palo Alto, etc.)
• Familiarity with audit logging, retention, and e-discovery tooling (e.g., Smarsh, GlobalRelay)

Compensation

The salary range for this role will be $130,000-$145,000 USD. In addition, this position will also receive an annual target bonus of 15%. Bonus pay at NinjaTrader is based on individual performance (50%) as well as company/team performance (50%).

Salary and bonus earnings are only two components of the total compensation package offered by NinjaTrader. NinjaTrader offers a 401K plan through ADP under which the company will match up to 3.5% of employee contributions. Annual paid time off allowance accrues at a rate of 18 days per year (some positions may qualify for more) plus seven paid holidays. Additional details on our total compensation package and benefits are listed below.

Location

This role is based in Chicago, IL. For Chicago-based employees, we follow a hybrid work schedule: In-office Tuesday through Thursday, with remote work on Mondays and Fridays. In addition to these weekly remote days, we offer:

• 20 additional flex remote days annually
• 5 Company Wide Office-Optional weeks tied to major holidays

Our Core Benefits Include:

• Generous PTO
• 7 Paid Holidays Annually + 5 Conditional Holidays Annually
• 1 Service Day Annually
• 401k with 3.5% Company Match
• Paid Parental Bonding Leave
• Health, Vision, Dental Coverage
• Life and Disability Insurance Covered 100% by NinjaTrader

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.