IT Support Lead

About Parity Parity is one of the world’s most experienced companies building the core infrastructure behind blockchain — the system that allows information and value to be shared securely without needing an intermediary. We’re laying the foundation for a better web which respects the freedom and data of individuals, and empowers developers to build better, more trustworthy online services. Our remote-first, global team develops open-source software that anyone can use or improve. This includes Polkadot https://polkadot.network/, Polkadot SDK https://substrate.io/, and Kusama https://kusama.network/ — key parts of the Web3 tech stack, the next generation of the internet. Our mission is to make Polkadot the most active and innovative community in blockchain, powering a new era of connected and decentralised applications. People in our collective are: - Highly motivated to contribute to Parity’s mission and be part of something bigger - Excited to work on projects that are groundbreaking and complex - Autonomous, but also collaborate well with others - Take maximum accountability and have minimum ego at work - Comfortable with chaos and adapting to the ever-changing Web3 space - Continuously educating themselves about Parity and the wider Polkadot ecosystem About the Team We're looking for an IT Support Lead to level up how we deliver IT services across a remote-first, global organisation. You'll be a part of the Operations & Culture team and manage one End User Support Engineer. You'll act as the technical escalation point, and drive smarter, more automated ways of working, both within IT and for the tools we bring to the rest of the company. This is a hands-on management role: you'll coach and grow your team while staying close enough to the work to support end users and spot where AI and automation can remove friction, and where our procurement processes need a sharper eye. WHAT YOU’LL DO Team management - Manage and mentor our End User Support Specialist, setting clear priorities and supporting their growth. - Own the day-to-day coordination of support tickets from creation to resolution, and act as the escalation point for complex or high-stakes issues, bringing enough technical depth to help identify root causes and permanent fixes. - Get hands-on with end user support yourself, troubleshooting issues directly and role-modelling a strong service and support orientation for the team. This will be a significant part of your day-to-day. - Build a high-performance, data-oriented culture within IT support. AI & automation - Support the adoption of AI and automation across IT support workflows, from ticket triage to recurring processes, so the team works efficiently and spends less time on repetitive tasks. - Proactively identify new tools and approaches to deliver more efficient, cost-effective IT support as the business evolves. - Apply automation to your own processes and reporting where it makes sense. IT procurement & vendor management - Own IT procurement from vendor selection to ongoing relationship management. - Handle individual laptop and hardware purchases for new hires in hard-to-reach or logistically complex countries, drawing on real expertise in sourcing and international delivery to make sure equipment arrives reliably and on time. This is a regular, recurring part of the role given how distributed our team is. - Set up regular monitoring and auditing of vendor and provider performance to ensure quality, reliability, and value for money. - Develop new procurement approaches suited to a remote-first company sourcing hardware and services across many countries, including markets where procurement is traditionally difficult. Systems & operations - Manage and monitor the reliable delivery and performance of core IT systems against agreed BAU standards. - Ensure seamless IT onboarding and offboarding across our global team. - Communicate incidents and resolution plans clearly with third-party vendors and service providers. - Collaborate with SRE, Security, and Workplace teams to support IT security, compliance, and reliability. YOUR SKILLS - 5+ years of experience in IT support or IT operations, including experience managing or mentoring a team. - Comfortable using AI tools to automate workflows and improve support processes, and genuinely curious about applying this further. - Experience with user access management in a fast-moving, multi-SaaS environment. - Experience with MDM and EDR products. - Strong understanding of LAN and WLAN logical and physical infrastructures, from structured cabling to network device management, which includes access layer switches, firewalls, and access points. Experience with different network vendors is a plus. - You have knowledge of Linux (desktop and server) and Mac operating systems to be comfortable and sure when supporting end users. - Familiarity with on premise server hardware and operations, from minimal to moderate complexity. - Confident on the command l…