Manager, IT Systems

D-Wave is seeking a Manager, IT Systems to lead a small, high-impact System Administration team. This is a hands-on leadership role for team performance, priorities, and operational delivery. You'll provide technical direction and ensure infrastructure is secure, reliable and scalable. You'll partner with IT leadership and cross-functional teams to align team priorities with business needs and support the company’s growth.

Team leadership

• →Lead, coach, and develop a team of System Administrators; own hiring, onboarding, and performance management
• →Set priorities and coverage, including on-call and after-hours rotation
• →Build a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement
• →Provide technical guidance, delegate work effectively, and adapt your management approach to individual team members
• →Promote ownership and continuous improvement, using lessons learned from mistakes and operational issues to strengthen how the team works

IT operations

• →Own systems administration operations including ticketing, SLAs, escalations, patching, and compliance
• →Architect, deploy, and maintain company infrastructure, keeping it modern, secure, and scalable
• →Manage core security tools: firewalls, IDS, MDM, antivirus, and encryption management
• →Administer the Atlassian Suite and core enterprise platforms: AD/LDAP, Entra ID, Intune, Microsoft 365, Zoom, GitHub
• →Oversee governance and access for AI tools in use (Claude, ChatGPT, Fellow)
• →Lead resolution of major incidents, outages, and root-cause investigations
• →Review and approve changes to critical systems
• →Build scripts and automation to reduce manual work across the team
• →Operate effectively where processes are still evolving, using sound judgment and established best practices to keep work moving.
• →Identify process and operational gaps, then establish documentation, standards, and scalable workflows needed for a more mature enterprise environment.

Hands-on support

• →Support the team with complex technical issues and escalations, including troubleshooting, documentation, communication, escalation, and follow-up.
• →Given team size, remain hands-on with technical work as needed

Cross-functional collaboration

• →Align team priorities and roadmap with IT leadership and business needs
• →Coordinate with DevOps on AWS connectivity; working familiarity with Kubernetes, Ansible, or Terraform
• →Identify and act on issues that cross team boundaries, engaging the appropriate teams rather than allowing ownership gaps to delay resolution
• →Partner with other managers and senior leaders on cross-functional initiatives and large-scale projects
• →Exercise independent judgment while recognizing when decisions require broader input, approval, or escalation

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Computer Science, or equivalent experience
• 8+ years of progressive IT experience spanning systems administration and end-user support
• 3+ years leading or supervising IT staff, including hiring and performance management
• Strong expertise in Microsoft infrastructure: AD, Intune, Entra ID
• Experience with ITSM platforms and SLA-driven service delivery
• Working knowledge of AWS, GCP, or Azure, and tools like Atlassian and Microsoft 365
• Strong judgment, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills in a fast-paced, resource-lean environment
• Ability to set priorities, manage competing demands, and make decisions that support both short- and long-term team and business goals

• We look at the future and say “why not”; we see possibilities where others see problems or routines. We show the way ahead and are committed to achieving ambitious goals.
• We practice straight talk and listen generously to each other with empathy. We value different opinions and points of views. We ensure that we connect outside as well as inside to learn from others and inspire each other.
• We hold ourselves accountable for delivering results. We make decisions & take responsibility so that we can act & support each other.
• As leaders we motivate & engage our teams to undertake beyond what they originally thought possible, by developing our teams & creating the conditions for people to grow and empower themselves through enabling & coaching.

We celebrate diverse perspectives to drive innovation in our pursuit. Our employees range from distinguished domain experts with decades of experience in their respective fields, to bright and motivated graduates eager to make their mark. Our diverse and innovative team will make you feel appreciated, supported and empower your career growth at D-Wave.

No 3rd party candidates will be accepted

It is D-Wave policy to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, local law. 

Job seekers should be aware of fraudulent job offers from online scammers and only apply to roles listed on D-Wave Careers site using our applicant system. Note: We do not use text messaging or third-party messaging apps to communicate with applicants and will never ask for fees or financial commitment, so please exercise caution if you are approached in this way. Authentic communications will come from an @dwavesys.com email.

For more information, please read our full Statement Regarding Job Recruiting Fraud Scams.