emergence

Head of IT

San Francisco
Full-time
$200k-$250k
Posted Nov 12, 2026

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Job description

Reporting to the CISO

Bay Area preferred

Compensation range: $200k-$250k

ABOUT EMERGENCE

Emergence buys technology companies and keeps them. We don’t flip them. The founders and leadership teams who run each company stay in charge, and we provide shared systems, standards, and support to make their jobs easier. We currently own multiple companies across 3 verticals, and we’re growing fast.

We measure ourselves by one thing: every company should grow faster after it joins us than it did before. We hire people who are humble, driven, and picky about the quality of their own work.

THE ROLE

Run RootCo IT and set the technology standard for every OpCo, so that each acquisition lands on systems we can support, secure, and measure. Give every deal a technology diligence view before it closes, and move each new company onto the standard in the first 90 days after close. This is a hands-on seat: you build the standard, lead the integration work, and hire the team that runs it. We want someone who has taken IT through acquisitions and can explain it plainly to operators who are not technical.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

•Establish the IT architecture for RootCo (identity, productivity, endpoints, AI)

•Execute day-to-day operations of RootCo IT, including onboarding, offboarding, and changes

•Develop the broader portfolio IT architecture and points of integration, including shared service design and execution

•Own effectiveness and efficiency of IT diligence process for M&A activities

•Lead IT systems integration plan for each new OpCo

•Develop BYOD and corporate device strategy

•Lead IT org design, blending FTEs, contractors, and managed service providers for maximum efficiency and impact

•Collaborate with the CISO and the Head of M&A Integration

WHAT YOU BRING

Nobody has done exactly this job, so we do not look for a matching résumé. We look for what carries over.

•You learn unfamiliar functions quickly, ask sharp questions, and say plainly what you do not yet know.

•You motivate people without a mandate. Operators who work with you would choose to work with you again.

•You hire people stronger than yourself, including in functions you have not done.

•You have seen how both messy startups and large organizations work, and you know what to copy from each.

AND, FOR THIS ROLE

•Has led IT through acquisitions and can balance global vs. local optimization

•Hands-on knowledge of cloud identity, email, and endpoint

•Experience with regulated data; HIPAA is a plus

•Clear communicator with non-technical operators

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

IN YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS

Inventories systems, vendors, and access at RootCo and each OpCo. Writes the first version of the OpCo standard. Has the technology diligence template in use on the next deal.

BY THE END OF YOUR FIRST YEAR

The team is hired, whether FTEs or contractors. A technology diligence section is in every investment committee memo. Cost per entity is tracked.

HOW WE HIRE

You will meet with our leadership team (CISO, your direct manager; Chief Human Resources Officer, a key stakeholder; a few key technical stakeholders; and at least one Operating Partner). After completing the interview, we will reach out to a few people you worked with to learn how best to partner with you as we embark on this journey together. Along the way, you will do a few short exercises, such as learning a new topic and teaching it back, and working through a realistic scenario. We design them to show how you think and test how working together really feels. We will tell you what to expect before each step.