TechOps Lead

We are very excited to be building a small and efficient TechOps team at Kraken. We are looking for an ambitious, knowledgeable and highly experienced TechOps Team Lead with a passion for leading and managing great people, who are on a mission to tackle big challenges and drive innovation at Kraken Technologies.

You will be a key partner in defining what TechOps is at Kraken. We will be shaping this team to provide a world class support service to our employees in the APAC region, building our way out of problems with modern, innovative solutions and undertaking transformational change. This is a small team today, but with significant potential to grow as we expand globally, and this role will play a key part in shaping that future.

About the role

As a TechOps Team Lead, you will be responsible for the end-to-end running of the Kraken TechOps function in the APAC region. This is a leadership role that requires someone comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy, while remaining closely aligned with global TechOps leadership.

We strongly believe that no matter what role you have within TechOps, it’s still important to keep your ear to the ground and see first-hand the problems our people are facing, and the impact that decisions you make have on everyone at Kraken. This means you’ll spend a significant portion of your time helping out with day-to-day support alongside your leadership responsibilities.

As a Team Lead within TechOps, you will be responsible for balancing the team’s everyday workload, managing capacity, and prioritising proactive, planned project work alongside reactive support and unplanned work. The TechOps team operates in an environment with a large amount of ambiguity, and we are looking for someone who can make sense of this, identify the most impactful work, and keep the team focused, motivated and moving at pace.

This is a strategically significant role which will require close collaboration with our UK based leadership team. You will bring strong leadership skills, service management, and operational experience, with the ability to lead, scale, and mature this function in line with Kraken’s growth trajectory.

You will have experience in:

・Significant people leadership experience
・Scaling teams and services over timeService management, capacity planning, and operational maturity
・Managing support pipelines, projects, and assignments
・Building regional processes while balancing global standards
・Working with internal and external stakeholders and vendors
・Driving reliability, consistency, and continuous improvement

You will bring strong technical depth across areas such as identity, MDM, networking, office infrastructure, and SaaS, with the confidence to challenge partners and vendors when needed. You will be comfortable owning incident management, security and compliance considerations, and contract and service quality oversight.

Our APAC offices are currently in Melbourne and Japan, with potential for more across the region in the future. You’ll be able to adjust to different regional needs and cultural requirements, provide clear direction, guidance, and accountability to your team through effective performance management.

This is a huge opportunity for the right candidate to grow and scale a region as Kraken continues to expand globally.

What You’ll Do

・Define what good looks like for a small, lean, high-performing TechOps team.
・Own the day-to-day delivery of TechOps services in the APAC region.
・Liaise with TechOps leadership and architects to prioritise and deliver project work.
・Balance reactive support and projects with proactive, planned improvements and projects.
・Mentor and line manage TechOps team members, supporting their development and career growth.
・Provide hands-on 1st, 2nd and 3rd line technical support across the business.
・Collaborate closely with our Security team to balance security, productivity, and user experience.
・Manage incidents, communications, and follow-ups across the region.
・Coordinate and deliver complex technical projects involving multiple stakeholders and teams across time zones.

Examples of TechOps projects include:

・Rollout of, and migration to, a new identity providermacOS and Windows MDM migrations
・Rollout of device trust and posture compliance solutions
・Replacing insecure factors such as SMS with phishing-resistant authentication
・Office fit-outs including networking, AV, and access controlSaaS migrations for acquisitions (e.g. Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace)

What You’ll Need

Must Have:
• A proven track record of leading successful IT or TechOps teams, ideally through periods of growth.
• At least 3 years of people management experience.
• Significant experience managing performance, and professional development.
• Strong service management and operational experience.
• Comfort operating in highly ambiguous environments and managing competing priorities.A very strong technical background underpinning your leadership approach.
• Hands-on experience providing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd line support.
• Ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong incident management and problem-solving skills.
• A people-first mindset and a conscientious approach to decision-making.

Should Have:
• Experience working across time zones and with globally distributed teams.
• Strong opinions on best practice and a desire to challenge traditional IT norms.
• Experience mentoring team members with varying levels of experience.
• Experience supporting macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android environments.
• Experience with Identity & Access Management platforms such as Okta or Microsoft Entra.
• Willingness to travel and maintain presence in regional office locations if required.

Nice To Have:
• A foundational understanding of programming or software engineering.
• Familiarity with security tooling such as CrowdStrike, Kolide, osquery, and Zscaler.
• Experience with email gateway administration and routing.