IT Consultant

JOB TITLE: IT CONSULTANT (AUTOMATION, COMPLIANCE & AI ENABLEMENT) Location: Remote OK, Hybrid preferred (New York, Berkeley, Portland ME) Type: Contract - 10-20 hrs/week for 3+ months, with possibility to extend. ABOUT THE ROLE We are seeking an IT Consultant to help scale and modernize our internal and customer-facing IT operations. This role is focused on automating manual IT processes, supporting compliance (SOC 2 and public-sector requirements), and responsibly leveraging AI tools to improve efficiency without compromising security. You’ll work at the intersection of IT operations, security, and customer enablement—supporting both internal teams and external stakeholders (including city, county, state, and federal partners). This is a hands-on role for someone who can both execute and design better systems as we grow. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES IT Operations & Automation - Provision, manage, and deprovision user accounts across systems (Google Workspace, SaaS tools, etc.) - Handle day-to-day incoming IT support requests - Identify manual, repetitive IT workflows and design automated solutions - Build and maintain scripts, integrations, or workflows to streamline IT operations - Improve onboarding/offboarding processes for speed, accuracy, and auditability Compliance & Security (SOC 2 + Public Sector) - Support SOC 2 controls, audits, and ongoing compliance processes - Maintain and improve IT policies, procedures, and documentation - Partner with engineering teams to enforce good security practices including access controls and least-privilege principles - Respond to customer IT/security questionnaires (including government entities) - Ensure systems and processes meet requirements for public-sector customers Customer-Facing IT Support - Provide documentation and evidence required by customer IT departments - Support security reviews and vendor onboarding processes - Act as a liaison between internal technical teams and external compliance stakeholders AI Enablement (Responsible Use) - Identify opportunities to leverage AI tools to improve IT workflows and documentation - Establish and enforce guidelines for safe and compliant AI usage (data handling, access control, privacy) - Evaluate AI tools with a clear understanding of risks, limitations, and appropriate use cases REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS - 3–7+ years of experience in IT operations, IT consulting, or systems administration - Hands-on experience with identity and access management (IAM) and SaaS provisioning - Familiarity with SOC 2 controls, audits, and security best practices - Experience supporting compliance requirements for enterprise or public-sector customers - Strong scripting or automation skills (e.g., Python, Bash, or no-code/low-code tools) - Ability to create clear, audit-ready documentation PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS - Experience working in a high-growth startup (Series A–C) - Familiarity with tools such as Google Workspace, MDM, Vanta, and cloud infrastructure like AWS, GCP etc. - Experience responding to security questionnaires (RFPs, vendor risk assessments) and flags - Exposure to frameworks beyond SOC 2 (e.g. NIST, FedRAMP, CJIS, GDPR) - Experience implementing or governing AI tools in a business environment KEY TRAITS WE’RE LOOKING FOR - Systems thinker: You don’t just execute tasks—you redesign and automate them to scale - Detail-oriented: You understand that compliance and security require precision - Pragmatic: You balance speed with risk in a startup environment - Clear communicator: You can translate technical and compliance concepts for non-technical stakeholders - Ownership mindset: You see gaps and fix them without waiting WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS This role is critical to enabling the company to scale Forerunner into regulated environments. You’ll directly impact our ability to win and support public-sector customers while building a modern, automation-first IT function. Compensation is ~$70–$85/hr, depending on experience.