Contractor: IT Operations Specialist

The Role: Newsela is seeking an IT Operations Specialist to empower our team by delivering seamless tech support, optimizing internal platforms, and driving operational efficiency for a distributed team of 500+ employees. In this role, you will be the face of IT for Newsela staff – handling day-to-day access, security, and hardware requests, while orchestrating an exceptional onboarding and offboarding experience for all employees.

Reporting to the Manager of IT Engineering, this role works alongside Legal, Procurement, and People Operations to maintain corporate security and operational efficiency. Because Newsela is a 97% macOS-based company, this role requires a deep, hands-on experience with Apple hardware and macOS administration.

What you will do:

• The IT Operations Specialist will support Newsela staff by resolving IT requests (e.g. access, security, and equipment requests; internal platforms administration and support such as Apple hardware and macOS, Google Workspace, Iru/Kandji, Slack, Atlassian, 1Password, etc.) as well as handling engineering challenges related to operational efficiency and compliance.
• In this role, you will establish relationships across the organization to better understand specific department-level support needs.
• You will manage staff onboarding and offboarding: collaborating with other internal stakeholders such as People Operations and hiring managers; following , creating, and updating documentation; partnering with domestic and international hardware vendors; and orchestrating new hires’ preboarding and day one experience.
• Reporting to the Manager, IT Engineering, you will implement support models and security guidelines established by the Senior System Administrator, and also collaborate with teams who manage other aspects of the overall company technology stack.
• You will be joining a grouping of operations teams including Legal and Procurement as well as IT.
• Hours are 9-5:00 EDT with occasional minor after-hours responses to simple support requests, or very rare 8-8:30 AM start times due to support needs after major system changes

Why you’ll love this role:

• You will be part of a team that is building the next generation of Newsela by making support seamless, strengthening company culture and enhancing productivity across the enterprise
• You will also gain exposure to leading edge tools & technologies including AI platforms.
• You’ll also have the opportunity to work in a collaborative environment using modern IT tools and products that will continue the tradition of Newsela being one of the best educational software companies in the US.
• Your work will have a direct impact on enabling all team members to work in a fully integrated technology environment, which will ultimately scale Newsela’s ability to bring engaging, culturally responsive learning content to K-12 classrooms nationwide.

Why you’re a great fit:

• You have 2+ years of experience in an IT Support role, enhanced by your demonstrated success in supporting global IT Operations internal stakeholders.
• You have deep working knowledge of Apple hardware and macOS, Google Workspace, Iru/Kandji, Slack.
• You are an exceptional communication (written and verbal in English) paired with a customer-first mindset.
• Strong troubleshooting skills with a methodical approach to resolving technical issues.
• You have the ability to translate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• You have a customer-first mindset and are able to resolve colleagues’ support issues in a timely and accurate manner.
• While not required, experience with scripting and/or automation, especially the GAM command-line utility, is a plus.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check as part of our pre-employment process.

About Newsela:

Newsela is a leading education technology company dedicated to meaningful classroom learning for every student. We deliver integrated, AI-powered solutions designed to unlock student engagement, empower teachers, and drive meaningful learning outcomes. Our suite of products supports knowledge and skill development, writing practice, daily instruction, assessment, and data-informed decision-making across K–12 classrooms. Grounded in learning science research, Newsela’s solutions integrate content, assessment, and analytics to help educators track progress, understand student outcomes, and deliver high-impact instruction that supports every learner.

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