Head of Infrastructure & Security in England

Bioptimus is building the first universal AI foundation model for biology to fuel breakthrough discoveries and accelerate innovation in biomedicine. With more than $75M in funding, Bioptimus is a fast‑growing start‑up headquartered in Paris, incorporated in October 2023. Backed by leading international venture capitalists, our world‑class team of scientists and engineers is redefining the frontiers of AI and life sciences.

What You'll Be Doing

• Strategic IT Leadership
  • Define the vision and strategy for the company’s IT infrastructure and policies, aligning it with organizational goals to build a hyper‑growth, sustainable and secure deep‑tech business.
  • Own direction for key domains: cloud engineering, data management, security, and IT services.
  • Collaborate with senior leadership to identify technology needs and prioritise projects.
• Cloud and Computing Infrastructure
  • Design, implement, and optimise scalable and cost‑efficient cloud and computing solutions to support our multi‑modal foundation model training and deployment.
  • Establish robust practices for cloud infrastructure monitoring, performance tuning, and cost management.
• Security and Compliance
  • Implement comprehensive security protocols to safeguard company data, IP, and systems.
  • Ensure practical and efficient roll‑out of security compliance with relevant industry standards and regulations (e.g., ISO, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2).
• Data Management
  • Develop a reliable and secure data infrastructure to support large‑scale AI model training and deployment.
  • Establish policies and tools for effective data storage, retrieval, and usage.
• IT Operations and Support
  • Oversee company‑wide IT services, including hardware procurement, employee onboarding, and IT support.
  • Implement and maintain internal tools and systems to ensure smooth day‑to‑day operations.
• Team Development
  • Recruit, mentor, and manage a high‑performing IT team.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning within the IT function.

What You'll Bring

• IT Experience
  • 8+ years of experience in IT, with at least 3‑4 years in a leadership role where you were responsible for setting strategy and managing a team in a fast‑growing tech company.
• Cloud & Infrastructure Expertise
  • Deep, hands‑on experience managing AWS‑based corporate cloud environments.
  • Experience with identity and access management (IAM), networking, and infrastructure‑as‑code principles.
• Security & Compliance Mastery
  • Demonstrable experience building a corporate security program from the ground up.
  • Successfully led an organisation through at least one major compliance audit (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001). A relevant certification (e.g., CISSP, CISM) is a strong plus.
• Automation Mindset
  • Proven ability to automate IT operations, from employee onboarding to security monitoring and response, reducing manual overhead and improving reliability.
• Business Acumen
  • Skilled at communicating complex technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders, managing a budget effectively, and aligning IT initiatives with strategic business goals.
• Startup Mentality
  • Comfortable with ambiguity and thrives in a fast‑paced environment where you are required to be both a strategist and a hands‑on implementer.

How to Stand Out

• First IT/Security hire in a previous role and successfully built the function from the ground up.
• Previously built and managed the IT function in an AI, biotech, or other deep‑tech research environment and understood its unique security and operational needs.
• Hands‑on experience designing and implementing a zero‑trust security architecture.
• Experience managing IT for a company with significant operations in both Europe and the United States.

The Candidate Journey

• Screening: An introductory call with the hiring manager.
• Technical Assessment: A timed assessment on a dedicated platform covering AWS and Docker.
• Interviews: Technical Case Study (60 min), Internal Infrastructure Interview (60 min), Final Interview (30 min).
• Offer: Conditional on reference check.
• Onboarding: Accepted offer → onboarding process begins.

Why This is a Unique Opportunity

• Reporting to the COO, have the autonomy to select tools, design processes, and shape the culture of technology and security at Bioptimus.
• Competitive compensation package and meaningful equity stake aligned with long‑term value.
• Critical impact on the organisation’s ability to scale securely and efficiently, directly advancing our mission.
• Build a world‑class IT function to support our mission of shaping the future of AI‑driven biology.

We believe that the unique contributions of all Bioptimists create our success. To ensure that our culture continues to incorporate everyone’s perspectives and experience, we never discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital, or disability status. Decisions related to hiring are made fairly, and we provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates. We take responsibility for always striving to create an inclusive environment that makes every employee and candidate feel welcome.

Seniority Level: Director

Employment Type: Full‑time

Job Function: Information Technology

Industries: Construction, Software Development, and IT Services and IT Consulting