Instacart

Director, IT Operations

Instacart$215K — $227K *
US-AnywhereRemote in San Francisco, CA
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience leading IT operations in a mid-to-large tech company.
  • Proven ability to manage and mentor teams of 20+ across multiple IT functions.
  • Significant budget management experience with IT budgets exceeding $5M.
  • Ability to drive organizational change and innovative solutions, not just execute existing practices.
  • Strong interpersonal skills with a focus on building trust with executives and team members.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and manage the IT Operations organization across three functional teams through direct-report managers.
  • Strategize and set the vision for IT Operations, aligning team goals with company objectives.
  • Implement next-gen IT support that integrates AI and enhances employee experience.
  • Simplify international IT logistics to support global expansion efficiently.
  • Collaborate with Executive Leadership and other departments for seamless IT service delivery.
  • Identify and execute at least one leading initiative annually to revolutionize IT operations.

Benefits

  • Flexible work options, including remote work.
  • Potential eligibility for equity grants upon hire and for annual refresh grants.
  • Comprehensive insurance and health benefits.
Full Job Description
Overview

Instacart's IT Operations team is the engine that keeps over 4,000 employees productive, connected, and supported across the company. Sitting within the Engineering organisation and reporting to the Head of IT and Enterprise Security, this Director leads the three core functions of IT Operations - IT Support, IT Logistics, and AV & Executive Support - through a team of three managers and approximately 20 people in total. The role exists at a pivotal moment: as Instacart embraces AI-powered tooling and continues its international expansion, IT Operations must evolve from a reactive support function into a proactive, innovation-led organisation that meets employees where they work.
About the Job
  • Lead the IT Operations organisation across three functional teams - IT Support, IT Logistics, and AV & Executive Support - through three direct-report managers, maintaining a high-performing culture on a team known for its stability and service excellence.
  • Set the strategic vision and operating model for IT Operations, aligning team priorities with broader company objectives and driving a data-informed approach to decision-making, service performance, and leadership reporting.
  • Deploy next-generation IT support that meets employees inside the tools they already use - including AI-powered interfaces such as Claude - reducing friction, improving resolution times, and setting a new standard for what enterprise IT support looks like.
  • Resolve the complexity of international IT logistics, making the shipping and provisioning of hardware seamless as Instacart expands its footprint outside North America.
  • Partner cross-functionally with Executive Leadership, Workplace & Facilities, and Enterprise Security to deliver seamless IT services and raise the bar on corporate security standards.
  • Drive innovation across the IT operations space, identifying and shipping at least one industry-leading initiative per year that directly addresses end-user needs - from onboarding speed to agent-based support tooling.
About You
Minimum Qualifications
  • Proven track record of leading a large, multi-disciplinary IT operations team - covering IT support, logistics, and AV or executive support - at a mid-to-large technology company.
  • Experience managing teams of 20 or more people across multiple IT functions, with direct oversight of managers and demonstrated success in hiring, developing, and retaining talent.
  • Budget ownership and financial accountability at scale - experience managing IT budgets of $5M or more, including hardware, licensing, and vendor spend.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead organisational change and innovation, not just execute existing playbooks - this role requires someone who builds the vision, not just delivers against it.
  • Authentic, transparent leadership style with a track record of building trust-based relationships with direct reports, peers, and senior stakeholders up to and including C-suite level.


Preferred Qualifications

- Familiarity with Corporate Engineering tooling (Okta, Google Workspace, Slack, Risotto) and technical concepts, enabling productive partnership with engineering-adjacent teams without needing to own the technical work.

- Experience leading IT operations through a significant company transition - IPO, rapid headcount growth, M&A, or international expansion.

- Hands-on experience integrating AI or automation tools into IT service delivery and end-user support workflows.

#LI-Remote

Instacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees work. This role is in office and the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their work location. Please review our Flex First remote work policy here.

Offers may vary based on many factors, such as candidate experience and skills required for the role. Additionally, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants. Please read more about our benefits offerings here.

For San Francisco, CA based candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below.

San Francisco, CA

$215,000-$227,000 USD

About Instacart

Instacart is an American company that operates a grocery delivery and pick-up service in the United States and Canada. The company offers its services via a website and mobile app. The service allows customers to order groceries from participating retailers with the shopping being done by a personal shopper. Instacart was founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Apoorva Mehta, a former Amazon.com employee. Apoorva was born in India and moved with his family to Canada in 2000. He studied engineering at the University of Waterloo and graduated in 2008. He was a participant in Y Combinator's Summer 2012 batch, which eventually led to the creation of Instacart. In 2013, Mehta was included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Apoorva previously worked at BlackBerry, Qualcomm, and then Amazon as a supply chain engineer, where he developed fulfillment systems to move packages from Amazon's warehouses to customers' homes. Before founding Instacart, Apoorva had tried to start at least 20 other services. He tried building an ad network for social gaming companies, and developing a social network specifically for lawyers, among other start-ups. Instacart originally launched in San Francisco. By April 2015, the firm had about 200 employees. It introduced a new policy around June allowing some shoppers to choose to be part-time employees, starting with Chicago and Boston and extending its offer to shoppers in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington D.C. the following month.
Learn more about Instacart
Industry
Founded
2012

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