Director of IT

Nex is on a mission to help families rediscover the joy of movement. Created by parents for parents, Nex combines technology and play to deliver fun, social, and interactive experiences powered by natural body motion, encouraging kids and adults to move more, play more, and have fun together. Nex Playground, the company’s award-winning active play system, is purpose-built to get families moving year-round, with safety and privacy as core considerations in its intentional design. It is certified kidSAFE+ COPPA compliant and built to support healthy, active play for all ages and abilities. Nex Playground features a growing library of 50+ experiences, including motion and dance games, fitness and educational experiences, and Nex Originals. Content includes collaborations with partners like Hasbro, Sesame Workshop, and NBCUniversal. Nex has been recognized by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, TIME’s Best Inventions, and Parents’ Best Entertainment System for Families, and has earned Red Dot, IDEA, and Core77 international design awards. We encourage you to explore Have Fun and Is Motion Gaming Back?, as they offer a deeper look into our culture, values, and explain how our approach to motion gaming differs from previous generations. Nex employees may be expected to collaborate with colleagues across different time zones. Depending on the role and location, occasional travel may also be required for company events, external meetings, and other business-related activities. Important Notice: ⚠️ To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please note that Nex communicates through official company emails ending in @nex.inc. If you receive a suspicious email or message, please do not respond and report it immediately to us. Location: U.S. Based Annual salary: USD 175,000 - USD 250,000 Final base salary within this range will be determined based on job-related factors, including the candidate’s experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location. Type: Full-time Reports to: Chief Operating Officer About the Role Nex is looking for an IT Director to own the strategy, delivery, and governance of our business systems and technology operations as we scale Nex Playground globally. This is a senior leadership role with broad scope — spanning enterprise systems, business systems integration and vendor relationships — and direct influence on how Nex operates and grows. Key Responsibilities Corporate Technology Stack Oversight • Lead the roadmap and execution of Nex’s corporate IT and business systems. • Oversee the administration, maintenance, and reliability of the full corporate tech stack, ensuring systems are well-integrated, performant, and scalable. • Own the company’s non-coding artificial intelligence use and access policy. Corporate IT Procurement & Vendor Strategy • Own all corporate IT and business system vendor relationships, including contract negotiation, performance accountability, and portfolio optimisation. • Lead corporate IT system procurement — evaluating, selecting, and onboarding tools and platforms that meet Nex’s operational and security requirements. • Partner on solution architecture and integration decisions with a focus on scalability and cost discipline. Systems Implementation & Interoperability • Serve as the internal consultancy lead for IT system rollouts, implementations, and integrations across business functions. • Partner with respective internal system owners on integration and architectural decisions for payments, taxation, order orchestration, and global commerce workflows. • Ensure business systems can communicate effectively with one another, maintaining data integrity and operational continuity across platforms. IT Operations & Access Provisioning • Own end-to-end corporate IT system maintenance and access provisioning, including identity and access management (IAM), user onboarding/offboarding, role-based access controls, and periodic access reviews. • Own the full employee technology lifecycle, including device procurement, provisioning, asset management, refresh cycles, and secure device retirement. • Oversee enterprise productivity and collaboration platforms (eg Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, Zoom, Microsoft 365) and ensure reliable employee access and support. • Partner with People Operations to deliver a seamless and secure new-hire experience across global locations. • Manage IT Operations Specialist to support and execute the above responsibilities. Corporate Data Security & Employee Training • Own the implementation of Nex’s corporate data security posture — including identity management, endpoint management, device security, MDM, anti-virus, firewall, VPN, backup infrastructure, and corporate SaaS and cloud systems security. • Support audit and due diligence readiness for corporate IT systems and implement compliance initiatives across corporate IT systems. • Deliver employee security training programs, including anti-phishing, access hygiene, and applicable statutory requirements. • Set the direction for Nex’s corporate IT infrastructure for internal use in partnership with internal teams and vendors, ensuring data integrity and appropriate access controls. Team & Organisational Leadership • Build and lead a high-performing team of IT professionals. • Serve as a thought partner to the executive team on technology investments, build vs. buy decisions, and organisational capability building. Qualifications What you must have • 10+ years of progressive experience in IT, Business Systems, or Technical Program Management, with at least 3 years in a senior IT leadership role, ideally as the most senior IT leader at a company of roughly 100–500 people • Demonstrated success owning enterprise-wide technology strategy and delivery in a fast-scaling company • Track record of building and managing high-performing teams and external vendor relationships • Strong executive presence and communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences • Experience leading corporate IT operations, including endpoint management, IAM, employee onboarding/offboarding, and IT asset lifecycle management • Deep understanding of enterprise security controls, device management, access governance, and compliance best practices • Experience administering and securing productivity and collaboration platforms such as Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, Zoom and Microsoft 365 Preferred Qualifications • Hands-on experience with NetSuite, Shopify, Amazon ecosystems, and data/reporting platforms • Deep expertise across e-commerce and D2C technology ecosystems • Background in high-growth, hardware-enabled, or consumer tech environments • Experience managing global, multi-region systems and distributed teams What Success Looks Like • A reliable, scalable technology foundation that supports Nex’s global growth without friction • A vendor portfolio that is well-governed, cost-efficient, and accountable • A team that is trusted, capable, and operating with increasing independence We Offer • Competitive compensation package. • Flexible working hours and vacation policy. • Product-driven culture that treasures talents and individual growth. • Front-row seat and hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies in the evolving gaming field Nex is located in San Jose, California, USA and Hong Kong. Learn more about us at https://www.nexplayground.com/about. We encourage applications even if you don’t meet more than 50% of the requirements — we believe that experience comes in many forms! Nex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all individuals at every stage of the employment relationship, including all current and prospective employees, and covers all employment decisions including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and termination. We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.