Head of IT and CISO

Job Description
SWISSto12 is one of the world's fastest-growing aerospace companies, evolving from its pioneering use of 3D printing technologies for high-performance Radio Frequency (RF) products and applications to recently announcing the manufacture of entire geostationary telecom satellites, called HummingSat, that define a new category in space.

HummingSat is the world's first commercial telecom GEO SmallSat developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). Its uniquely compact size combined with highly capable telecom payloads allows telecommunications operators to deploy a cost-efficient, compact, and agile asset without sacrificing performance or security. HummingSat has been selected by Intelsat to build the I-45 satellite, by Inmarsat to build three I-8 satellites, and recently by Astrum Mobile to build the NEASTAR-1 satellite.

SWISSto12 is also a leading provider of Radio-Frequency (RF) products and sub-systems for satellite communication and remote sensing applications. The company's patented 3D printing technologies and associated product designs are unique to deliver lightweight, compact, highly performing, and competitive RF products.

The Head of IT is responsible for developing and executing the company's global IT strategy to support rapid growth, innovation, and operational excellence across multiple European and US sites. This includes overseeing infrastructure, cybersecurity, service delivery, and digital transformation initiatives in a high-tech manufacturing environment. This role requires a unique blend of strategic vision and hands-on execution.

Job Requirements

• 10+ years in IT, with at least 5 in leadership roles in a high tech industrial environment.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related  field.
• Proven success in managing IT across multiple international sites.
• Demonstrated ability to lead,
  mentor, and build high-performing IT teams across geographies and time zones.
• Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and inspire high-performing IT teams across geographies and time zones, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and  continuous improvement.
• Experience in working  in a fast-paced, rapid growth environment
  .
• Expertise in:
• M365 Azure, Intune, Defender, etc.
• Enterprise-grade, multi-site network architectures, datacenter and OT environments. Zero Trust architecture, identity and access management, intrusion detection  & prevention DNS and DHCP resilience strategies
• Linux/macOS environments
• Demonstrated experience in being solution-oriented, with the ability to balance strategic vision and day-to-day operational needs.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams and geographies
• Comfortable working across time zones and cultures.
• Fluent in English; French is a plus.

Job Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership
• Develop and execute a global IT strategy that ensures secure, high-performance, and scalable digital operations across engineering, manufacturing, and corporate environments.
• Drive Operational Security (OpSec) and development infrastructure excellence, ensuring that design, simulation, and production systems run with maximum reliability and confidentiality.
• Lead strategic initiatives to modernize IT governance, standardize processes, and leverage automation where it enhances efficiency and security.
• Align IT investments with business priorities, balancing innovation with risk management and operational excellence.
• Lead the global IT budget planning and governance process, ensuring alignment of investments with strategic business priorities.
• Infrastructure & Operations
• Oversee the global IT infrastructure covering networks, servers, cloud environment storage, and endpoints — ensuring resilience, scalability, and performance across all engineering and manufacturing sites.
• Actively leads IT projects and participates in infrastructure upgrades, deployments, and integrations.
• Manage help-desk and support operations from 1st to 3rd line.
• Serve as escalation point for major incidents and complex technical challenges.
• Foster a data-driven operations culture, leveraging on KPIs to optimize system performance and service delivery.
• Cybersecurity & Compliance
• Serve as the company's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), ensuring flawless collaboration with the Security Operations Center (SOC) and real-time visibility across the IT and OT landscape.
• Ensure high availability, disaster recovery, and business continuity across sites. Establish and maintain a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy built on Zero Trust principles, threat intelligence, and continuous monitoring to safeguard intellectual property and operational systems.
• Oversee end-to-end security governance, including vulnerability management, incident response, and forensic readiness.
• Ensure high availability, disaster recovery, and cyber resilience across all sites, with regular testing of business continuity procedures.
• Lead internal and external security audits, certification processes, and risk assessments, ensuring full traceability and accountability.

• Drive security culture transformation across the organization — raising awareness, providing training, and fostering a mindset of shared responsibility for data protection and operational security.

• Team & Vendor Management

• Lead, build and develop a geographically distributed IT team.
• Support and coach the team, coordinate training programs, and succession planning to retain top talent in critical IT and security roles.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and cross-functional collaboration with R&D, engineering, and operations teams.
• Manage vendor relationships and negotiate contracts.
• Project Delivery
• Lead cross-functional IT projects including rollouts, system upgrades, and facility tech integrations.
• Eliminate technical debt and drive continuous improvement.

Job Benefits

Further details to be shared by our recruitment team. 

SWISSto12 offers a full-time contract. This is an onsite position, out of our Lausanne (Renens) office, and will require some travel to other SWISSto12 office locations.

More about SWISSto12:

SWISSto12 has successfully established contracts with Intelsat, Inmarsat, Astrum Mobile and ESA for HummingSat as well as contracts for their RF product line in Europe, and the US with prominent partners and customers such as Thales, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SES and the ESA. SWISSto12 is a spin off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is privately owned and backed by prominent Swiss and European Investors. SWISSto12 is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and operates a US and European-subsidiariesy in Foster City California. The company is well funded for its near and mid-term developments and backed by a solid customer revenue stream.