Lead IT Engineer

Job description

# About Neurophos The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach. Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference. We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a [$110M Series A](https://www.neurophos.com/110m-raise) led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others. Join us and shape the future of computing! **Location:** Austin, TX or Sunnyvale, CA. Full-time onsite position. **Reports To**: SVP of Engineering **FLSA Status**: Exempt ## Position Overview We are seeking a hands-on Lead IT Engineer to own Neurophos's IT infrastructure across our Sunnyvale and Austin sites. Today, we operate a co-managed model: an external managed service provider (MSP) delivers help desk support, endpoint protection, and around-the-clock security monitoring. Our intent is to bring IT and security operations in-house as we scale, and this role is the first step in that plan. You will start by owning architecture, engineering infrastructure, and the systems our silicon and photonics teams touch every day, while directing the MSP for commodity operations. Over time, you will decide what to insource, in what order, with what staffing, and execute that transition. The immediate priority is the private Linux compute environment behind our EDA/CAD and simulation workloads, our developer platform, our identity architecture, and the network design that keeps lab, corporate, and customer-facing data properly separated. Much of this does not exist yet. You will define it as the company scales from 50 to 150+ people. This is a lead role by design. You are the senior-most IT voice in the company from day one and the intended future owner of the IT function and its team. ## Key Responsibilities Private Cloud & Engineering Compute - Install, configure, and maintain on-premises Linux servers and clusters supporting EDA/CAD tools, simulation, and performance modeling. - Operate shared storage, tiering, snapshots, and backup, with restore procedures that are durable and scalable. - Manage batch scheduling and resource sharing, floating license servers, and queue capacity planning. - Apply configuration management and infrastructure-as-code practices. Own patch and lifecycle cadence for Linux instances. - Forecast compute, storage, and license demand ahead of program milestones. Identity and Developer Platform - Own SSO and identity provider administration in Okta, application onboarding via SAML, SCIM provisioning, group and role design, and MFA policy. - Administer GitHub Enterprise. Own configuration and data governance for Google Workspace and Drive, Dropbox, and Atlassian, including sharing controls, retention, and external-collaborator policy. - Administer engineering and AI tooling, own license inventory, utilization tracking, and renewals. Public Cloud - Administer cloud storage and compute, including account and project structure, IAM, networking, and machine images. - Own cloud cost visibility, spend control, and report spend. - Manage hybrid connectivity between both sites and cloud environments. Network Architecture & Operations - Own wired and wireless network design at both sites: switching, VLAN, firewalls, VPN, and remote access. - Manage ISPs, circuit provisioning, and networking for new space and site build-outs. The MSP handles monitoring and first-line response; you own the design and the escalations. Managed Service Provider Governance & Insourcing - Serve as the single accountable owner of the MSP relationship: scope, SLAs, escalation paths, quarterly reviews, and cost. - Audit MSP-delivered outcomes, verify offboarding completeness, patch coverage, backup restores, and endpoint compliance on a defined cadence. - Own the insourcing roadmap: recommend which functions move in-house and when. - Keep the company transition-ready throughout. All tenants, administrative credentials, tooling contracts, configuration, and documentation are held in Neurophos' name and systems. - As functions are insourced, help define, recruit for, and mentor the internal IT roles that absorb them. Endpoint Management - Own the full endpoint fleet across Mac, Windows, and Linux with responsibility for standards, imaging, deployment, configuration, patching, and refresh. - Administer mobile device management, including configuration profiles, application deployment, operating system update enforcement, and compliance reporting. - Build and maintain standard machine images and software bundles, including engineering workstation builds carrying EDA and design tooling. - Own endpoint procurement, asset tracking, warranty and spares strategy at both sites, and secure disposal or wipe at end of life. - Provide escalation-tier support for endpoint issues the provider's help desk cannot resolve, particularly on Linux and engineering-tool configurations. Multi-Site Operations & Program Support - Serve as the IT owner for both Sunnyvale and Austin, administering the remote site directly and using local smart-hands support where physical presence is required. - Supply infrastructure evidence for security and customer compliance efforts: asset inventory, logging, access reviews, and configuration baselines. - Implement access controls consistent with export control and customer data protection obligations, in coordination with the Lead Security Engineer and General Counsel. - Own conference room audio/visual and video conferencing standards for a two-site engineering team. **Working Relationships** You own IT infrastructure, engineering compute, and MSP delivery. The Lead Security Engineer owns security policy, threat detection, incident command, and the compliance program; you implement and operate the infrastructure on which those controls depend. The two roles are peers reporting to the SVP of Engineering. ## Qualifications - 8+ years in IT engineering, systems administration, or infrastructure operations, including experience as the primary IT owner at a company under 200 people. - Strong hands-on Linux system administration: installation, storage, networking, package and configuration management, and troubleshooting below the application layer. - Demonstrated ownership of SSO/IdP administration (Okta strongly preferred), including SCIM-based provisioning and verified deprovisioning. - Practical network engineering ability: switching, VLANs, enterprise Wi-Fi, firewall policy, VPN, and DNS/DHCP — able to design a site network and then physically stand it up. - Hands-on administration of a mixed macOS and Windows fleet, including imaging, patching, encryption, and compliance enforcement at scale. - Working proficiency with at least one major public cloud, ideally Azure, including IAM, networking, storage, and cost management. - Demonstrated success managing an MSP or outsourced IT function, including holding a provider to scope and SLA. Experience transitioning outsourced IT or security operations in-house is a significant advantage. - Interest in growing into ownership of the IT function, including hiring and developing a small team. - Scripting and automation fluency and comfort treating infrastructure as code. - Sound judgment about what to automate, what to buy, and what to delegate to the provider. Communication skills to explain those trade-offs to engineering leadership. - Willingness to travel between Sunnyvale and Austin as needed. ## Preferred Skills - Experience supporting semiconductor or hardware engineering organizations: EDA/CAD environments, license servers, large simulation farms, and lab/test networks. - GitHub Enterprise administration and developer platform operations. - Experience building IT operations from near-zero, including a second-site office or lab build-out. - Experience standing up an internal help desk, MDM, or endpoint program that replaced an external provider. - Familiarity with SOC 2, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, or ISO 27001 control evidence from the infrastructure side. - Experience with high-performance networking (RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), InfiniBand) or rack-scale hardware bring-up. # What We Offer This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world. ## Benefits Join a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer: - 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions. - Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery. - 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success. - Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance. - Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.