Lead Security & IT Engineer (AI)

TL;DR

Lead Security & IT Engineer (AI): Designing and operating security and IT infrastructure for a rapidly growing AI and physical sciences lab with an accent on identity, endpoint security, and automation. Focus on building secure internal workflows, managing cloud/network environments, and ensuring compliance for research operations.

Location: Must be based in Menlo Park, California (Hybrid)

Company

An AI and physical sciences startup building state-of-the-art models for novel scientific discoveries.

What you will do

• Design, build, and operate the company's entire security and IT architecture.
• Manage identity, endpoint, network, and SaaS security systems.
• Implement zero-touch provisioning and lifecycle management for macOS, Windows, and Linux devices.
• Codify security policies and workflows using automation, IaC, and scripting.
• Collaborate with research, infrastructure, and operations teams to secure laptops, clusters, and science labs.
• Administer core tools including Google Workspace, Slack, and GitHub with a focus on permission hygiene.

Requirements

• Experience managing identity systems like Okta or Entra with robust RBAC and lifecycle automation.
• Expertise in endpoint management at scale for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
• Proficiency in security deployments including EDR, disk encryption, and firewall policies.
• Experience with IaC and automation using tools like Terraform, Python, or Bash.
• Background in managing IAM and user integrations in AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Deep understanding of zero-trust networking, DNS, certificates, and network segmentation.

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced environment within a well-funded, rapidly growing lab.
• High ownership culture where team members identify and solve problems independently.
• Focus on learning new tools and scientific domains.
• Minimal bureaucracy with an emphasis on autonomy.