IT & Security Manager

Job Overview: We're looking for a hands-on IT & Security Expert to own our technology infrastructure from the ground up. You'll be our first dedicated IT hire — which means you'll do the work, shape how we do it, and build the systems and practices that will carry us through our next phase of growth. You'll report to the CTO. You'll work directly with the team rather than in a silo, and the job is to make people's lives easier, not to gatekeep. This is an IC role today with room to grow in scope and seniority as we scale. This is a full-time role based in Palo Alto, CA or Boulder, CO, with travel as well as flexibility for some remote work. What You’ll DoIT Operations & Infrastructure Own and manage our full IT stack (computers, software, network, firewall, and office infrastructure across macOS, Linux, and Windows environments) Stand up a secure VPN; deploy MDM (device management and policy enforcement) and endpoint security (currently CrowdStrike Falcon) across the full device fleet; build toward zero-trust architecture, asset inventory, centralized logging, and SIEMManage hardware procurement, asset tracking, onboarding/offboarding, software license management, IT budgetManage IT and security vendor relationships — decide what to manage internally vs. outsource, evaluate new tools before they touch our systems, and hold vendors accountable to commitmentsSupport on-site rack-mounted server hardware and bare-metal Linux as we productizeOwn our AI usage and safety policies by defining practical protocols and policies that balance productivity with IP protectionIdentity, Access & Secrets Management Stand up an identity platform (Active Directory, Entra ID) with SSO, MFA, and role-based access; connect our internal web infrastructure's login to itImplement secrets management (Vault, 1Password Teams, SSM) with key rotation and no credentials sitting in reposImplement a zero-trust mesh or VPN (Tailscale, WireGuard, Cloudflare Access) with identity-gated SSHOwn cloud security across AWS, GCP, and SLURM — IAM, VPC/network segmentation, controlled ingress/egressMaintain encrypted backups; build toward secure external access to our hardware as we productizeCompliance & Security Lead and own all compliance roadmaps and certification efforts (e.g., CMMC Level 2, SOC 2) — oversee buildouts, ongoing compliance, documentation of policies and procedures, and coordination with external assessors and managed providersBuild toward a real security program: zero-trust architecture, asset inventory, centralized logging and SIEM, monitoring, and identity governanceOwn incident response, disaster recovery, and business continuity planningMaintain awareness of export control rules given our deep tech work and government contractsQualifications 5-8 years of IT and security experience, with direct experience building from scratch at a small technical company — not just running a mature setupStrong identity and access management experience: SSO, MFA, role-based access, directory servicesSecure networking experience: VPN, zero-trust, identity-gated SSH, device management, endpoint securityCloud security across at least one major provider (AWS, GCP, or Azure): IAM, network segmentation, controlled ingress/egressFluent across macOS, Linux, and WindowsInfrastructure-as-code mindset — builds things documented and self-serveScripting and automation depth (Python, Bash, Terraform, or similar) Experience working directly with engineering, operations, and leadership to understand business needs and translate them into reliable, usable, documented systems that make the team’s lives easierNice to HaveHands-on experience with CMMC, NIST 800-171, or CUI environmentsExport control awareness (deemed exports, access segregation for non-US persons) Experience with EDR/MDR tooling (CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne, or similar) Experience with on-site rack-mounted server hardware and bare-metal LinuxCentralized logging, SIEM, and incident response experienceFamiliarity with Microsoft GCC High or government cloud environmentsSOC 2 experienceBenefits and PerksMeaningful equity ownership in an early-stage deep tech companyEmployer-matched 401(k) Health, dental, vision, and life insuranceFlexible PTOSupport for ongoing learning, conference attendance, and skill developmentOur culture is onsite by default (we're founded by scientists who are used to working in the lab), with flexibility for hybrid arrangements. For the right person and role, we're open to filling roles remotely