Partner 18, IT Engineer, San Francisco/Menlo Park

a16z•San Francisco, CA

1d•$189,000 - $221,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As an IT Engineer, you will architect, build, and operate the systems, infrastructure, and platforms that power the firm. Based in our San Francisco or Menlo Park office, you will serve as an escalation point for complex technical issues, spending the majority of your time on engineering initiatives, infrastructure projects, and security programs that strengthen the firm's technology foundation. The ideal candidate brings a builder's mindset — passionate about designing reliable, automated, and secure systems. Low ego and agility are key. You bring the same rigor to supporting C-suite executives in high-stakes situations as you do to leading a complex SaaS integration project or building a new automation pipeline with collaborators spread across US timezones. You possess the technical depth to analyze and resolve complex, multi-layered issues, and the communication skills to convey findings clearly — in writing or in person. You will work independently on many tasks but understand the importance of constant communication and collaboration to ensure you're in sync with the priorities of the larger team. You must have deep technical knowledge across various domains including MacOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Experience across a breadth of SaaS applications like Okta, Google Workspace, and Slack are required. You will have experience supporting fleets of endpoints, IT and networking infrastructure, and complex, multi-vendor IT environments. Experience managing integrated conference room A/V systems as well as supporting live event production are preferred. This role requires an in-office presence 4 days a week, with flexibility between our San Francisco, CA and Menlo Park, CA offices, with occasional travel to either location as needed.

Requirements

6+ years experience in systems, networking, or security engineering, or IT infrastructure and platform engineering roles with demonstrated track record of excellence and increasing responsibilities
Growth mindset, tech-native, resourceful, optimistic and proactive attitude, self-directed with high ownership and a drive to improve systems and processes
Strong general troubleshooting skills to diagnose, identify, and resolve technical issues
Critical thinking mindset to analyze complex, multi-dimensional problems and navigate towards a proposed solution
Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written
Ability to work effectively within the most senior levels of the organization
Aptness to prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment
Strong MacOS and Windows skills are required
Strong iOS skills are required
Experience with administering a wide breadth of SaaS tools is required (e.g. Okta, JAMF, Google Workspace, etc.)
Experience with client platform engineering is required (e.g. Jamf, Kandji, Intune, etc.)
Low ego, high empathy, and the capacity to collaborate effectively with diverse teams

Nice To Haves

Android skills are preferred
Experience with cloud infrastructure platforms is preferred (e.g. AWS, GCP, Azure)
Experience with networking concepts and protocols is preferred (e.g. switching, routing, DHCP, DNS, RADIUS, etc)
Experience working with Zoom, Zoom Rooms, and integrated Audio/Visual systems is preferred
Experience managing integrated conference room A/V systems
Supporting live event production

Responsibilities

Design, implement, maintain, and secure all IT systems and the entire SaaS software stack in our environment
Lead IT projects, coordinating cross-functional and distributed teams and ensuring timely and successful delivery
Uphold, enforce and improve the firm's IT security posture through diligent and rigorous planning and execution of all IT activities
Build and scale IT automations using workflow builder tools, scripting, and APIs — proactively eliminating manual toil and improving operational leverage across the firm
Architect and evolve the firm's endpoint management, identity, and access control platforms (e.g. Jamf/Kandji, Okta, Intune)
Manage vendor relationships for support and staying abreast of latest developments
Author and publish high quality documentation and knowledge base articles that serve IT peers and end users
Serve as the technical escalation point for complex issues across the organization, including for Executive Suite stakeholders
Provide expert technical guidance and elevated support when high-stakes or executive-level situations call for it
Build and cultivate long-term relationships
Manage competing priorities across long-horizon engineering projects and day-to-day technical needs, staying agile without losing sight of strategic goals
Drink from the firehose: always learning new technologies, exploring emerging workflows, and continuously deepening your engineering capabilities