IT/OT Specialist

Parallel Bio•San Francisco, CA

2d•$145,000 - $165,000•Onsite

About The Position

The company is seeking an IT/OT Specialist to build and maintain the systems that ensure reliable, secure, and connected lab and corporate technology. This role involves an equal balance of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). On the IT side, responsibilities include network, endpoint, identity, and infrastructure management. On the OT side, it encompasses managing instruments, automation equipment, their networks, and the data flow into the company's platform. The specialist will ensure seamless operation of scientist laptops, lab instrument networks, and the data pipeline between them. This role will collaborate with the cloud and infrastructure team, handling on-the-ground IT/OT execution and coordinating on cloud architecture and data platform integration. The position requires a full-time, on-site presence in San Francisco and Brisbane, CA, due to the hands-on nature of working with lab instrumentation, network hardware, and physical infrastructure. Additionally, the role includes on-call responsibilities for critical IT/OT issues, including lab-impacting outages outside normal business hours.

Requirements

3 to 6 years in IT infrastructure, systems administration or a related role.
Includes OT experience with industrial or lab device networking, or hardware integration.
Solid grounding in networking, identity and access management, and endpoint management.
Experience working in an environment where processes were still being built.
Comfortable operating in a process-building environment.
Strong troubleshooting skills and ability to be the go-to person for issues.
Clear communication skills, capable of technical conversations and explaining issues to non-technical individuals.
Willingness and ability to work on-site consistently.
Ability to be physically present for hands-on troubleshooting.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a life sciences, biotech or lab environment.
Familiarity with LIMS, instrument data systems or lab networks.

Responsibilities

Support the network and connectivity needs of lab instrumentation and automation equipment, integrating devices onto secure, segmented networks.
Partner with the Platform/Automation team and Cloud Architect to troubleshoot connectivity and data-flow issues between instruments, automation systems, and the cloud data platform.
Maintain an inventory of connected lab devices, their configurations, and their support/service status.
Help define and implement basic OT security practices (network segmentation, access control for instrument systems) in coordination with IT security.
Support integration of new instrumentation as the platform scales, working alongside automation engineers and platform leadership.
Own and maintain the equipment register: tracking owner, location, readiness, and service/calibration status for connected lab devices, and keep it current as new equipment comes online.
Follow lab safety and access protocols (including badge access and any PPE requirements) when working in or near BSL-2+ lab areas.
Support day-to-day IT operations: user accounts, identity and access management, endpoint provisioning, and helpdesk support across sites.
Support maintenance of core infrastructure: networking, servers, cloud accounts, backups, and security tooling, in close coordination with the Cloud Architect on architecture and cloud-side decisions.
Support implementation and enforcement of IT security practices (access controls, patching, monitoring) appropriate for a company handling sensitive biological and customer data, working with Legal/Compliance to meet infosec and data privacy requirements.
Support onboarding/offboarding for a growing, multi-site team.
Support evaluation, deployment, and maintenance of software tools used across the company (collaboration tools, LIMS-adjacent systems, etc.).
Maintain documentation for IT systems, configurations, and processes.
Provide on-call support for critical IT/OT issues, including lab-impacting outages outside normal business hours.