Platform Engineer

Normal Computing Corporation • Palo Alto, CA

14d • Hybrid

About The Position

Normal Computing is seeking a Platform Engineer to manage and enhance the critical infrastructure that supports its engineering organization. This role involves hands-on management of local physical infrastructure, including network and servers, requiring regular on-site presence in Mountain View and occasional travel to New York. It is a senior individual contributor position for someone with extensive systems knowledge and broad infrastructure experience, focusing on Linux systems, networking, storage, security, automation, deployment infrastructure, and open-source tooling. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of infrastructure, strong technical judgment, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced startup environment, prioritizing technical depth, ownership, and execution over leadership.

Requirements

• 8–10+ years of experience in system administration, platform engineering, infrastructure engineering, SRE, DevOps, or equivalent hands-on systems work.
• Deep knowledge of Linux and/or BSD, and systems administration fundamentals.
• Strong experience across multiple infrastructure domains, including networking, storage, operating systems, security, deployment systems, virtualization/containers, configuration management, and observability.
• Significant experience working with open-source infrastructure technologies and ecosystems.
• Strong programming or scripting skills for infrastructure automation.
• Excellent troubleshooting instincts and the ability to investigate complex or unfamiliar systems problems from first principles.
• Demonstrated ability to independently own critical infrastructure and make safe, high-impact technical decisions.
• Experience operating in environments where systems aren't already perfectly built, documented, or organized.
• Strong written communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across a distributed team.
• A desire to remain a deeply technical, hands-on individual contributor.

Nice To Haves

• Meaningful contributions to open-source infrastructure projects.
• An active GitHub or similar profile demonstrating original technical work.
• Participation in technical mailing lists, forums, or open-source communities.
• Technical writing, documentation, or a personal blog demonstrating strong systems knowledge and clear communication.
• Experience building and operating infrastructure in an early-stage or high-growth startup environment.
• Experience owning infrastructure across a particularly broad technical surface area rather than specializing in a single system.

Responsibilities

• Own, operate, and improve critical infrastructure and internal systems across Normal.
• Build and maintain physical network and server infrastructure.
• Design and implement reliable, maintainable, and secure infrastructure across a broad technical surface area.
• Diagnose complex systems issues spanning Linux, networking, storage, security, applications, and deployment infrastructure.
• Automate operational workflows while maintaining a deep understanding of the underlying systems.
• Make thoughtful, high-impact changes to sensitive production and company infrastructure.
• Improve the reliability, observability, maintainability, and security of our systems.
• Evaluate, deploy, and contribute to open-source infrastructure technologies.
• Build documentation and operational practices that allow infrastructure knowledge to scale across a distributed team.
• Partner with engineers across the company to solve infrastructure challenges and support Normal’s continued growth.

Benefits

• Normal Computing is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
• We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
• All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.
• Normal Computing is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.
• If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let us know at [email protected].
• By submitting your application, you agree that Normal Computing may collect, use, and store your personal information for employment-related purposes in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed