Sr. IT Systems Administrator

Lightmatter•Mountain View, CA

10h•$165,000 - $215,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads. Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter! If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders. Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light! The Sr. IT Systems Administrator must have a strong background in networking, Linux systems, and experience with Windows, focused on supporting and evolving IT environments with our engineering team. You'll be the first line of support for highly technical issues, own the buildout of more robust and secure network and server infrastructure, and collaborate closely with our Engineering teams in a hands-on, fast-moving environment. This role also touches broader IT responsibilities as needed. You'll operate with a high degree of autonomy and be trusted to make good decisions — experienced enough to own problems independently and leave things meaningfully better than you found them.

Requirements

6–8 years of hands-on experience in IT systems administration, network engineering, or a closely related role
Strong Linux administration skills across RHEL/CentOS/Fedora and/or Ubuntu/Debian
Experience administering Windows workstations
Solid networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, routing protocols, network design, and firewall policy management
Experience configuring and troubleshooting enterprise wireless, including RADIUS-based authentication (802.1X/EAP-TLS)
Comfortable working in a lab or R&D environment alongside engineers and technical stakeholders
Scripting proficiency for automation — Bash and/or Python and no/low-code tooling
Strong communication skills; able to document clearly and work effectively with a highly technical audiences
Willingness to learn new technologies and grow

Nice To Haves

Experience with Juniper networking equipment (our primary vendor)
Familiarity with configuration management tooling (Ansible, Puppet, or similar)
Exposure to cloud identity platforms and SSO (Entra ID/Azure AD, Okta, or equivalent)
Exposure to public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Experience with endpoint management platforms (Jamf, Intune, or similar)
Familiarity with specialized Linux distributions such as PetaLinux or OpenBMC

Responsibilities

Serve as first-line support for technical issues in our engineering environments, triaging and resolving networking, server, and connectivity problems
Design, deploy, and harden network infrastructure in lab environments — switching, routing, VLANs, firewalls, and wireless
Administer and maintain Linux servers across our mix of distributions (primarily RHEL/CentOS/Fedora and Ubuntu/Debian)
Administer and maintain Windows-driven lab equipment and computers
Help build lab network and systems toward greater robustness, security, and maintainability — this is a build role, not just a keep-the-lights-on role
Manage identity, access, and authentication systems including RADIUS/802.1X and integration with cloud identity providers
Automate routine administrative tasks through scripting (Bash, Python, or similar)
Maintain clear, accurate documentation of infrastructure topology, configurations, and runbooks
Collaborate with Engineering and IT peers on cross-functional infrastructure projects
Evaluate and recommend tooling and process improvements that raise the bar on reliability and security