Senior IT Systems Eng

Cognichip; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognichip, Inc. is hiring a Senior IT Systems Engineer to run and scale our IT backbone across Toronto, Redwood City, and remote staff. You will partner with security to implement policy and own its execution, maintaining privileged access with discipline.

You will lead Jira administration, AWS IAM, MDM orchestration, and SOC 2 controls while enabling a secure, productive environment for a global team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical IT experience.
• 8+ years hands-on corporate IT experience in systems engineering/administration.
• Hands-on identity and endpoint management with Okta and SSO/SCIM provisioning.
• Strong AWS experience focusing on IAM, IAM Identity Center, and permissions.
• MDM experience on macOS and Windows; remote scripting via MDM.
• Strong Jira/Atlassian administration and ability to code against Jira REST API.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise SaaS upgrades including SSO/SCIM and audit logs.
• Own Jira Service Management and the wider Atlassian suite as admin.
• Automate IT tasks via scripts, Okta workflows, Jira, Slack, and APIs.
• Administer Okta as central identity provider; build SSO and SCIM integrations.
• Administer AWS IAM Identity Center, Organizations, accounts and permission sets.
• Manage macOS, Linux, and Windows fleets via MDM with remote scripting.
• Review security policies with the team and implement them.
• Maintain SOC 2 controls through audits and evidence gathering.
• Handle onboarding and offboarding for new hires across offices and remote.
• Provide IT support and escalation for complex issues; manage assets and vendors.

Skills

Okta/ IdP

AWS IAM

MDM (JumpCloud/Rippling/Intune)

Jira & Atlassian admin

Scripting (Python/Bash/PowerShell)

REST APIs

Networking basics (DNS/DHCP/VPN)

Google Workspace administration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Master's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Okta

AWS IAM Identity Center

JumpCloud

Rippling MDM

Intune

Jira REST API / ScriptRunner

Job description

Role Overview

We are hiring a Senior IT Systems Engineer to run and scale the systems that keep our team productive and secure across our Toronto and Redwood City offices and our remote staff. You will be the right hand to the Head of IT and the day-to-day operational partner to our security engineering team: security writes the policy; you review and challenge it, then own its execution. IT is the single point of access to every system, so you will hold privileged access and be trusted to use it with care.

Job Title

Senior IT Systems Eng

Role Overview

We are hiring a Senior IT Systems Engineer to run and scale the systems that keep our team productive and secure across our Toronto and Redwood City offices and our remote staff. You will be the right hand to the Head of IT and the day-to-day operational partner to our security engineering team: security writes the policy; you review and challenge it, then own its execution. IT is the single point of access to every system, so you will hold privileged access and be trusted to use it with care.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise SaaS Upgrades: Lead the move of our applications to enterprise-grade tiers as we buy or upgrade them: SSO/SCIM, admin roles, audit logs, data controls, and clean cutover plans.
• Jira & Atlassian Administration: Own Jira Service Management and the wider Atlassian suite as admin: workflows, request forms, automation rules, JQL, and scripting against the Jira REST API.
• IT Automation: Automate anything repetitive, by any means that fits: scripts, Okta Workflows, Jira automation, Slack, and API integrations. Example: access requests that flow from a Jira ticket through manager and IT approval to the right Okta group, with no manual steps.
• Identity & Access: Administer Okta as our central identity provider. Build and maintain SSO (SAML/OIDC) and SCIM integrations, using group-based access only, never per-user grants, and clean joiner/mover/leaver lifecycles tied to our HR system.
• AWS Access & Administration: Administer AWS IAM Identity Center, Organizations, accounts, and permission sets, with Okta-driven group access for engineering, DevOps, and MLOps teams.
• Endpoint & MDM: Manage macOS, Linux, and Windows fleets across more than one MDM, including remote scripting and script deployment, zero-touch enrollment, patching, disk encryption, and clean offboarding.
• Security Policy Execution: Review and challenge policies from our security team for practicality, then implement and operate them: MFA baselines, conditional access, and endpoint controls.
• SOC 2 Maintenance: Keep our SOC 2 certification healthy through ongoing audits: access reviews, evidence, and control upkeep.
• Onboarding & Offboarding: Run day-one IT onboarding for new hires (devices, MFA, accounts) and offboarding, in both offices and remotely.
• Network & Zero Trust: Own ZTNA/VPN and first-line network troubleshooting, and work with our in-house network engineer, landlords, and ISPs on office networking.
• IT Support & Escalation: Work the IT ticket queue, resolve complex technical, network, and hardware issues, and guide junior staff and vendors.
• Hardware & Asset Management: Own the full lifecycle of computers and peripherals: purchasing, inventory, assignment, tracking, repair, and retirement, with an accurate, audit-ready asset inventory.
• Workspace & Vendors: Keep conference rooms and A/V reliable, manage hardware vendors, and maintain our software inventory.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of hands-on experience in corporate IT (systems engineering, systems administration, or IT infrastructure). Security-only or cloud-only backgrounds are not enough; we need hands-on identity and endpoint work.
• Okta (or similar IdP) experience, and a clear grasp of authentication versus provisioning: SAML/OIDC SSO, SCIM, and just-in-time provisioning, and when to use each.
• Good hands-on AWS experience, especially IAM, IAM Identity Center, and permission sets.
• Hands-on MDM experience on macOS and Windows (JumpCloud, Rippling MDM, or Intune), including remote scripting through MDM (shell and PowerShell). Linux fleet exposure is a plus.
• Strong Jira and Atlassian administration, including the ability to code against Jira: automation rules, JQL, workflows, and the REST API (ScriptRunner or Forge a plus).
• A track record of moving SaaS applications to enterprise tiers and building IT automations end to end.
• Google Workspace administration.
• Networking fundamentals for troubleshooting: DNS, DHCP, Wi-Fi, and VPN/ZTNA.
• Scripting and automation skills (Python, Bash, or PowerShell) and comfort with REST APIs.
• Experience maintaining SOC 2 (or ISO 27001) controls through audits, and working knowledge of least privilege, MFA, EDR, and patching.
• Strong ownership, solid technical writing (process flows, runbooks, guides), and the confidence to review and challenge security policies before executing them.
• This role requires occasional availability outside business hours, including late nights and weekends, to carry out upgrades and maintenance on mission-critical systems with minimal downtime.

Nice to Have

• Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field.
• Okta Workflows or other low-code automation experience.
• Deep AWS expertise: Organizations, multi-account architecture, and core services (EC2, S3, VPC).
• GCP experience (IAM, organization and project structure), Microsoft Entra ID, and infrastructure-as-code basics.
• Slack Enterprise administration.
• Compliance automation tools (Vanta).
• Meraki or similar cloud-managed networking.
• Conference room A/V and collaboration platform interop (Google Meet, Teams).
• Certifications such as Okta Certified Professional, Atlassian Certified, or CCNA.

What We Offer

• Modern, AI-influenced tooling, nothing legacy. Our stack is cloud-native and security-first (Okta, Slack Enterprise, Atlassian, GitHub, Vanta, zero-trust access), with no on-prem Active Directory, no legacy domain controllers, and no inherited tech debt to untangle. AI is built into how we work, so you’ll use it to automate IT workflows and speed up your own scripting, documentation, and troubleshooting.
• Work at an AI-native company. We build AI agents that design and verify semiconductors. You’ll support a team doing work at the edge of both AI and silicon.
• Be the owner, not a ticket-taker. You report to the Head of IT and shape how identity, endpoint, and access work at a company still building its foundations. Your designs become the standard, not a patch on someone else’s.
• Automation-first IT. We expect you to script, integrate, and eliminate manual steps (Okta Workflows, Jira automation, APIs), not click through admin consoles all day. Time to build is part of the job.
• Learn from a deeply technical engineering org. You’ll work alongside engineers in agentic systems, cloud infrastructure, and EDA, and see how a modern AI company runs.