IT Operations Engineer

emeraldcloudlab; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Emerald Cloud Lab is seeking a Senior IT Support Engineer to be the primary IT contact for our Austin laboratory facility. This includes maintaining the lab's IT infrastructure and providing technical support across Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.

Ideal candidates have over 4 years in IT support, excellent communication skills, and experience with Windows Server, Microsoft 365, and networking fundamentals. This role is crucial for ensuring the lab operates efficiently 24/7.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in IT support or desktop engineering role.
• Strong knowledge of Windows Server administration and networking.
• Experience with Microsoft 365 administration and endpoint management.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior IT support resource for the Austin site.
• Maintain uptime and reliability of lab infrastructure.
• Provide direct technical support to end users across various platforms.

Skills

Windows Server administration

Technical support across Windows, Mac, and Linux

Networking fundamentals

Microsoft Intune management

End-user communications

Tools

Microsoft 365

Entra ID (Azure AD)

Remote management tools

Job description

Emerald Cloud Lab (ECL) is the world's leading remote life sciences laboratory, allowing scientists to run experiments 24/7/365, from anywhere in the world, revolutionizing the approach to lab work for research, product development and QC testing. The entire lab is driven through a single software interface, forming one continuous workflow from test design to execution in the lab and analysis of resulting data. Scientific methods are translated into code, then executed in our state‑of‑the‑art laboratory. With ECL handling the manual completion of experiments, scientists can spend more time on the science—designing experiments and interpreting results.

We are looking for a hands‑on Senior IT Support Engineer to serve as the primary IT point of contact for our Austin laboratory facility. This role is equal parts technical support and site ownership: you’ll be the person our team turns to when something isn’t working, and the person responsible for keeping the Austin site’s IT environment running at the level a 24/7 production lab demands.

Our Austin facility operates around the clock with scientific instrumentation, service computers, and end‑user workstations that all need to stay online. You’ll own the day‑to‑day IT experience for on‑site staff and remote users who depend on Austin infrastructure, while also serving as a senior technical resource who elevates the quality and speed of support across the team.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior IT support resource for the Austin site, owning ticket queue triage, resolution, and escalation for all site‑related requests
• Provide direct, responsive technical support to end users across Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, including executive‑level stakeholders and visiting clients
• Maintain uptime and reliability of lab infrastructure, including instrument PCs, service computers, virtual machines, and networked lab equipment in a 24/7 production environment
• Administer and maintain on‑premises Windows Server infrastructure, including Active Directory, Group Policy Objects, DHCP, and DNS
• Manage Microsoft 365 and Entra ID environments, including user lifecycle management, conditional access policies, and hybrid identity configuration
• Deploy and manage endpoints via Microsoft Intune, including compliance policies, application deployment, and device enrollment
• Perform hands‑on hardware troubleshooting, repair, and replacement for workstations, instrument PCs, printers, peripherals, and AV/conference room systems
• Manage on‑site network connectivity, troubleshooting IP, DHCP, DNS, and wireless issues as they arise and coordinating with the broader IT team on infrastructure changes
• Coordinate with scientific operations, lab development, and instrumentation teams to ensure IT readiness for new instrument deployments, bench configurations, and facility changes
• Own on‑site vendor relationships for Austin‑specific IT services, deliveries, and facility‑related technology
• Drive documentation of site‑specific procedures, known issues, and resolution playbooks to improve team response times
• Mentor junior IT staff and help establish consistent support standards across sites
• Participate in change management for infrastructure upgrades, including scheduled maintenance windows and rollout coordination with lab operations

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in a hands‑on IT support or desktop engineering role, preferably in a lab, manufacturing, or other operationally intensive environment
• Strong knowledge of Windows Server administration, including Active Directory, Group Policy, DHCP, and DNS in an on‑premises domain environment
• Experience with Microsoft 365 administration and Entra ID (Azure AD), including hybrid identity, conditional access, and user/group management
• Experience with Microsoft Intune or similar endpoint management platform for device enrollment, compliance, and application deployment
• Working knowledge of macOS and Linux in a mixed‑OS environment
• Experience supporting networked equipment in a production or lab setting — not just office desktops
• Familiarity with networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, VLANs, VPN, and wireless troubleshooting
• Experience with remote management tools (VNC, RDP, KVM‑over‑IP) for managing headless or remote systems
• Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 administration experience
• Track record of high‑volume ticket resolution with strong prioritization instincts
• Comfortable working independently on‑site as the primary IT presence, with the judgment to elevate appropriately
• Excellent communication skills, especially translating technical issues for non‑technical staff and leadership
• MDM experience beyond Intune (JAMF, Kandji, or similar) is a plus
• Experience in regulated or compliance‑driven environments (ISO, SOC2) is a plus

This is a facility‑based role supporting a 24/7 laboratory operation.