IT Systems Engineer

Scale AI; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 149,000 - 186,000; Full time

Job summary

Scale AI seeks a foundational IT Systems Engineer for its Public Sector IT team in Washington, DC. You will design, build, and operate secure, scalable infrastructure with a zero-trust mindset, focusing on identity, access management, and a broad SaaS stack.

You’ll automate joiner/mover/leaver processes and ensure audit-ready configurations. The role emphasizes compliance with FedRAMP High, IL6, and CMMC 2.0, with strong documentation and cross-team collaboration.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of IT systems, infrastructure, and/or engineering experience.
• Experience with integrating with SaaS APIs and SDKs.
• Experience with Okta or similar identity management systems (SAML, OIDC, SCIM).
• Scripting experience with Python, PowerShell, and/or Bash.

Responsibilities

• Assist with administration of core tech stack (Okta, GCC High, Opal, Slack, Jamf, Jira).
• Provide escalated support to IT Services and Support teams.
• Partner with Security/Compliance on audit artifacts (SSP, POA&Ms, NIST 800-53/171, CMMC 2.0).
• Create and update internal IT documentation for Scale employees.
• Design and maintain Zero-Trust controls across GCC High/Azure Gov and Okta.
• Build Okta Workflows and lightweight services to automate joiner/mover/leaver events.
• Own change management for IT systems in regulated environments (CAB, rollback plans, validation evidence).

Skills

IAM

Zero-trust security

Automation

Documentation

SaaS administration

Tools

Okta

GCC High

Azure Gov

Opal

Slack

Jamf

Jira

Job description

The Role:

Scale AI is hiring a highly skilled foundational IT Systems Engineer for our Public Sector IT team to design, build, and operate secure, scalable infrastructure that empowers employees to do their best work. You’ll join a creative, fast-moving, solutions-oriented group that architects and implements automation across identity and access management, endpoint management, and our broader SaaS stack. Leveraging Okta Workflows, GCC High/Azure Gov, and your familiarity with federal frameworks (FedRAMP High, IL6, CMMC), you’ll deliver robust, audit-ready systems that meet stringent compliance requirements. The ideal candidate pairs deep IAM best practices and hands‑on SaaS administration with a zero‑trust mindset, clear documentation, and a genuine drive to make people happy - while protecting system integrity in a fast‑paced, high‑security environment.

You will:

• Assist with the administration of our tech stack with platforms such as Okta, GCC High, Opal, Slack, Jamf, Jira, and many more
• Provide escalated assistance to the IT Services and Support team
• Partner with Security/Compliance on audit artifacts (SSP updates, POA&Ms, control mappings to NIST 800-53/171, CMMC 2.0).
• Create and update technology documentation for internal IT teams and Scale employees
• Design and maintain Zero-Trust controls (device posture, network segmentation, Conditional Access) across GCC High/Azure Gov and Okta.
• Build Okta Workflows and lightweight services (webhooks/queues) to automate joiner-mover-leaver events, access reviews, and deprovisioning.
• Own change management for IT systems in regulated environments (CAB records, rollback plans, validation evidence).

Ideally you’d have:

• 5+ years of IT systems, infrastructure, and/or engineering experience
• Experience with integrating with SaaS APIs and SDKs
• Experience with leveraging Okta or similar identity management systems for authentication and provisioning methods such as SAML, OIDC, and SCIM
• Scripting experience with Python, Powershell, and/or bash
• Experience working within SCIFs
• Familiarity with IL6 / FedRAMP High / CMMC 2.0 control families and how they translate to concrete IT configs

Nice to haves:

• IT Security and Compliance focused mindset
• Familiarity with Infrastructure-as-Code for identity/MDM configs (e.g., Terraform providers for Okta/Jamf/Azure)
• Possession of an active Secret or TS/SCI clearance

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

The base salary range for this full‑time position in the location of Washington DC is:

$148,800-$186,000 USD

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90‑day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

About Us:

At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world’s most important decisions. Our products provide the high‑quality data and full‑stack technologies that power the world’s leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail]. Please see the United States Department of Labor’s Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor’s Pay Transparency provision_._

PLEASE NOTE: We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.