Technical Operations Associate

About Alpha Origin

Alpha Origin is a profitable, bootstrapped operational engineering firm. We help operators find where their systems are vulnerable to compromise or failure, then engineer and test the fixes. AO works across AI and hyperscale data centers, telecom, utilities and energy, financial services, and other critical infrastructure. The AI infrastructure buildout is raising the complexity and consequence of failure across compute, power, and connectivity. AO was founded by Special Operations, intelligence community, and national laboratory engineers. The broader team includes former consultants, infrastructure operators, and investment professionals. The Role

You'll care for AO's hardware and field equipment, coordinate orders and deployments, maintain records engineers and clients rely on, and install and verify systems alongside senior engineers. Starting with dependable hands-on execution, your scope can grow as you learn our systems and earn trust: staging, hardware and network troubleshooting, lab work, deployment planning, and bounded technical projects with engineering. What You'll Do

Inventory Tracking

Own complete, accurate IT hardware, network gear, and field equipment inventory across all locations and engagements. Record intake, assignment, transfers, and disposition in the inventory system of record; tag and label equipment; track serial numbers, warranties, and lifecycle stage.

Perform periodic physical audits and reconcile recorded and on-hand inventory.

Compliance Tracking

Track assets against applicable compliance requirements, including chain of custody, licensing, warranties, and contractual obligations. Maintain documentation for internal and client audits; support reporting and evidence packages for engineering or leadership.

Flag and escalate noncompliant assets or configurations and track remediation to closure.

Technical Deployments

Deploy IT and network systems at client and company facilities. Rack and stack servers, switches, and appliances, including cabling, labeling, and power/cooling checks.

Perform basic hardware installation, configuration handoff, and post-install verification with engineering. Follow deployment checklists and data center and field safety procedures.

Technical Ordering

Source and order IT systems, network gear, and equipment for projects and operations. Compare vendor quotes and specifications against technical requirements and budget.

Track purchase orders, shipments, and lead times; coordinate delivery to the correct site; maintain vendor and pricing records for procurement.

Systems & Process Improvement

Find bottlenecks, dropped handoffs, and recurring manual work across tracking, compliance, deployment, and ordering; replace them with better processes, tools, or automations.

Use AI tools and agents for research, documentation, and reporting, and help AO redesign technical operations around them.

The Person

You've worked with real hardware in IT, a data center, a lab, the military, or a similarly hands-on setting. You're comfortable with spreadsheets, ticketing systems, and data center work; careful with details; curious; and dependable. Required

Demonstrated hands-on experience with servers, network gear, or other IT hardware, through work, military service, a lab, school, or serious personal projects.

Working knowledge of common server, network, and rack hardware, and basic data center best practices.

Experience using an inventory, asset management, or ticketing system.

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, especially in tracking and documentation.

Ability to lift and move IT equipment (up to 50 lbs) and work on a data center floor for extended periods.

Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in a scientific or technical field.

Based in the DC/Arlington area, with your own car or reliable access to transportation for moving equipment between Arlington facilities and data centers in Ashburn, Virginia.

Preferred

Linux systems experience (installation, administration, or troubleshooting).

Networking background, including familiarity with switches, routers, VLANs, and basic network troubleshooting.

Experience supporting compliance or audit-related asset tracking.

Familiarity with structured cabling, power distribution, and cooling considerations in data center racking.

Prior procurement or purchasing experience for IT hardware.

Exposure to security-cleared or otherwise access-controlled environments.

You do not need to check every preferred box. Reliability, curiosity, learning speed, and follow-through matter more. The Environment

AO is small and high-trust. People work directly with senior leaders and clients, own outcomes, and earn a broader scope quickly. There are few layers and little distance between decision and execution. Working Conditions

This role requires regular on-site work in Arlington, Virginia, and at data centers in Ashburn, Virginia, including work in variable temperatures, noise, and raised-floor and cage environments. Occasional travel to client sites for deployments is required. Some after-hours or scheduled maintenance-window work may be necessary to support deployment timelines. Compensation + Benefits

$80,000–$90,000 base salary, depending on experience. We'll flex title and compensation for a more senior candidate. Profit sharing from day one. Participation in long-term company upside. Excellent healthcare and other benefits. Unlimited PTO. We’ll invest in your continued technical training and professional development. We reimburse mileage and tolls for work-related travel between sites.