IT Systems Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

About METR

We are a nonprofit research organization that develops scientific methods to assess AI capabilities, risks, and mitigations, with a specific focus on threats related to AI R&D automation and misalignment.

We believe it is robustly good for policymakers and civil society to have a clear understanding of risks from AI systems, and we are extremely excited to build a team of ambitious, excellent people to tackle one of the most important challenges of our time.

Overview

We're looking for a skilled IT Systems Engineer to own and optimize our technical operations and user support processes. In this role, you'll be instrumental in maintaining our systems, improving our internal processes, and ensuring smooth operations for our technical teams. It is a great fit for anyone who enjoys creating efficient systems, clearing roadblocks from users, and working in a dynamic, technical environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage user access and permissions across multiple platforms (Okta, Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub, Tailscale, AWS), including integration of SCIM/SSO via Okta

• Manage physical IT inventory (macbooks), MDM (iru)

• Oversee and optimize SaaS platforms, including user administration, cost management, and integration improvements

• Streamline new hire onboarding and provisioning processes

• Serve as the primary point of contact for technical support, building playbooks to resolve common issues, and escalating to other internal teams or external support where needed.

• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation for systems, processes, and troubleshooting procedures

• Own and enhance IT security infrastructure, including monitoring and periodic audits.

Required Skills

• Proven experience in systems administration, with strong knowledge of user administration on Linux systems (user creation, SSH access, etc.)

• Experience managing and integrating various SaaS platforms and identity management systems

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to design efficient processes and workflows in collaboration with users

• Excellent communication skills and ability to support technical users effectively

• Experience with Linux server administration: software updates, network troubleshooting, etc.

• Knowledge of IT security monitoring best practices

• Demonstrated expertise with AWS services, especially IAM and simple EC2 use cases

Nice to haves

• Background in process automation and integration between different platforms

• Experience supporting development teams and understanding their unique needs

• Experience implementing SOC-2

• Experience with other AWS services such as RDS, S3, and more complex VPC topologies

• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools and practices

• Deep understanding of model provider platforms, models, access controls (e.g. Claude Platform administration)

Our culture

METR is a mission-driven organization. We believe our work can meaningfully shape humanity's future for the better, and we want to be the best people in the world doing this work. We have a tight-knit, collaborative research culture rooted in truth-seeking and integrity. We're fiercely committed to producing high-quality, trustworthy science. We're honest and transparent about our results, especially when they may go against the grain. We've earned trust as reliable partners who handle confidential information with care. We maintain a low-ego, drama-free environment focused on what matters.

Compensation & Benefits

METR also has a host of benefits:

• Retirement: 401(k) with a 100% match up to 8% of salary
• Life Insurance: Employer-paid basic life insurance at 1x salary
• Time-off and leave: Unlimited PTO and 21-week parental leave for new parents
• The office: Catered lunch and dinner daily; in-office gym and shower
• Health:
  • Medical, dental and vision coverage with 99% employee premiums paid
  • Employer funded HRA for out-of-pocket health costs
  • Fertility benefits through Carrot
• Additional stipends:
  • Relocation: for moving to the Bay Area
  • Wellness: for gym memberships, equipment, therapy, medication, and other wellness expenses⁠
  • Commuter: Monthly transit/parking stipend and an annual Uber budget
  • Professional development: for training, courses, conferences, and AI safety education⁠
  • Work equipment: for home office and workstation equipment⁠ expenses
  • Management coaching for managers

Hybrid Requirements: Our technical team members are in our office in Berkeley 3-5 days/week. Please let us know in your application if this is a constraint. If you lack US work authorization and would like to work in-person (strongly preferred), we can likely sponsor a cap-exempt H-1B visa for this role.

We encourage you to apply even if your background may not seem like the perfect fit! We would rather review a larger pool of applications than risk missing out on a promising candidate for the position.

We are committed to diversity and equal opportunity in all aspects of our hiring process. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We welcome and encourage all qualified candidates to apply for our open positions.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.