Principal Systems Engineer

ABOUT SLATE

At Slate, we're building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love-and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Slate is looking for a dependable, detail-oriented, and hands-on Systems Manager to join our growing IT team. The Systems Manager will be responsible for leading the implementation, support, and optimization of enterprise systems and cloud platforms across Slate’s environments, including manufacturing plants and corporate operations. This role will act as the primary technical escalation point for complex system issues while guiding and mentoring systems engineers to ensure consistent and reliable service delivery. The ideal candidate will bring strong experience across cloud and enterprise platforms, a solid understanding of identity and endpoint management, and the ability to lead technical execution in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

At Slate, we are committed to providing our employees and candidates with access to information about our compensation practices. The expected base salary range offered for this role is $123,000-$154,000. Compensation may vary based on relevant experience, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location. (Warsaw, IN)

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead day-to-day operations of enterprise systems and cloud platforms.
• Support system deployments, upgrades, and integrations across environments.
• Provide escalation support for complex system and platform issues.
• Mentor and guide systems engineers to ensure consistency and quality.
• Ensure consistency in configurations, documentation, and system standards.
• Support monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance optimization.
• Partner with Network and IT Services teams to ensure end-to-end service delivery.
• Support after-hours escalation as needed for critical systems and operations.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor’s degree in information technology, Computer Science, or related field preferred.

Experience: 5-8 years of experience in systems engineering or infrastructure roles. Experience supporting enterprise environments preferred. Prior experience leading projects or guiding engineers is a plus.

Technical Skills:

• Strong experience with Microsoft 365, Azure, and identity platforms (Entra ID).
• Familiarity with endpoint management tools (Intune or similar).
• Understanding of system integrations across enterprise platforms.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex system issues across environments.
• 8+ years of hands-on experience administering RHEL-family Linux distributions (RHEL, Rocky, CentOS) in a production environment.
• Strong working knowledge of Docker – building images, managing containers, troubleshooting networking, and working with compose and registries.
• Demonstrated experience writing and maintaining Ansible playbooks, roles, and inventories for infrastructure automation.
• Experience deploying and administering Zabbix (or a comparable enterprise monitoring platform such as Nagios, LibreNMS, or Prometheus/Grafana), including custom template development and alert tuning.
• Experience with AWS infrastructure – specifically EC2 instance management (provisioning, security groups, AMIs) and RDS administration (deployment, backups, parameter tuning).
• Solid understanding of Linux networking (iptables/nftables, VLANs, bonding/teaming, DNS, NTP) and storage (LVM, ZFS, NFS).
• Comfort working in the terminal – scripting in Bash is second nature.
• Familiarity with hardware lifecycle management: racking servers, managing UPS/PDU infrastructure, cabling, and labeling.
• Strong troubleshooting methodology and the ability to work independently through ambiguous problems.
• Experience with Kubernetes (K8s) – cluster deployment, pod management, Helm charts, or managed K8s services.
• Exposure to PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) environments and industrial/OT networking concepts.
• Experience with Inductive Automation’s Ignition platform (gateway administration, module management, or tag/scripting work).
• Experience with virtualization platforms such as Proxmox, VMware, or Hyper-V, Kubernates.
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools beyond Ansible (Terraform, Packer).
• Relevant certifications (RHCSA/RHCE, AWS Solutions Architect/SysOps, CKA, Docker DCA, CompTIA Linux+).
• Certifications (Preferred): Microsoft certifications (AZ-104, MS-102, or equivalent).

Soft Skills: Ability to design and implement a cloud and on-premises infrastructure. Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Good communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development in an innovative automotive environment.
• Work in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team at the forefront of automotive technology.
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and tooling.
• Paid training and certification support for continued professional development.

WHY JOIN TEAM SLATE?

At Slate, we're fueled by grit, determination, and attention to detail. The start-up spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness move our business forward. Team Slate fosters a culture of excellence, innovation, and mutual respect, and is motivated by shared principles.

• Safety First
• Delight Customers
• One Team
• Relentless Improvement
• Fast, Frugal, and Scrappy
• Respectful Collaboration
• Positive Legacy

WE WANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT REFLECT THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE OPERATE.

Slate is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, organizational level, work styles, tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason. Slate is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at View email address on click.appcast.io.

ABOUT US

At Slate, we've got one job: building a vehicle you'll fall in love with, right here in the USA. We believe that car buyers—not car companies—should call the shots. We like looking at a road, not a screen. We don't like paying for stuff we don't need. We like picking out the stuff we do need. We think dings are badges, not blemishes. But we know not everyone likes what we like. So, we built you a Slate: you make it yours.