Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond.
We operate at the cutting edge of embodied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.
JOB SUMMARY
As Apptronik continues to scale its humanoid robotics platform, we are seeking an experienced IT Systems Administrator to own the day-to-day operation of our on-premise Linux infrastructure in Austin, TX. This role is responsible for the health, security, and reliability of the physical servers, storage, networking, and compute environments that engineering teams rely on to design, simulate, train, and validate our robots. You will administer Linux fleets at scale, harden and automate the environment with configuration management and scripting, and partner closely with robotics, ML, and infrastructure engineering teams to keep our build, lab, and data center systems running. The ideal candidate brings deep hands-on Linux expertise, a strong operational mindset, and the ability to balance reliability, security, and velocity in a fast-moving robotics R&D environment.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Administer and maintain a fleet of on-premise Linux servers (Ubuntu, RHEL/Rocky/Alma, Debian) supporting engineering, simulation, training, and lab workloads
- Own server lifecycle management end-to-end: racking, provisioning, imaging, patching, decommissioning, and hardware refresh planning
- Operate and tune on-prem virtualization and container platforms (VMware vSphere, Proxmox, KVM/libvirt, and Docker/Kubernetes on bare metal) for internal workloads
- Design, deploy, and maintain on-premise networking — switches, VLANs, routing, DNS, DHCP, NTP, and firewall rules — in partnership with the network team
- Manage on-prem storage systems including NFS, SMB/CIFS, iSCSI, and SAN/NAS arrays, along with the associated snapshot, replication, and backup strategies
- Implement configuration management and infrastructure-as-code using Ansible (preferred), Puppet, Chef, or Salt to ensure consistent, auditable system state across the fleet
- Operate monitoring, logging, and alerting stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, Loki/ELK, Zabbix, or Nagios) and respond to incidents with strong root-cause analysis
- Harden Linux systems and apply security best practices: least-privilege access, SSH key management, SELinux/AppArmor, kernel and package patching, CIS benchmarks
- Administer identity and access for on-prem systems via LDAP, FreeIPA, Kerberos, SSSD, and integration with the corporate identity provider
- Author and maintain automation scripts (Bash, Python) for provisioning, reporting, log analysis, and routine operational tasks
- Plan, test, and document backup and disaster recovery procedures for critical on-prem services; participate in regular restore drills
- Maintain accurate documentation, runbooks, and architecture diagrams for all administered systems; participate in an on-call rotation for production-impacting issues
SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS
- 4+ years of hands-on Linux systems administration experience in production environments, with primary expertise on Ubuntu and/or RHEL family distributions
- Strong working knowledge of on-premise infrastructure: racking and cabling, BIOS/firmware, IPMI/iDRAC/iLO, PXE boot, and hardware troubleshooting
- Solid experience with on-prem virtualization platforms such as VMware vSphere/ESXi, Proxmox, or KVM/libvirt
- Proficient with configuration management tooling (Ansible preferred; Puppet, Chef, or Salt acceptable) and comfortable applying it to a non-trivial fleet
- Deep familiarity with Linux networking and core network services: DNS (BIND/Unbound), DHCP, NTP/Chrony, TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, and firewalling with iptables/nftables/firewalld
- Experience administering on-prem storage and filesystems: NFS, SMB/CIFS, LVM, ZFS or ext4/XFS, RAID, and SAN/NAS arrays
- Strong scripting skills in Bash and Python for automation, monitoring, and operational tooling
- Working knowledge of Linux security fundamentals: SSH hardening, sudo policy, SELinux/AppArmor, file integrity monitoring, vulnerability and patch management
- Experience operating monitoring and observability stacks (Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, Nagios, ELK/Loki) and using them to drive availability and capacity decisions
- Familiarity with backup and DR tooling for on-prem environments (e.g., Bacula, BorgBackup, Veeam, rsync-based pipelines, or commercial equivalents)
- Excellent troubleshooting and incident-response skills, with the discipline to write up clear post-incident analyses
- Strong written and verbal communication; able to work cross-functionally with robotics, ML, and infrastructure engineering teams
- NICE TO HAVE
- Experience supporting compute clusters, GPU fleets, or build farms for ML, simulation, or CI workloads
- Hands-on experience with Kubernetes on bare metal (kubeadm, k3s, RKE2, or similar)
- Exposure to robotics, hardware engineering, or manufacturing IT environments
- Red Hat (RHCSA/RHCE), LFCS/LFCE, or comparable Linux certifications
- Experience integrating on-prem Linux systems with cloud environments (GCP, AWS, or Azure) for hybrid workflows
- Exposure to ISO 27001, SOC 2, or other compliance frameworks as they apply to IT infrastructure
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE
- 4+ years of relevant Linux systems administration experience required; Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field preferred
- Relevant Linux certifications (RHCSA, RHCE, LFCS, LFCE) are strongly preferred
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Frequent on-site work in the server room and lab, including racking, cabling, and hands-on hardware tasks
- Must be able to lift up to 40 pounds (server and networking equipment) at times
- Vision to read printed materials, equipment labels, and a computer screen
- Hearing and speech to communicate, including in noisy data center / lab environments
*This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.
Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Skills Required
- 4+ years of hands-on Linux systems administration experience in production environments
- Strong working knowledge of on-premise infrastructure
- Experience with on-prem virtualization platforms
- Proficient with configuration management tooling
- Familiarity with Linux networking and core network services
- Experience administering on-prem storage and filesystems
- Strong scripting skills in Bash and Python
- Working knowledge of Linux security fundamentals
- Excellent troubleshooting and incident-response skills
Apptronik Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Medical insurance through UnitedHealthcare includes multiple plan types with an employer-paid portion, alongside life and disability coverage. These core health benefits are presented as comprehensive for a fast-growing startup.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Company equity is explicitly included in total rewards, with performance bonuses and relocation assistance also listed. This ownership component adds longer-term upside beyond base pay.
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Parental & Family Support — Generous parental leave, family medical leave, and an onsite mother’s room are highlighted. These provisions indicate tangible support for caregiving needs.
Apptronik Insights
What We Do
Apptronik is building robots for the real world to improve human quality of life and to help solve the ever-increasing labor shortage problem. Our team has been building some of the most advanced robots on the planet for years, dating back to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. We apply our expertise across the full robotics stack to some of the most important and impactful problems our society faces, and expect our products and technology to change the world for the better. We value passion, creativity, and collaboration to help us overcome existing technological barriers in the industry to create truly innovative products.
Why Work With Us
At Apptronik, we don't see a future where man competes against machine. Instead, we envision a harmonious world where man and machine coexist. Our mission statement, "It is not Man vs. Machine, but Man + Machine," encapsulates our belief that the synergy between humans and robots will pave the way for a brighter, more advanced future.
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Apptronik Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
