We are looking for a versatile, hands-on Staff OT/IT Engineer to join our team at our Milpitas site. This is a hands-on autonomous role split between managing shop-floor OT infrastructure and site wide IT infrastructure. You will serve as the primary on-site technical point of contact, ensuring our engineers, technicians, and operations teams have reliable, high-performing secure systems, while also maintaining and scaling the physical network and compute infrastructure that powers our testing and manufacturing operations (Operational Technology / OT).
If you thrive in high-tempo environments, are able to take ownership of unfamiliar tasks and see them through to completion, where no two days are the same, equally comfortable running cables, configuring network switches on the shop floor or or spotting something that doesn’t look right and escalating it to the security team, this is the role for you.
What you'll do:
- OT & Industrial Infrastructure Maintenance: Deploy, monitor, maintain and secure local site server cabinets, industrial network switches, patch panels, cabling, power equipment (UPSs), and edge compute nodes supporting test rigs and manufacturing lines.
- Network & Systems Setup: Perform physical installation and basic configuration of networking gear (switches, access points, edge firewalls) in coordination with central Network and IT Security teams.
- Site Security Champion: Act as the on-site extension of the Cybersecurity team. Including but not limited to; making sure new systems follow secure-by-default standards, serving as the local responder for security events, escorting and overseeing vendor access, and generally raising the security posture of the site.
- Site Tech Asset Management: Maintain accurate asset tracking, hardware inventory, rack elevations, and lifecycle management for all IT/OT endpoints and spare hardware at the Milpitas facility.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with manufacturing engineers, control systems teams, and corporate IT to safely integrate operational technology (OT) networks with core enterprise systems.
- Process & Documentation: Create clear end-user documentation, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and site network layout diagrams.
What we’re looking for:
- Autonomous self-starters who take ownership of a physical site, maintaining high standards for organized cabling, hardware staging, and overall technical workspace presentation.
- A hybrid problem solver who can work face-to-face with stakeholders while staying
deeply connected to core OT/IT infrastructure. - Strong communicators capable of explaining complex technical topics clearly to both non-technical staff and high-level engineering teams.
- Experience: 7+ years in a hands-on technical support, IT systems administration, or site infrastructure engineer role.
- OS Support: Deep familiarity with supporting and troubleshooting Windows, macOS, and basic Linux (Ubuntu/RedHat) environments. Kubernetes experience is a plus.
- Infrastructure & Cabling: Demonstrated hands-on experience racking/stacking servers, patch panel punching, cat6 ethernet cabling, clean cable management, and hardware troubleshooting.
- Infrastructure as Code: Familiarity with Terraform, Ansible and using those patterns to scale out repeatable systems.
- Networking Fundamentals: Strong working knowledge of TCP/IP, VLANs, subnetting, DHCP, DNS, and basic CLI network switch configuration (Fortinet, Ubiquiti, Juniper, or similar).
- Identity & Endpoint Management: Experience with Active Directory, Okta, and modern endpoint management tools.
- Physical Presence & On-Site Capability: Ability to work 100% on-site in Milpitas, CA, lift up to 50 lbs of hardware, and work safely around laboratory or light industrial equipment.
Bonus points for:
- Kubernetes and Cloud (AWS) experience
- On-prem virtualization with vCenter and Proxmox
- Database fundamentals around Postgres and Timescale
- Comfort using AI tooling and a keen ability to discern hallucinations
- An old school sysadmin who has transitioned to an SRE that lives by the devops mindset
- Someone who loves clear documentation and knows what a PLC and the purdue models are
Must-have Requirements:
- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally
- Perform activities such as stooping, climbing, standing, sitting for extended periods of time
- Willingness to travel or work required nights/weekends/on-call occasionally
- Dedication to safety to mitigate industrial hazards that may include heat, cold, noise, fumes, strong magnets, lead (Pb), high voltage, high current, pressure systems, and cryogenics
Skills Required
- 7+ years of experience in hands-on technical support, IT systems administration, or site infrastructure engineering
- Experience supporting and troubleshooting Windows, macOS, and basic Linux environments, including Ubuntu or Red Hat
- Hands-on experience racking and stacking servers, punching patch panels, installing Cat6 Ethernet cabling, managing cables, and troubleshooting hardware
- Familiarity with Terraform and Ansible infrastructure-as-code practices
- Strong knowledge of TCP/IP, VLANs, subnetting, DHCP, DNS, and basic network switch CLI configuration
- Experience with network equipment such as Fortinet, Ubiquiti, Juniper, or similar platforms
- Experience with Active Directory, Okta, and modern endpoint management tools
- Ability to work 100% on-site in Milpitas, California
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds of hardware and perform stooping, climbing, standing, and extended sitting
- Ability and willingness to work safely around laboratory or light industrial equipment and related hazards
- Willingness to travel or work occasional nights, weekends, and on-call shifts
- Kubernetes and AWS experience
- On-premises virtualization experience with vCenter and Proxmox
- Database fundamentals involving PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB
- Experience with AI tooling and evaluating AI-generated information for hallucinations
- Knowledge of PLCs and Purdue models
Commonwealth Fusion Systems Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Commonwealth Fusion Systems and has not been reviewed or approved by Commonwealth Fusion Systems.
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Healthcare Strength — Health insurance is a core part of the package, with broad medical coverage presented as competitive for a growing tech and engineering employer. This is consistently listed alongside other cornerstone benefits.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) program with employer match is prominently included in compensation descriptions, signaling support for long-term savings. This appears across roles, including technical and production postings.
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Parental & Family Support — Generous parental leave is cited as a notable element of the offering. It sits alongside paid leave options that many candidates prioritize.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems Insights
What We Do
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has the fastest, lowest cost path to commercial fusion energy. CFS is collaborating with MIT to leverage decades of research combined with new groundbreaking high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet technology. HTS magnets will enable compact fusion power plants that can be constructed faster and at lower cost. CFS is now building SPARC, the world's first commercially relevant, net energy fusion demonstration device. SPARC will pave the way for the first fusion power plant, ARC, that will produce power on the grid. The ultimate mission is to deploy fusion power plants to meet global decarbonization goals as fast as possible. CFS has assembled a team of leaders in tough tech, fusion science, and manufacturing with a track record of rapid execution. Supported by the world’s leading investors, CFS is uniquely positioned to deliver limitless, clean, fusion power to combat climate change. If you are interested in joining our team, check out cfs.energy/careers for more information.
