Automation Engineer

Summary

Headquartered in sunny Los Angeles, GrayMatter Robotics is a well-capitalized AI robotics startup serving the manufacturing industry. We empower shop floor workers with our smart robots that assist with tedious and ergonomically challenging tasks, specifically in automated surface finishing. Our proprietary GMR-AI™ software is integrated with state-of-the-art industrial robots, sensors, and tools to create application-specific turnkey solutions for customers through a Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model.

We help manufacturers improve the quality of life for their workforce while increasing production capacity, and reducing scrap, repair, and rework costs. As our first Automation Engineer, you will join our Full Stack Software team onsite in our Carson, CA office to to help scale and strengthen our IT and infrastructure operations. In this role, you’ll design and implement automation that reduces repetitive manual work, manage cloud and on-prem systems, and ensure our secure environments run reliably. You’ll partner across DevOps, QA, and Customer Success to deliver fast, reliable IT support while building tools and processes that improve efficiency over the long term. This is a high-impact opportunity to shape how automation supports both our internal teams and our customers as we continue to grow.

Role & Responsibilities

As an Automation Engineer, you will…

• Design, build, and maintain internal IT and IT automation systems.

• Create programs to automate repetitive tasks such as data transfers, testing, deployments, and IT workflows (e.g., account provisioning, password resets, software installations, patching).

• Configure and provision computers for customer or internal deployment and develop lightweight automation or internal tools to reduce repetitive manual updates at customer sites.

• Automate cloud resource management (AWS, Azure, GCP) to spin up servers, manage storage, or scale apps automatically.

• Ensure disaster recovery and backup processes run on schedule without manual intervention.

• Configure and maintain specialized systems such as activation machines, license servers, and networked storage solutions (NAS) to support engineering development.

• Set up security automation for patch management, intrusion detection, and access control.

• Enforce cybersecurity and compliance standards (SOC 2, ISO 27001, export controls) by automating policies and audit trails.

• Support government enclave environments (e.g., maintenance, logging review, access management) to ensure continuous compliance.

• Assist with setup of new enclaves by configuring infrastructure, access, and monitoring tools.

• Collaborate with external contractors while retaining ownership of sensitive, time-critical IT tasks that cannot be outsourced.

• Automate monitoring, log collection, and alerting (e.g., Splunk, ELK, Prometheus) to maintain system reliability.

• Continuously measure performance, troubleshoot issues, and fine-tune automation solutions.

• Provide rapid on-site IT support for urgent issues (network configuration, login provisioning, access management) to minimize downtime.

• Serve as the primary IT escalation point, reducing reliance on DevOps, QA, or RSW engineers for routine IT requests.

• Document IT processes and create self-service resources to minimize ad hoc IT interruptions.
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Information Security, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• 3–5 years of hands-on industry experience in IT systems administration, automation engineering, or DevOps.

• Proficiency in Linux and strong understanding of networking fundamentals.

• Familiarity with IT automation/configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Chef, Puppet).

• Experience with containerization technologies (Docker Compose, Kubernetes).

• Scripting ability in at least one language (Python, Shell, or PowerShell).

• Knowledge of system monitoring tools (e.g., Splunk, ELK, Prometheus, or similar).

• Proven ability to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues promptly by asking the right questions.

• Demonstrated ability to identify tasks and workflows that can be automated to improve efficiency.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills; able to provide technical assistance to cross-functional teams and support end users effectively.

• Willingness to work in a fast-paced environment with quickly changing priorities.

• Must secure work authorization in the United States and maintain ongoing work authorization beginning at the time of hire through the entirety of employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with both corporate IT and production environments.

• Knowledge of MDM/RMM tools such as NinjaOne, JAMF, or Kandji for device management.

• Experience automating CI/CD pipelines and supporting developer environments.

• Familiarity with compliance frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, ITAR) and enclave environments.

• Experience setting up and maintaining logging, monitoring, and alerting systems (Splunk, ELK, Prometheus, Grafana).

• Exposure to secure enclave or government-compliance IT environments.

• Strong understanding of cybersecurity best practices and automation for patching, intrusion detection, and access control.

• Experience collaborating with external IT vendors/contractors while maintaining in-house responsibility for sensitive tasks.

• Track record of creating internal documentation and building self-service IT tools for employees.

GrayMatter Robotics 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. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage and embrace applicants of all backgrounds to apply!

GrayMatter Robotics is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you believe you require accommodations during the recruiting process, please contact [email protected] to submit your request.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Compensation for this position includes the base salary range of $120,000 - $140,000 USD plus equity. We also provide comprehensive benefits and perks which include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, unlimited PTO, 401(k) plan + employer match, regular offsite events, a discretionary fund for enhancing productivity and so much more! The range listed on job postings reflect the minimum and maximum new hire salary across levels in Los Angeles, CA.