IT Systems & Automation Lead

Who we are: Formic is on a mission to reshape American manufacturing by making automation accessible to every factory. As labor constraints rise, costs increase, and global competition intensifies, automation is no longer optional for manufacturers that want to stay competitive. We deliver automation through a Robotics-as-a-Service model that combines industrial robotics, proprietary software, and full-service support into a single, integrated solution. By removing the traditional barriers of cost, complexity, and risk, we enable manufacturers to deploy automation quickly and realize measurable gains in throughput, safety, and operational efficiency without large upfront capital investment. Backed by leading investors including Lux Capital, Initialized Capital, Blackhorn Ventures, and Mitsubishi HC Capital North America, Formic is scaling rapidly and building the foundation for a new era of high-performance, Made in America production. About the Role This is a hands-on role with a broad mandate. You’ll own the day-to-day technology experience for Formicans: computers, accounts, applications, permissions, onboarding and offboarding, endpoint management, IT support, office technology, and our relationships with our outside IT partner. You'll also be the onsite technology owner for our Bolingbrook office and warehouse. If the Wi-Fi is down, someone's badge doesn't work, a conference room isn't connecting, the TV needs to be ready for All Hands, or a new hire needs a laptop, you're the person who makes sure it gets handled. You aren't expected to personally pull every cable or install every camera; you are expected to own the outcome. We care more about capability, curiosity, and trajectory than a perfectly linear resume. You'll likely have 3 to 7 years of experience in IT operations, systems administration, technical support, security operations, or another hands-on technology environment. You don't need to be an expert in everything we do or use technically upon hire, although you will become one over time. You don't need to know every system we use today. We'd rather hire someone with strong fundamentals and an exceptional ability to learn. You do need to be highly capable at using AI to extend what you can do, resourceful enough to figure out problems you haven't encountered before, and accountable for seeing things through to resolution. Most importantly, we want someone who is genuinely excited about technology and AI and constantly asks: Why are we doing this manually? Can I automate it? Can I make this better? This is a meaningful part of the job, not a side project. We mean more than using ChatGPT to write emails. We want someone excited about connecting AI to actual systems and workflows. Most importantly, technology becomes something the company rarely has to think about because it simply works. What You’ll Do Own Employee IT Be the internal owner for day-to-day IT support and troubleshoot issues across Mac and Windows devices, applications, accounts, authentication, peripherals, and connectivity. Own employee onboarding and offboarding, including computers, accounts, applications, permissions, physical access, equipment recovery, and secure access removal. Administer our device fleet, including MDM/RMM, patching, encryption, endpoint protection, software deployment, remote management, and remote lock/wipe. Maintain an accurate hardware inventory and manage purchasing, receiving, configuration, repairs, replacements, shipping, returns, and lifecycle planning. Administer systems such as Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, 1Password, Microsoft 365, Apple Business Manager, VPN, and other SaaS applications. Manage accounts, groups, permissions, licenses, MFA, SSO, and application access. Maintain useful documentation of our systems, configurations, processes, vendors, and administrative access. Own Our Office Technology You'll own the technology layer of our Bolingbrook office and warehouse and coordinate support for Oakland, as well. Own internet, Wi-Fi, networking, conference rooms, TVs and displays, AV equipment, printers, shared devices, and other workplace technology. Own door and badge access, security cameras, and other physical-security technology, partnering with People, Facilities, and outside specialists where needed. Make sure conference rooms and shared technology are ready to use, including setting up and testing AV, TVs, cameras, microphones, and presentations for All Hands, customer visits, investor meetings, and company events. Troubleshoot onsite issues and coordinate ISPs, network engineers, low-voltage contractors, security vendors, and other specialists when needed. Support office moves, expansions, installations, and other technology projects. Keep IT and office equipment, spares, cables, adapters, network closets, and technology storage organized and ready to use. Automate Relentlessly Use AI as a force multiplier in your own work and actively experiment with new tools. Find repetitive work across IT and Formic that can be eliminated, simplified, or automated. Build workflows using AI agents, APIs, scripts, integrations, and automation platforms. Automate provisioning, onboarding, offboarding, support, inventory, documentation, reporting, and other repetitive processes wherever practical. Build lightweight internal tools when buying another piece of software isn't the best answer. Help Formic identify and adopt technology that makes us faster and more effective. Own Security Operations & Our IT Partners Be Formic's internal owner for our managed IT and security relationships. Partner with outside specialists on endpoint security, EDR/MDR, networking, vulnerability management, monitoring, and incident response. Maintain strong coverage for MFA, encryption, patching, endpoint protection, device management, and other baseline security controls. Support SOC 2 and other compliance work through documentation, controls, system inventories, and evidence. Know when to solve something yourself and when to escalate to a specialist. Hold vendors accountable for responsiveness, quality, timelines, and outcomes. Make sure Formic owns its credentials, documentation, systems, and technology decisions rather than relying on a vendor to understand our environment. Ensure our partners are a technical bench, not a substitute for internal ownership. What makes you a great fit: Are deeply curious about technology and learn new systems quickly. Are already a heavy user of modern AI tools and actively experiment with them. Have hands-on experience with Mac and Windows environments, endpoint management, identity/access, SaaS administration, and basic networking. Can automate work using some combination of scripting, APIs, AI agents, integrations, or low-code/no-code tools. Are willing to work with physical equipment and troubleshoot problems onsite. Know how to research and solve something you haven't encountered before. Are organized, responsive, and unusually good at following things through to completion. Notice problems before someone has to assign them to you. Care about the employee experience and understand that internal IT is ultimately a service function. Want more ownership and responsibility than your years of experience might normally give you. Bonus Points: You've worked in a startup or physical operating environment; administered Google Workspace, MDM/RMM, EDR, or identity systems; supported SOC 2; managed an MSP; worked with office networking or physical-security systems; or built scripts, bots, internal tools, integrations, or AI agents because you got tired of doing something manually. You have a home lab, side project, GitHub repo, Raspberry Pi graveyard, overly complicated Home Assistant setup, or other evidence that you genuinely enjoy messing with technology also counts. We don't require a particular degree, certification, or traditional career path. What Success Looks Like: Within your first year: New hires have what they need before Day 1, and offboarding is fast, secure, and consistent. We know what technology we own, where it is, and whether it meets our security standards. Employee IT issues are resolved quickly and recurring problems actually get fixed. Our Bolingbrook office technology, conference rooms, access systems, network, and All Hands AV reliably work. Our SaaS environment, permissions, endpoints, and security controls are documented and under control. Outside IT partners are used strategically rather than becoming the default answer to every problem. Manual workflows have been replaced by automation wherever it makes sense. Formic is meaningfully more automated and technically sophisticated than it was when you arrived. What we look for: We’re building this company from the ground up, and every person we hire has an outsized impact on our culture, performance, and trajectory. While each team member brings unique strengths and perspectives, we look for people who align with our Operating Principles and embody them in action. If this sounds like you, Formic may be the right place for you! Fearless Optimism: You make bold bets and default optimistic. You believe in the mission, aren’t paralyzed by risk, and fear inaction more than failure. You see ambiguity as opportunity and bring energy to building what doesn’t yet exist. Create the Magic: You absorb complexity so customers don’t have to. Whether your customer is external or internal, you focus on delivering experiences that are clear, fast, value-added, and outcome-driven. You don’t say “not my job.” You make things work. Today, Not Tomorrow: You have a bias to action. You close the loop. You take extreme ownership. You understand that speed compounds, and you don’t confuse activity with results. Seek Truth: You think from first principles. You value data over ego and strong opinions loosely held. You’re willing to challenge assumptions, including your own, in pursuit of the best answer. Made of Rubber: You are resolute and adaptable. When things break or priorities shift, you rebound stronger. You treat setbacks as learning moments and move forward with grit. One Formic: You operate without silos. You practice radical helpfulness, document clearly, and make clean handoffs. You assume positive intent and prioritize team success over individual credit. Equal Opportunity Employment: Formic is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or religious creed, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, marital status, family or parental status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. All employment decisions are based on a person’s merit, business needs, and role requirements. If you require further accommodations or have questions regarding accessibility of our roles, please reach out to careers@formic.co. AI Use: At Formic, fairness and transparency are at the heart of our hiring process. We use AI-powered tools in some interviews to help our teams evaluate candidate responses, but all final hiring decisions are made by humans. You can learn more about how AI is used in our recruitment process by reviewing our AI Hiring Disclosure linked here.