Senior IT Support Specialist
Colossal Biosciences
The Senior IT Support Specialist provides advanced technical support and serves as an escalation resource across all Colossal locations. This role is responsible for resolving complex technical issues, maintaining core IT systems, and ensuring the stability and reliability of the organization’s technology environment.
In addition to day-to-day operational support, the Senior IT Support Specialist contributes to infrastructure performance, service quality, and process improvement initiatives. The role partners closely with IT leadership, supports executive stakeholders, and mentors junior team members to ensure consistent, high-quality IT service delivery.
Key Responsibilities
Advanced End-User & Escalation Support
- Serve as Tier 2/3 escalation point for complex OS, identity, and connectivity issues across Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- Troubleshoot advanced authentication, SSO, MFA, device trust, VPN, and certificate-related issues.
- Provide Tier 2/3 support for enterprise AV systems including Dante, QSYS, Zoom Rooms, and BrightSign platforms.
- Support executive and business-critical systems with prioritized response.
- Demonstrate a professional, service-oriented approach in all user and stakeholder interactions.
- Maintain IT support SLAs, including response/resolution targets, escalation procedures, service performance tracking, and periodic reporting to IT leadership and stakeholders.
Microsoft Server & Active Directory
- Administer Windows Server (2019/2022+), including AD DS, DNS, DHCP, GPO, and file services.
- Manage OU structure, group policy design, delegation, and service accounts.
- Maintain server patching, monitoring, backups, and disaster recovery processes.
- Support Hyper-V or equivalent virtualization environments.
Linux Systems Administration
- Administer production Linux servers (RHEL/Ubuntu/Debian).
- Manage SSH access, sudo policies, services, package updates, and system hardening.
- Maintain web/app services and basic containerized workloads where applicable.
- Develop light automation using Bash or Python.
- Support Proxmox or equivalent virtualization environments.
Meraki Network Administration
- Configure and deploy small-scale network-connected infrastructure (e.g., local NAS devices), including VLAN assignment and switch port configuration within the Meraki Dashboard.
- Support RADIUS integration and network access control tied to Okta/identity workflows.
- Manage basic VLAN configuration, access/trunk port assignments, and ensure proper traffic flow for iSCSI and network-mounted storage connectivity.
Okta-First Identity & SaaS Administration
- Administer Okta as the primary identity provider.
- Manage SSO integrations, lifecycle automation (SCIM), MFA policies, and device trust.
- Enforce RBAC/GBAC and least-privilege access models.
- Integrate and support Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Zoom, Atlassian, and other enterprise SaaS platforms.
- Troubleshoot federation, provisioning, and sync issues across platforms.
Endpoint & Security Management
- Oversee MDM enforcement and device compliance standards.
- Manage EDR, disk encryption, patching, and security baselines.
- Maintain asset lifecycle tracking and hardware refresh planning.
Infrastructure Operations
- Maintain monitoring, logging, and alerting systems.
- Document network diagrams, server configurations, and identity architecture.
- Lead small-to-midsize infrastructure projects (network upgrades, server deployments, SaaS rollouts).
- Mentor junior IT staff and suggest/implement operational automation as needed for improved IT efficiency.
Required Skills & Abilities
- Demonstrated ability to own escalated technical issues end-to-end, including root cause analysis and resolution across endpoint, server, identity, and network domains.
- Strong foundation in directory services, systems administration, and core network concepts (segmentation, access control, traffic flow).
- Experience operating in an SSO-first, cloud-integrated environment with structured access control and lifecycle management processes.
- Working knowledge of enterprise collaboration and AV ecosystems in production business environments.
- Ability to document systems clearly, maintain operational standards, and contribute to infrastructure improvements and automation.
- Professional communication skills with the ability to support executive stakeholders and mentor junior IT staff.
Physical Requirements:
- Sit and/or stand for long periods performing office related tasks.
- Move about the office and/or laboratory to access various meeting rooms.
- Must be able to occasionally lift up to 50 pounds
- Operate computers and laboratory instrumentation.
- Observe and detect details up close.
- Handle and work around potentially hazardous chemicals.
Ability to travel up to 20% of the time
Required Schedule:
- Once onboarding is complete, this role will require off-hours availability for incident response. This includes weekends as needed.
Education and Experience
- Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
- 7+ years of progressive experience in IT operations, systems administration, and infrastructure support, including ownership of server, identity, and network systems in a production environment.
- Demonstrated experience serving as an escalation point for complex technical issues and leading small-to-midsize infrastructure initiatives.
What Colossal Offers Full-Time Employees:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Excellent paid time off and company holidays so you can rest and recharge
- Flexible spending accounts (FSA)
- Company matched 401k retirement plan
- Paid parental leave at 100% salary for up to 12 weeks
- Education reimbursement
- An opportunity to help us return the Earth to a healthier state
The team at Colossal is committed, colorful, passionate, intelligent, collaborative, creative, experienced, scientific and world-class. That sounds like a lot to fit into one building. That’s why we are spread out in several locations that include laboratories, test facilities, academic institutions, libraries and offices.
Through it all, however, we maintain a culture of positivity, hope, happiness and belief that we’re doing something big. Something Colossal.
Colossal is proud to be an equal employment opportunity workplace. We welcome people from all backgrounds as well as celebrate and support diversity. We are committed to providing an inclusive environment of mutual respect that is free from discrimination and harassment so everyone can thrive.
Search Firm Representatives: Colossal does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms. No fees will be paid for a hired candidate where no pre-existing agreement is in place. We handle most recruitment in-house.
Colossal is proud to be named a Best Place to Work by BuiltIn for 4 years in a row across multiple categories in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026:
- #1 on the 50 Best Startups to Work For in Dallas in 2023!
- 100 Best Midsize Places to Work in Dallas in 2024 & 2025
- 100 Best Places to Work in Dallas, TX (All Size Employers) in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Great Place to Work Certification Page
Most Loved Workplace Certification Page - Proud to be certified as a most loved workplace including: most loved CEO, most loved workplaces for LGBTQ+, most loved workplaces for women, and most loved workplaces for young professionals.
Newsweek's Most Loved Workplaces 2024 Award List - Excited to be amongst the winners of Newsweek's 2024 Most Loved Workplaces!