Sr Staff Infrastructure Systems Engineer

Astra’s mission is to improve life on Earth from space by creating a healthier and more connected planet. Today, Astra offers one of the lowest cost-per-launch dedicated orbital launch services, and one of the industry’s leading flight-proven electric propulsion systems for satellites, the Astra Spacecraft Engine.

The Opportunity 

We are looking for an Infrastructure Systems Engineer to build and own the internal platform that powers the company: identity, endpoints, networks, and security that will make company-wide impact. 

AI-Forward Engineering Culture 

• We are an AI-forward engineering organization. 
• Our engineers to use AI as a force multiplier in their daily work 
• We design systems assuming AI-assisted development and operations 
• We value engineers who experiment, adapt quickly, and adopt better tools 
• If you are not already using AI tools to write code, automate workflows, and debug systems in your daily work, this role will not be a fit. 

What This Role Is 

• This role focuses on infrastructure for people and internal systems: 
• Identity (SSO, RBAC, lifecycle) 
• Endpoints (Mac, Windows, Linux) 
• Access (device trust, zero-trust networking) 
• Internal platform and automation 
• IT Security & Compliance 

How You'll Fulfill Your Mission

• Own identity as a first-class system (SSO, RBAC, lifecycle, device trust) 
• Build a fully automated onboarding/offboarding pipeline 
• Design and operate endpoint infrastructure across Mac, Windows, and Linux 
• Eliminate manual IT work through automation, scripting, and tooling 
• You should expect to spend the majority of your time building systems and automation—not responding to tickets 
• Architect secure network infrastructure across office, lab, and remote environments 
• Design and implement modern access patterns (e.g., WireGuard-based networking, zero-trust, device-aware access) 
• Own firewall and perimeter security (Palo Alto, Juniper, or equivalent) 
• Enable secure, compliant access to cloud environments (AWS GovCloud, GCP Assured Workloads) 
• Drive compliance (CMMC, ITAR) through systems—not paperwork 
• Partner directly with engineering to remove friction and increase velocity 
• You will have high ownership and autonomy to define how these systems are built and operated

What We Value in You

• 12+ yrs proven experience building and owning infrastructure systems 
• Deep experience with identity systems (Azure AD / Entra or equivalent; SAML/OAuth/SCIM) 
• Strong experience managing heterogeneous endpoint fleets (Mac, Windows, Linux; MDM such as Intune/Jamf/Kandji) 
• Hands-on experience with network security and modern connectivity patterns (VPNs, WireGuard, zero-trust networking) 
• Strong scripting and automation skills (Python, Bash, or similar) 
• Experience integrating systems via APIs and event-driven workflows 
• Experience operating in regulated environments (CMMC, ITAR, FedRAMP-like) 

What Sets You Apart 

• You treat internal infrastructure like a product, not a helpdesk 
• You automate everything that happens more than once 
• You reduce complexity instead of adding it 
• You think in terms of identity-first and network-minimized architectures 
• You can debug across identity, network, endpoint, and cloud boundaries 
• You have strong opinions about how systems should be built—and can back them up

Desired Multipliers 

• Experience in GCC High environments (Microsoft Entra ID) 
• Fami