Senior Lab System Administrator Jobs in California

Senior Lab Administrator

Company Description

Nexthop AI is a team of industry-leading professionals with deep hardware and software expertise spanning silicon, systems, network operations, and cloud development. We are dedicated to building innovative, cutting-edge solutions for large-scale AI deployments. Our team culture thrives on collaboration, creativity, and fun while delivering foundational technologies for next-generation AI infrastructure.

Role Overview

Nexthop AI is seeking a Senior Lab Administrator to help operate and scale the physical lab and data center environments that support multiple engineering teams.

This is a hands-on individual contributor role for someone who can independently own lab operations across assigned spaces, programs, or projects; coordinate complex hardware deployments; maintain accurate infrastructure records; and improve the standards and processes used by the broader lab team. Lab coverage could span multiple on prem labs as well as colocation space. You will get to work on bleeding edge, innovative technologies!

Job Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day operations and operational readiness for assigned onsite and offsite lab or data center spaces.
• Coordinate hardware deployments, lab changes, equipment moves, and bring-up activities with engineering and operations stakeholders.
• Manage the physical infrastructure lifecycle for assigned lab areas, including equipment, cabling, power, connectivity, and environmental readiness.
• Maintain inventory, rack elevations and operational procedures.
• Identify operational risks and readiness gaps, drive issues to closure, and contribute to planning for upcoming engineering programs.
• Help establish and improve standards for lab safety, organization, access, cabling, inventory control, documentation, and change management.
• Partner with engineering, IT, logistics, facilities, operations, and vendors to deliver reliable lab support and infrastructure services.
• Provide day-to-day guidance and informal mentoring to junior lab administrators and help promote consistent operational practices.

Qualifications

We are seeking individuals who thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative startup and bring exceptional problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills. The ideal candidate takes initiative, asks clarifying questions, practices user empathy, and can balance hands-on execution with reliable operational ownership.

• Minimum 5 years of experience in lab operations, data center support for on-premise and colocation centers, IT infrastructure, hardware operations, or a related hands-on technical environment; equivalent hands-on experience may also be considered.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage lab operations, deployments, or infrastructure projects involving multiple stakeholders.
• Hands-on experience with rack-and-stack activities, hardware installation, power connections, and structured copper and fiber cabling.
• Experience creating or maintaining rack elevations and topology diagrams
• Experience with fiber optic handling and cable management, maintaining neat, well-organized cabling and consistently applying industry best practices for routing, labeling, bend-radius control, and fiber protection
• Ability to troubleshoot physical readiness, connectivity, cabling, and hardware deployment issues methodically and safely.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in a fast-moving environment with shared equipment and competing priorities.
• Ability to coordinate work across engineering, IT, logistics, facilities, operations, and external vendors.
• Ability to improve processes, establish repeatable standards, and communicate operational expectations to others.
• Comfortable lifting and moving lab equipment and working in physical infrastructure environments for extended periods as needed.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of networking principles and technologies, including TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, and switching.
• Experience supporting high-performance computing, networking, optics, silicon, or AI infrastructure labs.
• Familiarity with lab automation, asset-management, ticketing, monitoring, or infrastructure documentation tools.
• Basic scripting experience with Python, Bash, or similar languages.
• Experience mentoring junior team members or coordinating work across a small operations team.
• Experience supporting maintenance windows, change management, access controls, security requirements, or vendor service visits.
• Associate or bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

Why Nexthop AI

Our company combines the advantages of working at a startup with the expertise of a seasoned team that has successfully built startups into thriving companies.

Here, you will have the opportunity to enable our growth, strengthen lab and data center standards, establish best practices, and directly influence how our physical infrastructure supports next-generation AI systems. If you are excited to build and operate cutting-edge labs, improve the way teams work, and help develop the next generation of lab operations practices, this is the place for you.