IT Systems Engineer at Upsun - Remote Europe & Canada — Columbus
Traveler-Friendly Insight
Remote-first, but geography-locked: Upsun is a genuinely async-friendly, fully remote company with over a decade of distributed work culture. However, this specific role requires legal work authorization in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, or the UK — and no visa sponsorship is offered. For nomads, this means you must already hold the right to work in one of these five countries.
Timezone flexibility: The role doesn't specify fixed hours, and Upsun's follow-the-sun support model suggests a culture comfortable with asynchronous workflows. IT Systems Engineers typically need some overlap with colleagues for access requests and incident response, but much of the identity/automation work is async by nature. Expect soft expectations around European or North American business hours depending on your base country.
Nomad-friendly perks that stand out:
- Remote work travel program — explicitly supports working while traveling
- Office equipment budget — covers your remote setup
- Internet reimbursement — essential for nomads
- Annual team gatherings — paid travel to meet colleagues globally
Practical note for nomads: If you're based in France, Spain, or Germany, EU freedom of movement gives you flexibility to slow-travel across Europe while employed. Canada-based candidates can leverage the country's relatively straightforward remote work arrangements. No salary is listed, but IT Systems Engineers at this level typically earn $80,000–$110,000 CAD or €60,000–€85,000 EUR — comfortable for living in Lisbon, Valencia, or Berlin with nomadic flexibility.
Headquarters: Remote • Canada, France, Spain, Germany, UK
About Upsun (formerly Platform.sh)
Upsun is the cloud application platform humans and robots love. It is built for today's hybrid teams, where AI agents write and test code and humans focus on solving the problems that really matter. Developers, DevOps engineers, and platform teams use Upsun to build, ship, and scale confidently without wrestling with backend infrastructure. We give you your time back. You get:
- Predictable performance, even at scale
- Secure, compliant environments by default
- Real-time observability and profiling built in
- Cloning, configuration, and provisioning in seconds
- AI-ready features that plug directly into your stack
The name says it all. "Up" means uptime, reliability, and acceleration. "Sun" reflects our follow-the-sun support — a 24x7, globally distributed support team keeping the lights on while you rest. Our core belief is that software should power brighter solutions and greater innovation.
Upsunners are a remote, global workforce, and we thrive in a multicultural team. We are committed to open source and an open, welcoming environment. Our team spans the globe and the experience spectrum.
What's our commonality, our cultural fabric? A curious spirit and a thirst for knowledge; an eagerness for innovative ideas and cultures. We believe we can build anything together in an environment that frees you to do your best work.
Our values:
- We make a positive impact.
- We aim for the stars.
- We care for each other.
Impact of an IT Systems Engineer
As an IT Systems Engineer you take the identity plane from working to well-run: automated, governed, and consistent, so access is correct by default, and our auditors find evidence rather than surprises. Reporting to the IT Director, you play a pivotal role in a growing internal IT department, driving the internal systems layer around identity — from our SaaS estate to Google Workspace.
You are the person who makes identity quietly reliable: predictable, documented, and automated, while remaining flexible enough to support the wider IT function as our scaling remote organization evolves.
What to Expect
Identity and Access Management: Own Okta as the backbone of how people get access, managing the app catalog (SSO integrations for new SaaS tools), policy management (MFA, device trust), and directory hygiene (Universal Directory, group management, breakglass access). Run identity day to day, refine our SSO and SCIM integrations, and keep joiner, mover, and leaver flows accurate from our HR system.
Lifecycle and Access Automation: Automate provisioning and deprovisioning so access is granted and revoked automatically, not by hand. Build and maintain workflows with tools like Okta Workflows and n8n, manage access configuration as code, and keep SCIM provisioning in sync with our HR system.
Process and Governance: Structure and harmonize clear procedures around the identity plane, so access requests, approvals, and reviews follow one consistent, documented path instead of ad hoc steps.
Internal IT Systems and SaaS Administration: Own our internal systems end to end. Integrate, secure, and validate our SaaS stack, administer Google Workspace as our core collaboration suite, connect our tools through Okta and our HR system, and own the application validation process.
Compliance Engineering: Implement and evidence access controls for ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 with our Security team, ensuring access reviews and audit logs are a by-product of well-built systems, not a quarterly scramble.
Endpoint and Device Management (Shared): Partner on administrating Jumpcloud MDM across macOS, Windows, and Linux, sharing endpoint and device management with our IT Operations and Endpoint Manager so coverage scales with the team.
Where the Team Needs You: We are a small, growing IT team, so scope will flex over time. You are happy to pick up adjacent systems work and support across the wider IT function as our needs evolve.
What You Bring
Identity Expertise: Deep, hands-on experience with Okta or a comparable identity provider, including SSO, SCIM, lifecycle automation, and API-driven provisioning.
IT Experience: Typically 5 or more years in IT systems, identity, or access engineering, including time in a developer-heavy or engineering-led environment.
Automation Skills: You build automation with tools like Okta Workflows, n8n, or similar; you are comfortable with APIs and webhooks, and you script in Python or a comparable language.
Process Optimization: You bring order to environments that grew quickly. You write clear procedures, standardize how things are done, and leave systems better documented than you found them.
SaaS-First Operations: You have run and integrated a SaaS-based environment, where identity and APIs matter more than racks and networks.
Compliance Fluency: You have worked inside ISO 27001 or SOC 2, ideally Type 2 where evidence is continuous, and you understand what auditors actually need.
Remote Collaboration: You work well without close supervision in a fully remote team, and you communicate clearly with technical and non-technical colleagues alike.
Google Workspace Administration: Hands-on Google Workspace administration is core to this role: users, groups, policies, and security settings.
Working Style: You are comfortable wearing several hats in a small IT team, picking up adjacent systems and endpoint work, and flexing as priorities shift.
Bonus Points
Comfort managing configuration through Git-based workflows, or infrastructure as code with Terraform.
Professional proficiency in French.
Where We Hire
At Upsun, remote work isn't just a trend — it's our foundation. The freedom of remote work with the support of a diverse, global team has been our successful model for over a decade. Our culture celebrates flexibility and collaboration, and while we have team members in over 30 countries around the globe, we are currently focused on hiring for this role in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Although we're unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time, we welcome applications from all qualified candidates who are legally authorized to work in these countries.
How We Hire
We know that a great hire won't meet every requirement that we've outlined. If you can see yourself elevating the team, we want to hear your story. Few of us would be here had we not taken a chance.
You can expect 4 interviews on Google Meet in the following order. Should you successfully move through the entire process you will have the opportunity to meet with a variety of Upsunners. Our goal is to ensure you can make the most informed decision on whether this role and our culture align with what you're looking for in your future working environment.
- 45 Minutes with Talent Acquisition
- 60 Minutes with Hiring Manager (Director, IT)
- 60 Minutes with Team (Senior Director, Site Reliability Engineering & Senior IT Manager)
- 45 Minutes with Executive (Senior Director, FP&A & IT)
All roles require background checks.
What We Offer
- A product you can believe in — Join us in transforming how businesses build and manage web applications, driven by making a positive impact as a proud B Corp.
- An Award-Winning Workplace — Recognized by Forbes' Top 30 Companies for Remote Jobs and France's Best Workplaces for Women.
- A culture that values your voice — Join a flexible, open, and inclusive work environment where your voice is encouraged and your ideas shape our growth.
- A global team — Collaborate with colleagues from diverse backgrounds across the world, embracing different perspectives.
Benefits and Perks:
- Flexible PTO
- Comprehensive healthcare coverage (UK, Canada, France, Spain)
- Company stock options
- Professional development budget
- Office equipment budget
- Wellness budget
- Annual team gatherings
- Internet reimbursement
- Inclusive parental leave
- Remote work travel program
You Belong Here
At Upsun, we celebrate diversity in all its forms and are committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and supportive workplace where everyone can thrive. We embrace and value different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, because they make us stronger as a team. Whoever you are, wherever you're from, and whatever path you've taken, you are welcome here. We encourage you to bring your whole self to work, connect with others, and share your passion. If you need accommodations at any stage of our hiring process, please let us know. We're here to ensure an accessible and comfortable experience for you.
To apply: https://weworkremotely.com/remote-jobs/platform-sh-it-systems-engineer
Frequently Asked Questions
Which countries are eligible for this remote IT Systems Engineer role?
What identity platform experience is required for this role?
Is this role fully remote or does it require office attendance?
What does the interview process look like?
What compliance frameworks will I work with in this role?
