Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Desktop Engineering Team Manager

Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, or related field, or 7+ years of equivalent experience.
  • Experience managing technical teams with a focus on coaching and development.
  • Strong understanding of enterprise IT technologies, including hardware, software, and networking.
  • Hands-on experience with Windows 11, macOS, and various endpoint devices.
  • Familiarity with endpoint management tools like Microsoft ECM, JAMF, and HCL BigFix.
  • Knowledge of security frameworks like NIST SP 800-171.
  • Proficiency in application packaging and deployment automation.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and mentor the Endpoint Engineering team on operational and project initiatives.
  • Plan and manage team workload for both daily operations and long-term projects.
  • Ensure compliance with security and governance standards across endpoint operations.
  • Communicate effectively with stakeholders about service updates and incidents.
  • Oversee vendor relationships to ensure proper support for endpoint services.
  • Develop and maintain the endpoint strategy and evaluate emerging technologies.
  • Generate operational reports that highlight service performance and compliance metrics.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans.
  • MIT-funded pension plan.
  • 401K matching.
  • Generous paid leave policies.
  • Tuition reimbursement and access to continuing education.
  • Mentorship programs for employee support.
  • Diverse work-life balance options.
Full Job Description
Position Description

The Endpoint Engineering Team Lead oversees the configuration, deployment, and lifecycle management of the Lab's enterprise Windows, macOS, and iOS/iPadOS platforms. This includes building and maintaining standard OS images, ensuring compliance with security configuration baselines, remediating vulnerabilities, responding to endpoint-related incidents, and managing the enterprise software catalog (including packaging and updating applications).

Leading a seven-member engineering team, this role provides technical and operational leadership for day-to-day activities as well as project delivery. Reporting to the Enterprise Platform Sector Manager, the Team Lead contributes to budget, staffing, and platform strategy, and engages with stakeholders across the Laboratory. The successful candidate will balance usability and customer experience with security and compliance requirements, driving continuous improvement of endpoint platforms in support of the Lab's strategic goals.

Key Qualifications

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to understand customer needs and lead effective troubleshooting and incident response
  • Demonstrated experience leading and mentoring technical teams, fostering collaboration, and supporting staff development
  • Proven time and resource management skills to plan and execute both operational work and projects in a complex environment
  • Ability to drive platform evolution in alignment with vendor direction while maintaining rigorous security, compliance, and data protection standards
  • Skill in building productive relationships with IT peers and stakeholders, applying emotional intelligence and sound collaboration practices
  • Strong analytical and critical thinking skills for complex problem solving at enterprise scale


Team Management - 60%

  • Provide leadership, management, and mentorship to the Endpoint Engineering team, including performance management and career development.
  • Plan and prioritize team workload across day-to-day operations and projects, coordinating with the Project Management Office on key project initiatives.
  • Ensure operational excellence and consistent compliance with Laboratory security, governance, and business continuity requirements.
  • Represent the team with Laboratory stakeholders and deliver clear, effective communications on service changes, incidents, and project updates.
  • Oversee key vendor relationships for endpoint platforms, tools, software, and related services to ensure value and alignment with Lab needs.
  • Contribute to endpoint platform strategy, technology roadmaps, and budget and staffing recommendations by evaluating emerging technologies and making realistic, actionable recommendations.


Operational Duties - 40%

  • Oversee enterprise endpoint operations for Windows, macOS, and iOS/iPadOS, including OS imaging, configuration management, and lifecycle management.
  • Coordinate and approve software deployments, configuration changes, and security updates (e.g., patching, vulnerability remediation) to reduce risk and maintain compliance.
  • Oversee the enterprise software catalog and application packaging lifecycle, ensuring applications are current, tested, and compliant with Laboratory standards.
  • Manage third-tier incident and request escalations, ensuring timely resolution or escalation to vendors as appropriate.
  • Collaborate with security teams to implement and maintain platform security baselines, compliance configurations, and operational best practices consistent with Laboratory IT governance.
  • Own operational reporting by providing regular service health, compliance, and performance metrics to leadership and identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.
  • Ensure operational processes and procedures are defined, documented, maintained, and followed by the team.


Minimum Qualifcations

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field, or at least seven years of equivalent relevant work experience
  • Strong foundational knowledge of enterprise IT technologies, including endpoint hardware, software, virtualization or VDI, desktop backup, and networking
  • Hands-on experience with Dell (or equivalent) workstation and laptop platforms, Microsoft Surface devices, and Apple macOS and iOS or iPadOS devices
  • Extensive experience administering Windows 11 and macOS in an enterprise environment, including Microsoft Office 365 or Microsoft 365
  • Working knowledge of enterprise endpoint management tools such as Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (ECM), OSD or MDT, JAMF, and HCL BigFix (or equivalent tools)
  • Understanding of securing endpoint platforms in alignment with NIST SP 800-171 controls or similar security frameworks
  • Experience with application packaging, deployment automation or DevOps techniques, and maintaining an enterprise software catalog
  • Knowledge of project management practices and familiarity with ITSM tools such as ServiceNow
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Strong people leadership, organizational, and time-management skills


Preferred Qualifcations

  • Familiarity with AI and automation tools (for example, generative AI, LiteLLM-based solutions such as OpenCode) to improve operational efficiency
  • Experience leading technical teams or serving as a technical lead in an enterprise endpoint or infrastructure environment


Hiring Range: $127,100 - $171,600

Disclaimer: MIT Lincoln Laboratory provides a typical hiring range as a good faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to offer for this position at the time of posting. The final salary offered to a selected candidate will depend on various factors, including-but not limited to-the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate's experience, skills and education/training, internal equity considerations and applicable legal requirements. This range reflects base salary only and does not include additional forms of compensation or benefits.

At MIT Lincoln Laboratory, our exceptional career opportunities include many outstanding benefits to help you stay healthy, feel supported, and enjoy a fulfilling work-life balance. Benefits offered to employees include:

  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
  • MIT-funded pension
  • Matching 401K
  • Paid leave (including vacation, sick, parental, military, etc.)
  • Tuition reimbursement and continuing education programs
  • Mentorship programs
  • A range of work-life balance options
  • ... and much more!


Please visit our Benefits page for more information. As an employee of MIT, you can also take advantage of other voluntary benefits, discounts and perks.

Selected candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level DoD security clearance.

Requisition ID: 43129

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About Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". The university is known for its strong emphasis on scientific and technological research and its engineering programs. MIT was founded in 1861 and has a long history of innovation and entrepreneurship. The university has produced numerous Nobel laureates, Rhodes Scholars, and MacArthur Fellows.
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