How to apply for Staff CPE Engineer (Remote)

About KoBold Metals

KoBold Metals is at the forefront of using AI to discover critical minerals for electrification, directly combating climate change. Their remote-first culture and mission-driven work attract top talent passionate about sustainability and cutting-edge technology.

About the role

As a Staff CPE Engineer, you'll lead IT operations for a globally distributed team, shifting IT from reactive to proactive support through automation and zero-touch provisioning. Your work will directly enable KoBold's scientists and engineers to focus on discovery without technical friction.

A typical day

Start your day by reviewing fleet health dashboards and any overnight support tickets from global colleagues. Mid-morning, you might pair with a junior engineer on automating a new software deployment via Jamf, then negotiate a vendor renewal. Afternoon is for coding a Terraform module to standardize endpoint configurations, followed by a team standup to align on proactive initiatives.

Who KoBold Metals is looking for

• Has 5+ years of hands-on IT engineering experience with deep expertise in MDM platforms like Jamf and Intune, including policy configuration and automated enrollment.
• Thrives on automating workflows with infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform) and scripting (Python, Bash, PowerShell) to eliminate manual tasks.
• Experienced in identity and access management (Okta preferred), software procurement, and vendor negotiations, with a knack for optimizing license utilization.
• Has a track record of mentoring IT staff and setting technical direction, combining operational ownership with people management skills.

Tips for this application

• Highlight specific automation projects you've led, such as zero-touch provisioning implementations or fleet health monitoring systems, with measurable outcomes (e.g., reduced ticket volume by X%).
• Showcase your experience with Jamf and Intune in detail, including complex policy configurations and integrations with identity platforms like Okta.
• Tailor your resume to emphasize budget management and vendor negotiation wins, as KoBold values cost optimization.
• Demonstrate your global team experience by mentioning timezone coordination, remote support strategies, or multi-country deployments.
• In your cover letter, explicitly connect your work to KoBold's mission of combating climate change through electrification.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your passion for using automation to empower scientists and engineers in a mission-driven company like KoBold.', "Specific examples of how you've reduced manual IT work and improved endpoint reliability through proactive monitoring and scripting.", 'Your experience with Okta, Jamf, and Intune in an integrated environment, including any challenges you solved.', 'Your leadership philosophy for mentoring IT staff and driving operational excellence in a remote-first setting.']

Research before applying

• Read about KoBold's AI-driven mineral discovery technology and how their team operates globally.
• Understand their remote-first culture and any tools they publicly mention (e.g., Slack, Zoom, Notion) to align your experience.
• Look up their recent funding rounds or partnerships to understand their growth stage and IT scaling needs.
• Review any blog posts or talks by their engineering leaders about their infrastructure or automation philosophy.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk me through how you would design a zero-touch provisioning workflow for a new hire at a remote-first company using Jamf and Intune.
• Describe a time you optimized software license utilization and negotiated a vendor contract. What was the outcome?
• How do you prioritize and manage a global IT support queue while also working on long-term automation projects?
• Explain your experience with infrastructure-as-code for IT operations. Have you used Terraform to manage endpoints or policies?
• How would you mentor a junior IT engineer to shift from reactive to proactive support? Give a concrete example.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Focusing only on break-fix support without emphasizing automation and proactive improvements.
• Underplaying your people management experience – even if informal, highlight mentorship or technical leadership.
• Not tailoring your application to the remote-first, global nature of the role – generic 'on-site' IT experience won't stand out.