Workplace Technology Lead Engineer in London

About Proton

Proton was founded in 2014 by scientists from CERN on a simple truth: privacy is a fundamental human right. Since then, we’ve built the world’s largest encrypted email service (Proton Mail) and expanded into Proton VPN, Proton Drive, Proton Pass, and Proton Calendar—tools used by millions globally to protect their freedom, fight censorship, and keep their data safe. In some situations, Proton has literally helped save lives! We are profitable, independent (no VC control), and selectively hire from the top ~1% of applicants. Our 700+ team members across 50+ countries come from leading organizations and elite academic backgrounds. We move fast, keep hierarchy light, and prioritize impact over optics. If you want to do meaningful work with exceptionally high-caliber people, this is it. Join us and do work you can truly be proud of.

The Team:

The internal IT team is what makes Proton possible: it supports everything, from all the internal computer systems, from laptops to the internal documentation solution and videoconferencing. The team collaborates with the security team to provide a safe environment for Proton staff to communicate and develop the products and business.

Current Projects:

• Enabling employees to leverage AI in their daily work safely
• Building tools and processes that support and accelerate employees' daily work
• Automating onboarding and offboarding workflows.

Tech Stack and Tools:

We use Proton's products internally: mail, drive, docs, calendar... Linux servers, FreeIPA. Zendesk, Jira, Confluence, Slack, and other popular products. The internal IT team sits at the intersection of multiple business functions: engineering, finance, customer support, and more.

An exceptional leader in this role will develop connections with the rest of the business, propose changes to streamline processes, evaluate their business impact and ROI, and implement new tools and processes.

What you will do:

• Manage a distributed team of 3-5 people
• Manage on-premises infrastructure upon which internal tooling can run
• Improve processes that span beyond IT to eliminate delays and manual labour, in collaboration with other parties involved in those processes
• Design and implement internal tools
• Create the team strategy and vision, and break it down into quarterly objectives. Drive the execution.
• Administer centrally managed tools and increase the centralisation of prioritised tools across current projects.
• IT operations and support: administering centrally managed tools and ensuring staff can get their work done, including by having answers to their questions

What we are looking for:

• A seasoned IT professional with hands-on experience in system administration on multiple platforms and successful management experience.
• A creative mindset trying to tackle challenges rapidly and with limited resources using creativity.
• Good communication, team management, and interpersonal skills
• Capacity to define a pragmatic and ambitious strategic plan and track its execution
• Hands-on system administration experience on Linux and preferably another OS

Proton is an office-first company. We expect you to spend most of your time in the office, and while we do offer some flexibility to work from home, we believe in-person collaboration helps us build the best products.

What We Offer:

• Work that Matters: millions of people trust Proton with their privacy. We answer only to our users — not advertisers, not investors with conflicting agendas, not governments. The work you do here is real, and the impact is measurable.
• Stock Options: at Proton, we all have the opportunity to be owners of the company. From day one, you have a real stake in what we're building. When Proton wins, you win.
• Technology: you'll get the right hardware and the right software you need to do your best work.
• Learning & Development: we invest in your growth because sharp people make us better. Proton is one of the fastest ways to accelerate your career because you'll be thrown into real challenges, with real ownership, from day one.
• Employee Benefits: your wellbeing isn't an afterthought. We offer strong health coverage, solid retirement options, generous leave, and wellness support so you can bring your best self to work every day.
• In-Person Collaboration: Amazing things happen when passionate, smart, and purposeful people get together in the same room. With offices across Geneva, Zürich, Barcelona, London and more, you'll spend most of your time collaborating face-to-face with people who genuinely care about what they're building.
• Food: Lunch and snacks are on us every day in our offices so you can focus on the work and not on what's for lunch.
• Transport: getting to the office shouldn't cost you. We cover public transport, bike allowances, or parking, whichever works for you.
• Flexible Working: you own your schedule. Set hours that work for you and your team — because outcomes matter more than when the clock says you started.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, or socio-economic background, feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue, and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.

If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.