Desktop System Software Engineer II

AlphaSense is a company that provides AI-driven market intelligence solutions. They are seeking a Desktop System Software Engineer II to manage the health and configuration of macOS and Windows endpoints, while also diagnosing issues with their desktop applications. The role involves collaboration with IT and product engineering teams to ensure the reliability and performance of the desktop applications used within the company.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate and contribute on the strategy and execution of macOS and Windows endpoint configuration, policy enforcement, and lifecycle management via Kandji/Iru and/or Microsoft Intune
• Build, maintain, and iterate on device enrollment workflows, configuration profiles, compliance policies, and custom scripts
• Design and enforce software deployment, patch management, and application allowlisting/blocklisting strategies
• Collaborate with Security on EDR (CrowdStrike Falcon), Zero Trust (Cloudflare WARP/Gateway), and identity (Okta) integrations at the endpoint layer
• Maintain scripting libraries (Bash, Python, PowerShell) to automate endpoint management tasks and reduce manual intervention
• Serve as a primary technical escalation point for issues users experience within AlphaSense's desktop applications on managed endpoints
• Reproduce client-side issues across macOS and Windows versions, app build versions, and endpoint configurations to isolate root causes
• Investigate and diagnose desktop application behavior including crash analysis, rendering issues, performance degradation, update/upgrade failures, and OS-level permission or sandboxing conflicts
• Partner with product engineering teams to log detailed bug reports, provide environmental context, and validate fixes as they are released
• Capture crash logs, console output, network traces, and system-level diagnostics to accelerate resolution of complex application-layer problems
• Maintain a diagnostic runbook library covering common desktop application issues on Kandji/Iru- and Intune-managed devices
• Test new desktop application releases against the managed device baseline before broad rollout, flagging regressions early
• Monitor endpoint fleet health, identify systemic issues, and drive proactive remediation before issues impact users
• Contribute to internal tooling and automation to improve IT operations and reduce ticket volume
• Document configurations, processes, and runbooks in the team's knowledge base
• Participate in incident response for endpoint-related security events alongside the Security team

Requirements:

• 3–5 years of experience in a systems engineering, endpoint engineering, or desktop platform role (not generalist IT support)
• Deep hands-on experience with macOS (preferably) and/or Windows at a configuration and troubleshooting level beyond standard user support
• Demonstrated experience with one or more enterprise MDM platforms: Kandji/Iru, Jamf Pro, or Microsoft Intune
• Proficiency in at least one scripting language: Bash, Python, or PowerShell
• Hands-on experience diagnosing desktop application issues — including crash log analysis, OS permission models, app sandboxing, auto-update mechanisms, and the interaction between security tooling and application runtime behavior
• Familiarity with enterprise security tools (EDR, Zero Trust/CASB, identity platforms) and how they can affect desktop application behavior
• Ability to write clear, detailed bug reports and escalation summaries that product engineering teams can act on without requiring additional back-and-forth
• Strong written communication skills — able to produce runbooks, diagnostic guides, and engineering documentation
• Experience with Kandji/Iru specifically, including Blueprint architecture, Liftoff enrollment, and custom enforcement scripts
• Familiarity with Electron-based desktop applications and their specific packaging, update, and permission behaviors on macOS and Windows
• Experience with CrowdStrike Falcon, including understanding how sensor policies and network containment affect application-layer behavior
• Experience with Cloudflare Zero Trust / WARP in a managed enterprise environment and its impact on desktop app traffic
• Exposure to Okta device trust or certificate-based authentication flows as they relate to desktop application SSO
• Background working in a SaaS product company where IT and Engineering teams collaborate closely on end-user issues
• Experience using Qualys VMDR or similar vulnerability management tooling
• Familiarity with Jira Service Management for ticket and change management workflows