Lead Infrastructure Engineer

About this role

QED (https://qed.ai) is a tech company focused on public health and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. We build the digital infrastructure and AI used at the intersection of aid and scientific inquiry, including surveillance of HIV and malaria, and nutrient analysis of crops and soils, working at national-scale in several African countries. Our funding comes from multiple philanthropic and governmental organizations, including the Global Fund, Gates Foundation, CDC, and USAID. We are looking for the Lead Infrastructure Engineer to shape and evolve the technical foundation that powers our systems. This is a hands-on leadership role where you will define architectural direction, elevate engineering standards, and stay deeply involved in building and operating infrastructure. As a team lead, you will guide critical decisions, mentor engineers, and drive a long-term vision for reliable systems operating across multiple countries. Your responsibilities will include: - owning and evolving the infrastructure architecture, tooling strategy, and long-term technical decisions - working with declarative tooling (NixOS + k3s + terraform) mostly on top of bare metal servers, with some cloud sprinkled in - planning infrastructure layout, selecting components, testing, and deploying them - planning and leading the building of bare metal infrastructure for deployment in low to middle income countries - handling communication (both internal and external) - participating in hiring, evaluate and interview candidates - optional traveling to learn more about problems we're trying to solve and set up hardware in local data centers The role requires a full-time commitment physically based in Warsaw, Poland, with a hybrid of remote and in-person work throughout the week. We expect at least 2-3 days per week in the office. The working hours are flexible, for example you do not need approval to take out a small chunk in the middle of the day to handle some personal business. Desired skills include: - 6+ years of infrastructure or systems engineering experience, with at least 1–2 years in a lead role - demonstrated ability to scope, plan, and delegate technical work and to hold yourself and others accountable for outcomes - broad knowledge of technology: Linux internals, networking, databases, containers, hardware performance, security; we value genuine depth and curiosity over checklist coverage - strong software engineering fundamentals: version control, readable code, tests, robust design, basic data structures and algorithms - working proficiency in English (≥ C1 spoken and written; ≥ 45 wpm typed) - clear thinker who can express ideas well, both in writing and in conversation - social intelligence and emotional resilience; you will work across cultures, time zones, and high-stakes situations Below are additional skills that are a bonus, but are not required: - experience with NixOS, Kubernetes, Terraform - experience with bare metal, including hardware selection and on-site setup - ethical hacking experience - experience with programming and/or math competitions - willingness to go on an adventure - domain knowledge and/or interest in the sustainable development goals, particularly in public health, agriculture, and assisting developing countries What can you expect: - significant ownership, direct influence on team structure, standards, and hiring - fully declarative infrastructure, strong (but not absolute) avoidance of anything manual - no helm soup - unusual, socially conscious projects - low bureaucracy