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Nooks

Platform enabling classified government–private collaboration

IT Support Specialist

Full-Time
$100k - $120k
Junior
Associate's
El Segundo, CA, USA
HybridTravel roughly 25% to support new-site standups.
IT OperationsSystem Administration, IT Service Desk & End User Support
No H1B Sponsorship
US Top Secret Clearance Required

About the job

Requirements
  • 1–2 years of experience in IT support, helpdesk, or system administration; DoD or cleared-environment exposure is preferred.
  • A DoD 8140.03/8570.01 Information Assurance Technical (IAT) baseline certification: IAT Level I (such as CompTIA A+ or Network+) is accepted at hire, and IAT Level II (such as Security+) must be obtained within six months of hire.
  • Foundational knowledge of Windows and Linux operating systems, networking concepts, and common IT troubleshooting practices.
  • Familiarity with account management, permissions, patching, and basic system administration.
  • Willingness and physical ability to perform site buildout work, including lifting and setting up monitors, workstations, and servers, running cable, and working in confined spaces.
  • Strong documentation skills and clear communication with users at all technical levels.
  • Ability to travel roughly 25% to support new-site standups.
  • Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States and capable of maintaining eligibility up to the Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) level within 45 days of hire.
Responsibilities
  • Stand up IT for new Nooks sites by deploying workstations, mounting monitors, managing cabling, and installing peripherals during facility outfitting.
  • Rack and cable servers and network gear under senior direction, then verify each build against the site's configuration baseline.
  • Track hardware across its lifecycle, including receiving, imaging, inventory, and secure disposal, to Department of Defense standards.
  • Provide Tier I and Tier II support across the site's classified and unclassified systems, troubleshooting hardware, software, and network issues.
  • Resolve issues or escalate them cleanly to senior staff, keeping every handoff documented.
  • Support user devices, peripherals, and conference-room and video teleconferencing equipment so site staff can work without interruption.
  • Perform account creation, permission updates, and patching on site systems under the supervision of senior IT staff.
  • Support user onboarding and offboarding, including account setup and access changes.
  • Assist with system maintenance and configuration changes, building toward more complex administration work.
  • Maintain accurate records of support requests, troubleshooting steps, resolutions, and configuration changes across the system lifecycle.
  • Complete all work in line with organizational cybersecurity policies and applicable Department of Defense security standards.
  • Coordinate with the site cybersecurity team so account and access work stays compliant.
Desired Qualifications
  • Prior Department of Defense or cleared-environment experience.
  • Familiarity with structured cabling (Cat6/6A), rack installation, and audio-visual/video teleconferencing setup.
  • Exposure to IT service management and ticketing tools.
  • An associate's degree or relevant certifications in lieu of experience.

About the company

Nooks offers a platform-as-a-service that enables government agencies and private defense/space firms to collaborate on classified projects. It accelerates tech adoption in national security by handling facility clearance sponsorship and personnel clearances, simplifying compliance and onboarding. The platform provides secure workflows and vendor-access controls, expanding options for vendors while managing the complexities of clearance processes. Its veteran-led team focuses on moving faster, reducing costs, and letting clients concentrate on their core work within the government–private sector ecosystem.

Company Size

51-200

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$32.7M

Headquarters

Crystal City, Virginia

Founded

2021

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • DIU funding adds six new sites and FSO-as-a-Service for 100 portfolio companies.
  • Managed security services solve clearance bottlenecks faster for defense startups and primes.
  • 2025 Series A backing from Lockheed Martin and SAIC validates demand and channels.

What critics are saying

  • The $146.8 million headline is a ceiling, not guaranteed revenue, limiting visibility.
  • DIU dependence concentrates revenue around one federal buyer and procurement cycle.
  • Sean Blackman stepped down in 2026; leadership turnover during expansion raises execution risk.

What makes Nooks unique

  • Nooks won a four-year DIU Bridge Program contract on September 10, 2026.
  • Its CIaaS model replaces SCIF construction with subscription access to accredited classified facilities.
  • Nooks now spans ten markets, including Arlington, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, and Huntsville.

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Benefits

  • Stock Options
  • Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

5%

1 year growth

14%

2 year growth

6%
PR Newswire
Sep 10th, 2026
Nooks wins $146.8M Defense Innovation Unit contract to expand classified infrastructure nationwide

Nooks has been awarded a four-year contract worth up to $146.8 million by the Defense Innovation Unit to expand its Classified Infrastructure-as-a-Service nationwide. The contract supports DIU's Bridge Program, addressing barriers commercial companies face in accessing classified spaces and clearances. The award will fund new Nooks sites in six major markets: Austin, Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco Bay Area, and Honolulu. These additions will expand Nooks' network to ten locations, including existing sites in Arlington, Colorado Springs, El Segundo, and Huntsville. Nooks' model replaces lengthy construction timelines with subscription-based access to accredited facilities, workstations, and secure networks. The contract also provides FSO-as-a-Service for up to 100 DIU portfolio companies, offering fractional Facility Security Officer expertise to support clearance processes and compliance. Founded in 2021, Nooks pioneered the CIaaS model to help defence technology companies begin classified work faster.

FinSMEs
Jun 9th, 2025
Nooks Closes $25M Series A Funding

Nooks, a Crystal City, VA-based classified-infrastructure-as-a-service (CIaaS) model company for workspaces, raised $25M in Series A funding.

Nooks
Jun 9th, 2025
Nooks Closes $25M Series A Funding Round with Unmatched Team of Industry Leaders

Nooks raises $25M Series A to expand its subscription-access classified workspaces. Backed by Zigg Capital, Upper90, SAIC, and Lockheed Martin, Nooks is redefining access to secure, flexible classified workspaces for government and defense.

MB News
Jun 9th, 2025
Nooks Raises $25M in Series A Funding

Nooks has closed a $25M Series A funding round, partnering with Zigg Capital, Upper90, SAIC, and Lockheed Martin. The funding will enhance Nooks' Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) model, aiming to improve secure collaboration for government and industry. The investment will support Nooks' growth in key markets and its integration of advanced technologies, with a focus on transforming classified infrastructure access.

Forbes
Aug 3rd, 2023
Small Companies Can’T Access Classified Work Without A Secure Space To Work In

A modular SCIF facility designed by Maryland-based builder, Modular Genius. Modular GeniusIf your small defense business has desirable technology that the government considers classified, you’ll need a secure workspace before you can secure government work. It’s a Catch-22 that Congress wants to alleviate.The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act includes language from both the House and Senate meant to open up existing classified work-spaces to small businesses.Building or gaining access to a government-approved secure workspace is a costly burden that adds to the already thorny problems defense startups face in getting security clearances for their employees and in getting their companies as a whole “covered” or cleared to work on classified projects.Such hurdles curb or prevent innovative, potentially war-winning technologies and ideas from being embraced and applied by the Pentagon says Andrew “Scar” Van Timmeren, vice president of government solutions for Blue Force Technologies, a small North Carolina-based business which recently secured a contract to build prototype unmanned adversary training aircraft for the Air Force.A former USAF F-22 pilot, Van Timmeren has seen the problem surface repeatedly among the cohort of defense startups traveling in the same circles as Blue Force, shutting them out of potentially meaningful contracts and contributions to national security.“It’s remarkably easy for continued contracts to go to incumbents within the cleared [classified] space because of the time and effort it takes to increase the number of new businesses that have access to cleared [workspace].”Van Timmeren cites an example wherein defense program managers are evaluating candidates to perform radar cross section survivability analysis of an aircraft. There’s already a cleared company with its own approved secure workspace. Another new firm may want to enter into that mix. But for DoD, “the easy button is to just go to the incumbent which may not be a small business.”Setting up a secure workspace isn’t easy