Senior Systems Engineer, IT Infrastructure

Engagement: Contract

Employment Type: 1099

Location: Remote

Position Overview

The Senior Systems Engineer, IT Infrastructure is responsible for designing, implementing, maintaining, and optimizing the underlying technology infrastructure of an organization, including servers, storage systems, and security measures, ensuring smooth operations, high availability, and efficient data flow by troubleshooting issues, managing updates, and collaborating with other IT teams to meet business needs; key tasks include system architecture planning, capacity management, disaster recovery planning, and security configuration.

This role focuses heavily on the Microsoft ecosystem, inclusive of on-prem, cloud, and hybrid systems, including physical, virtual, and other logical system elements. It also includes non-Microsoft core infrastructure elements, such as Linux operating systems and storage platforms, as well as end-user workstations and mobile devices.

Key Responsibilities

System Design and Implementation

• Architecting and designing IT infrastructure solutions based on business requirements.
• Selecting hardware and software components for new infrastructure deployments.
• Implementing and configuring servers, virtual appliances, storage systems, and security tools.
• Overseeing infrastructure upgrades and migrations to new technologies.

Monitoring and Maintenance

• Continuously monitoring system performance and identifying potential issues through performance metrics.
• Proactively troubleshooting and resolving server and storage related problems.
• Performing system backups and disaster recovery testing to ensure data integrity and business continuity.
• Applying security patches and updates to maintain system security.
• Participate in an on-call rotation for Infrastructure systems support.

Capacity Management

• Forecasting future infrastructure needs based on business growth and usage patterns.
• Scaling infrastructure components to accommodate fluctuations in demand.

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• Optimizing resource utilization to maximize efficiency.

Collaboration, Mentorship & Support

• Working closely with other IT teams like application development, security, and network operations to ensure seamless integration.
• Providing technical support to end users, to other IT teams, and to the OT team, on infrastructure related issues.
• Mentor junior team members and serve as a technical escalation point for systems infrastructure related issues.
• Engage with Microsoft Premier Support and third-party vendors to resolve platform-specific incidents and optimize services
• Documenting system configurations and procedures for knowledge sharing.

Security and Compliance Management

• Implementing and enforcing security policies on the IT infrastructure.
• Regularly reviewing security logs and identifying potential security threats.
• Staying updated on emerging security trends and best practices.
• Implement security best practices within the Microsoft ecosystem, including role-based access controls, threat protection, and data governance policies.
• Collaborate with cybersecurity and compliance teams to maintain security posture and ensure regulatory compliance (e.g., SOX).
• Assist with internal and external audits related to systems and access management processes and controls.

Automation & Optimization

• Develop and maintain PowerShell scripts and automation workflows for system administration, user and system lifecycle management, and reporting.
• Drive efficiency improvements across the core Microsoft platform through process automation and configuration optimization.

Backup, Recovery & Business Continuity

• Administer backup and recovery solutions to ensure data protection and business continuity.
• Develop recovery procedures and ensure IT Infrastructure systems and services align with disaster recovery requirements.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• 7+ years of IT experience, with at least 4 years of hands-on experience administering and engineering Microsoft core on-prem platforms and hybrid cloud environments.

Technical Skills

• Deep understanding of server operating systems (Windows, Linux), server hardware, and server virtualization (VMWare, HyperV)
• Deep understanding of Microsoft Active Directory (AD) and authentication protocols, in on-prem, cloud (Entra ID), and federated configurations, with SSO and MFA, and with PowerShell-based automation.
• Expertise with end user device management, including provisioning, control, and security.
• Expertise with system configuration management, and with the Microsoft System Center suite.
• Expertise with software distribution architectures, tools and methods.
• Expertise with enterprise application delivery and access controls (VDI, Citrix).
• Expertise in network protocols and services (TCP/IP, DHCP, NTP)
• Experience implementing and managing storage platforms (SAN, NAS, DAS) and expertise with connectivity services for storage (Fiber Channel, iSCSI, NFS, SMB, CIFS)
• Expertise designing, implementing and supporting data services, including File Servers, File Systems and Shares, with security practices conforming to the Principle of Least Access to Data Privacy regulations and other best practices, with auditability.
• Familiarity with cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure) and related interconnectivity, federation, and tenant-management practices.
• Proficiency in PowerShell scripting and automation for Microsoft administration.
• Experience with Microsoft-based tools and policies for implementing security standards and Microsoft Defender.
• Familiarity with SOX-related IT controls.

Soft Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work with cross-functional teams
• Ability to prioritize tasks and manage projects effectively
• Attention to detail and commitment to quality