Senior System Administrator

Alpha Data; Dubai; On-site; AED 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Alpha Data seeks a Senior Systems Administrator to lead enterprise server infrastructure across production, DR and test environments. The role emphasizes Windows Server, VMware, Exchange and 365, file servers, backups and security in a hands-on enterprise setting.

The candidate will manage lifecycle, patching, monitoring and documentation while collaborating with cross-functional teams to maintain high availability.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of hands-on experience in systems administration and enterprise IT infrastructure.
• Strong Windows Server administration experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with VMware vSphere, ESXi and vCenter.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365.
• Experience with file servers, NTFS permissions, storage and access management.
• Strong understanding of backup, restoration and disaster recovery.
• Experience with patch management and vulnerability remediation.
• Good understanding of DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, VLANs, VPN, routing and firewall concepts.
• Knowledge of server security, EDR, MFA, privileged access and hardening.
• Experience with infrastructure monitoring, ticketing and IT service management tools.

Responsibilities

• Manage and support physical and virtual server infrastructure across production, DR and test environments.
• Install, configure, maintain and troubleshoot Windows Server platforms.
• Monitor server health, performance, availability, storage and system logs.
• Manage server provisioning, upgrades, decommissioning and lifecycle activities.
• Maintain infrastructure documentation, configuration records and operational procedures.
• Coordinate with OEMs and vendors for hardware support, firmware updates and replacement activities.
• Administer VMware vSphere/ESXi/vCenter, create and manage VMs, HA/DR/vMotion.
• Monitor backups and perform restores, participate in DR drills.

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Senior Systems Administrator to join our IT Infrastructure team.

The role will be responsible for managing and supporting enterprise server infrastructure across production, disaster recovery and test environments. This includes Windows Server, VMware, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365, file servers, backup and disaster recovery, patch management, security and infrastructure operations.

The successful candidate will be hands-on, technically strong and comfortable working in a business-critical enterprise IT environment.

Key ResponsibilitiesServer & Infrastructure Administration

Senior Systems Administrator

Location: [Dubai, UAE]

Employment Type: Full-time

Experience: 7-10 years

Job Code - DXB-SYS-ENGG-L2-ONST50

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Systems Administrator to join our IT Infrastructure team.

The role will be responsible for managing and supporting enterprise server infrastructure across production, disaster recovery and test environments. This includes Windows Server, VMware, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365, file servers, backup and disaster recovery, patch management, security and infrastructure operations.

The successful candidate will be hands-on, technically strong and comfortable working in a business-critical enterprise IT environment.

Key ResponsibilitiesServer & Infrastructure Administration

• Manage and support physical and virtual server infrastructure across production, DR and test environments.
• Install, configure, maintain and troubleshoot Windows Server platforms.
• Monitor server health, performance, availability, storage and system logs.
• Manage server provisioning, upgrades, decommissioning and lifecycle activities.
• Maintain infrastructure documentation, configuration records and operational procedures.
• Coordinate with OEMs and vendors for hardware support, firmware updates and replacement activities.

VMware Virtualization

• Administer VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, clusters, virtual machines and datastores.
• Create, configure, migrate, clone and troubleshoot virtual machines.
• Support HA, DRS and vMotion environments.
• Monitor CPU, memory, storage and network utilization.
• Perform ESXi patching and virtualization platform maintenance.
• Troubleshoot VM availability, datastore and host connectivity issues.

Windows Server & Microsoft Platforms

• Manage Windows Server roles and services including DNS, DHCP, file services, IIS and remote access where applicable.
• Troubleshoot authentication, permissions, services, performance and application dependencies.
• Support server hardening, security baselines, patching and compliance requirements.
• Support Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365, including mailboxes, distribution groups, shared mailboxes, mail flow and permissions.
• Support Microsoft 365 services including Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint.
• Assist with hybrid Exchange and cloud migration activities where required.

Backup & Disaster Recovery

• Administer enterprise backup solutions covering servers, VMs, databases, file servers and critical applications.
• Monitor backup jobs and investigate failures.
• Perform file-level, VM-level and server-level restores.
• Maintain DR procedures, RPO/RTO requirements and recovery documentation.
• Participate in DR drills, failover testing and business continuity exercises.

Patching & Vulnerability Management

• Plan, test, deploy and validate server patches, security updates, firmware and application updates.
• Work with tools such as WSUS, SCCM / Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager or equivalent.
• Coordinate maintenance windows and minimize service disruption.
• Maintain patch compliance and support vulnerability remediation.

Security & Compliance

• Apply server hardening standards, security baselines, access controls and least-privilege principles.
• Support antivirus, EDR, encryption, vulnerability remediation and security monitoring activities.
• Participate in audits, access reviews and compliance assessments.
• Follow privileged access management and change-control requirements.

Monitoring, Incident & Change Management

• Monitor infrastructure using enterprise monitoring tools and respond to alerts.
• Troubleshoot complex incidents involving servers, virtualization, email, storage, backup and authentication.
• Perform root-cause analysis and implement preventive actions.
• Prepare implementation plans, impact assessments, rollback plans and post-change validation.
• Maintain accurate incident records, change logs, technical documentation and SOPs.
• Work closely with Network, Security, Application, Database and Service Desk teams.
  

What We're Looking For

• 7-10 years of hands-on experience in systems administration and enterprise IT infrastructure.
• Strong Windows Server administration experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with VMware vSphere, ESXi and vCenter.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft 365.
• Experience with file servers, NTFS permissions, storage and access management.
• Strong understanding of backup, restoration and disaster recovery.
• Experience with patch management and vulnerability remediation.
• Good understanding of DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, VLANs, VPN, routing and firewall concepts.
• Knowledge of server security, EDR, MFA, privileged access and hardening.
• Experience with infrastructure monitoring, ticketing and IT service management tools.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across server, virtualization, storage, backup and Microsoft environments.

Professional Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Good communication and stakeholder coordination skills.
• Comfortable handling critical incidents and working under pressure.
• Strong documentation and reporting skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and infrastructure activities.
• Customer-focused and service-oriented approach.
• Ability to work independently as well as part of a technical team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or diploma in IT, Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a related field.
• 7-10 years of relevant enterprise IT infrastructure experience.
• Experience supporting business-critical infrastructure.

Preferred Certifications

Relevant certifications are an advantage, including:

• Microsoft Windows Server / Microsoft 365 certifications
• VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization
• ITIL Foundation
• CompTIA Server+, Network+ or Security+
• VeeAM, Veritas, CommVault or equivalent backup certifications
• Relevant security or compliance certifications

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to work in a technically diverse enterprise environment, supporting critical infrastructure across server, virtualization, Microsoft, backup, disaster recovery and security domains.

If you are a hands-on infrastructure professional who enjoys solving complex technical problems and taking ownership of enterprise systems, we would like to hear from you.