Platform Engineer -UCS & VMware

JR United Kingdom; London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in market infrastructure is seeking an experienced consultant for Cisco UCS firmware and ESXi upgrades. The role involves hands-on execution, troubleshooting, and optimization to ensure system stability during upgrades. Ideal candidates will have expertise in VMware and Cisco technologies, alongside strong automation skills.

Qualifications

• Deep technical expertise in Cisco UCS and VMware ESXi.
• Hands-on experience with UCS Fabric Interconnects and VMware clusters.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute UCS firmware upgrades across servers.
• Monitor system performance pre- and post-upgrade.
• Maintain detailed records of upgrade procedures.

Skills

VMware ESXi

Cisco UCS

Troubleshooting

Performance Tuning

Automation

Tools

PowerCLI

Ansible

Python

Job description

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Location: London, UK (Hybrid - 2-3days/week onsite)

Duration: 06+ Months

About the Client:

Our client is a global leader in market infrastructure, providing access to financial and commodities markets through innovative and responsible solutions. They specialize in improving price discovery, liquidity, and data distribution for clients worldwide.

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced consultant specializing in Cisco UCS firmware upgrades and ESX upgrades. The ideal candidate will have deep technical expertise in Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and VMware ESXi, with a strong focus on upgrade execution, troubleshooting, and system optimization.

This role requires hands-on experience with UCS Fabric Interconnects, service profiles, VMware clusters, and best practices for maintaining high availability and performance during upgrade processes.

Role Responsibilities

• UCS Firmware Upgrades:
• Plan, coordinate, and execute UCS firmware upgrades across Fabric Interconnects, blades, and rack servers.
• Ensure minimal downtime and system stability during upgrades.
• Troubleshoot any post-upgrade issues and coordinate resolutions with Cisco TAC if necessary.
• Upgrade VMware ESXi hosts and ensure compatibility with UCS firmware versions.
• Validate upgrades in staging/UAT environments before deployment to production.
• Address performance, compatibility, and licensing considerations post-upgrade.
• Performance Monitoring & Troubleshooting:
• Monitor system performance pre- and post-upgrade to ensure stability.
• Investigate and resolve any upgrade-related failures or performance degradations.
• Work with cross-functional teams to address any interoperability issues.
• Capacity Planning & Scalability:
• Assess current infrastructure to determine upgrade impacts and resource requirements.
• Plan for future scalability while ensuring UCS and ESXi environments remain optimized.
• Documentation & Reporting:
• Maintain detailed records of upgrade procedures, rollback plans, and post-upgrade reports.
• Provide recommendations for improving upgrade processes and minimizing operational risk.

Experience / Competencies

• VMware ESXi Expertise:
• Strong understanding of ESXi, vCenter, clustering (HA, DRS, vMotion), and Storage vMotion.
• Expertise in Cisco UCS Manager, Fabric Interconnects, service profiles, and hardware configurations.
• Firmware Upgrade Experience:
• Hands-on experience planning and executing UCS firmware and ESXi upgrades.
• Knowledge of upgrade dependencies, interoperability considerations, and rollback strategies.
• Performance Tuning & Troubleshooting:
• Ability to diagnose and resolve UCS and ESXi performance issues.
• Experience using VMware and Cisco diagnostic tools for root cause analysis.
• Automation & Scripting:
• Familiarity with PowerCLI, Ansible, or Python for automating upgrade-related tasks.
• Storage & SAN Connectivity:
• Understanding of integrating VMware with SAN/NAS storage (Fibre Channel, iSCSI).
• Experience handling P1/P2 incidents and working with Cisco TAC/VMware Support.
• Infrastructure Documentation:
• Ability to create detailed upgrade runbooks and troubleshooting guides.
• Experience with UCS Central for multi-site UCS management.
• Familiarity with VMware vSAN and NSX.
• Knowledge of hybrid cloud deployments (AWS/Azure VMware solutions).
• Understanding of ITIL change management processes.