Windows Server Engineer

Franklin Bates; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 49,500 - 60,500; Full time

Job summary

Franklin Bates is seeking a Principal Platform Engineer to join a non-profit organisation's infrastructure team. This role requires expertise in Windows Server and Azure Infrastructure, with a salary of up to £55,000 plus benefits. The ideal candidate will manage and improve a hybrid infrastructure estate, ensuring security and operational excellence across platforms.

You will take ownership of complex technical issues, lead infrastructure projects, and develop best practices. This position is key for ensuring service availability and resilience within both on-premises and cloud environments.

Qualifications

• Proven experience supporting and administering Microsoft Azure infrastructure.
• Deep knowledge of Active Directory, DNS, and Group Policy.
• Experience managing patching, security baselines, and vulnerability remediation.

Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain Windows Server infrastructure across on‑premises and Azure environments.
• Lead patching, vulnerability remediation, security hardening, and compliance initiatives.
• Deliver infrastructure upgrades, migrations, and platform improvement projects.

Skills

Windows Server

Azure Infrastructure

Active Directory

Security compliance

Backup and disaster recovery

Vulnerability remediation

Job description

Location: 1-2 days a week required in the Central London office

Salary: up to £55,000 + benefits

We are working exclusively with a well-established non-profit organisation who are seeking an experienced Principal Platform Engineer (Windows Server Engineer) to join their infrastructure team. This is an excellent opportunity for a senior Microsoft infrastructure professional who enjoys owning and improving enterprise platforms across both on-premises and Azure environments.

Our client is specifically looking for a hands‑on engineer with deep expertise across Windows Server, Azure Infrastructure, Active Directory, security, patching, and operational excellence – this is not a cloud‑native, DevOps, or Kubernetes‑focused role. You will play a key role in maintaining and enhancing a critical hybrid infrastructure estate, acting as a senior technical escalation point whilst driving platform improvements, security standards, and infrastructure projects.

The Opportunity

As Principal Platform Engineer, this position requires someone who can operate independently, take ownership of complex technical issues, lead infrastructure projects, and contribute to the development of standards, documentation, and best practice. You will be responsible for the ongoing management, support, security, and evolution of the organisation's Microsoft infrastructure estate. You will work across both on‑premises and Azure environments, ensuring services remain secure, resilient, and highly available.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and maintain Windows Server infrastructure across on‑premises and Azure environments.
• Maintain Azure infrastructure including virtual machines, storage, networking, and platform services.
• Administer and support Active Directory, DNS, Group Policy, and core Microsoft services.
• Lead patching, vulnerability remediation, security hardening, and compliance initiatives.
• Manage backup and recovery processes, ensuring business continuity and recovery readiness.
• Deliver infrastructure upgrades, migrations, and platform improvement projects.
• Act as a senior technical escalation point for complex infrastructure issues.
• Develop and maintain technical standards, procedures, and documentation.
• Work closely with internal teams and third‑party suppliers to support service delivery.

We are looking for candidates who have previously worked as:

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Proven experience supporting and administering Microsoft Azure infrastructure.
• Deep knowledge of Active Directory, DNS, and Group Policy.
• Experience managing patching, security baselines, and vulnerability remediation.
• Backup and disaster recovery expertise within enterprise environments.
• Experience working within structured change management and ITIL‑led environments.
• The ability to lead technical initiatives and take ownership of critical infrastructure services.

Profile Sought

This role would suit a technically strong infrastructure professional who combines deep Microsoft expertise with a proactive, ownership‑driven mindset. The ideal candidate will be comfortable balancing operational support, infrastructure improvement, security compliance, and project delivery whilst remaining hands‑on with the technology.

If you are looking for a role where you can make a genuine impact on a complex hybrid infrastructure environment and continue developing your Azure expertise, we would love to hear from you.