Expert Systems Engineer, AIX

Ensono; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 125,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited Paid Days Off

401(k) with company match

Flexible work schedule

Wellness program

Job summary

Ensono is looking for an AIX Expert System Engineer to serve as a senior technical authority overseeing the architecture and optimization of IBM AIX environments. Responsibilities include leading large-scale migrations, ensuring high availability, and providing expert consultation on critical infrastructure.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with AIX systems and a strong focus on automation and continuous improvement. This is a great opportunity to impact business-critical workloads.

Qualifications

• 12–15+ years of hands-on experience in IBM AIX and Power Systems.
• Proven experience leading large-scale migrations.
• Expert knowledge of AIX OS administration and kernel internals.

Responsibilities

• Act as a technical owner and subject-matter expert for AIX platforms.
• Architect and manage AIX OS lifecycle management.
• Lead performance analysis and optimization efforts.

Skills

IBM AIX and Power Systems experience

Expert-level AIX OS administration

PowerVM, VIOS, HMC expertise

Advanced shell scripting

Strong troubleshooting skills

Tools

PowerVM

Ansible

Job description

About the role and what you’ll be doing

The AIX Expert System Engineer is a senior technical authority responsible for the architecture, engineering, optimization, and strategic evolution of IBM AIX and Power Systems environments. This role serves as the highest level of technical expertise, owning complex platform decisions, large‑scale migrations, performance engineering, automation, and resiliency design for business‑critical workloads.

Responsibilities

Platform Architecture & Engineering

• Act as technical owner and subject‑matter expert (SME) for IBM AIX and Power Systems platforms
• Design, architect, and standardize enterprise‑scale AIX and pSeries environments
• Define and maintain architecture standards, build patterns, and best practices
• Provide expert guidance for capacity planning, scalability, and platform modernization
• Review and approve complex designs related to compute, storage, virtualization, and networking

IBM Power & Virtualization Expertise

• Deep expertise in PowerVM, VIOS, and advanced AIX virtualization
• Architect and manage HMC environments (v9 & v10)
• Architecture and management of Power8, Power9, and Power10 systems
• Manage DLPAR, LPM, NPIV, virtual networking, virtual storage, SR‑IOV, vNIC adapters
• Lead VIOS architecture, build, upgrade, and high‑availability design
• Perform pSeries hardware commissioning, refresh, and consolidation projects

Lifecycle Management & Migrations

• Lead AIX OS lifecycle management, including upgrades, patching, and kernel tuning
• Architect and execute AIX OS migrations (6.1 → 7.1 → 7.2 → 7.3)
• Manage hardware refresh and data center migrations
• Lead storage and SAN migrations
• Own and optimize NIM (Network Installation Manager) design and usage
• Design zero‑downtime or minimal‑impact migration strategies

Performance, Reliability & Resilience

• Perform advanced performance analysis, workload optimization, and tuning
• Design high availability, fault tolerance, and resiliency models
• Define and govern Disaster Recovery (DR) and Business Continuity (BC) strategies
• Analyze platform risks and implement proactive mitigations
• Define monitoring standards and performance KPIs

Incident, RCA & Problem Management

• Act as final escalation authority for critical and recurring AIX incidents
• Lead Major Incident Management (MIM) and complex RCA investigations
• Perform trend analysis, identify systemic issues, and drive long‑term fixes
• Coordinate with IBM and hardware/storage vendors for deep technical resolutions

Automation & Continuous Improvement

• Drive automation‑first strategy for AIX operations
• Develop and review Shell, Perl, and Python automation frameworks
• Integrate automation with Ansible or enterprise orchestration tools
• Reduce manual effort, improve consistency, and enhance platform reliability

Governance, Documentation & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to ITIL, security, audit, and compliance requirements
• Define technical governance and change standards for the AIX platform
• Author and maintain architecture documents, SOPs, runbooks, and KB articles
• Support audits and ensure platform compliance with enterprise policies

Leadership, Consulting & Mentoring

• Provide expert consultation to stakeholders, architects, and senior leadership
• Mentor and technically guide L3 engineers and system architects
• Support complex client engagements, audits, and transformation programs
• Communicate complex technical concepts to non‑technical audiences

Required Skills & Experience

• 12–15+ years of hands‑on experience in IBM AIX and Power Systems
• Expert‑level knowledge of AIX OS administration and kernel internals
• PowerVM, VIOS, and HMC expertise
• pSeries architecture mastery
• Strong expertise in SAN storage, HA, DR, and enterprise networking
• Proven experience leading large‑scale migrations and transformations
• Advanced shell scripting and automation skills
• Excellent troubleshooting and analytical capabilities

Preferred Qualifications

• IBM Certifications in AIX System Administration, Power Systems/pSeries Hardware, Performance Tuning, and Network Administration
• Experience in mission‑critical, regulated, or global enterprise environments
• Exposure to hybrid cloud or IBM Power on Cloud architectures

Professional Attributes

• Strategic thinker with strong technical depth
• Calm and decisive during critical outages
• Excellent communication and documentation skills
• Strong ownership mindset with attention to detail
• Collaborative leader and trusted technical advisor
• Comfortable working in rotational on‑call models when required

Benefits

• Unlimited Paid Days Off
• Three health plan options
• 401(k) with company match
• Eligibility for dental, vision, short and long‑term disability, life and AD&D coverage, and flexible spending accounts
• Family Forming Benefit including fertility coverage and adoption/surrogacy reimbursement
• Paid childbearing and paternal leave
• Education Reimbursement, Student Loan Assistance or 529 College Funding
• Sabbatical leave
• Wellness program
• Flexible work schedule

Compensation

Estimated pay for this role is $125,000 to $163,000 annually based on a full‑time schedule. Base salary and additional compensation such as an annual bonus plan and equity grant are subject to eligibility and business needs.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ensono is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We are committed to providing equal employment to our Associates and building a diverse and inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable law.

Pay Transparency Statement

Pay transparency nondiscrimination statement/posting OFCCP’s pay transparency policy can be found on OFCCP’s website (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/OFCCP/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf).

Accessibility

If you need accommodation at any point during the application or interview process, please contact your recruiter or email [e-mail].

JR013758