Lead Infrastructure Engineer - Windows Server

State Farm; Bloomington (IL); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual raise and bonus

Healthcare premium coverage

Tuition assistance and education benefi

Time off and life-work balance

Job summary

State Farm's IWTS IaaS Engineering team in Bloomington is hiring a senior engineering role focused on Windows Server modernization and enterprise infrastructure initiatives. The engineer will collaborate with ET product teams and service delivery partners to deliver secure, scalable infrastructure.

The role emphasizes mentorship and cross-functional collaboration in a hybrid work setting. The ideal candidate brings deep Windows Server expertise, experience with Active Directory modernization,

Qualifications

• Advanced Windows Server engineering experience, including modernization, architecture, design, deployment, and troubleshooting of enterprise environments.
• Experience with Windows Server 2019, 2022, and/or 2025, including deployment, configuration, security, patching, upgrades, and performance.
• Experience with Active Directory modernization and Microsoft Entra ID integration, including hybrid identity, migration strategies, Group Policy, DNS, authentication, and enterprise directory architecture.
• Experience with Windows application packaging and enterprise software deployment modernization efforts.
• Strong scripting and automation skills for Windows Server provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and its potential impact on Windows Server, Active Directory, certificates, authentication, and encryption.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills across Windows Server and supporting infrastructure.
• Experience evaluating emerging technologies through hands-on engineering, prototyping, testing, and Proofs of Concept (POCs).
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives, establish engineering standards, and influence technical direction.
• Demonstrated commitment to mentoring and developing engineers, including sharing technical expertise, guidance on complex engineering challenges, and fostering continuous learning.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, including collaboration with technical teams, vendors, and external technology partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex technical modernization initiatives and set engineering standards across IWTS IaaS.
• Collaborate with ET product teams to understand requirements and evaluate infrastructure changes.
• Work with IWTS Service Delivery and MSP for validation of proposed solutions and changes.
• Partner with Area Level Architecture to identify future capability strategies and standardize architecture.

Skills

Windows Server

Active Directory

Automation scripting

POCs

Hybrid identity

Azure

IaC

Tools

Ansible

Terraform

GitOps

Azure

Job description

Overview

Being good neighbors – helping people, investing in our communities, and making the world a better place – is who we are at State Farm. It is at the core of how we operate and the reason for our success. We're moving with urgency to become a Next Gen Good Neighbor, with technology that strengthens human connections and enhances the customer experience. As an employee, you'll spend less time navigating systems and more time applying judgment, empathy, and expertise in the moments that matter most. HYBRID: Hybrid Work Arrangement: A “Hybrid” position means selected candidates will be assigned to a facility and will spend some time working both in the office and from home. For Enterprise Technology, a hybrid work arrangement will require approximately 40% in‑office time each month, beginning in late 2027. HUB LOCATIONS: Bloomington, IL SPONSORSHIP: Applicants are required to be eligible to lawfully work in the U.S. immediately; employer will not sponsor applicants for U.S. work authorization (e.g., H-1B visa) for this opportunity.

Responsibilities

The Infrastructure, Workplace, and Technology Services (IWTS) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Engineering team works across a large breadth of technologies allowing a unique learning opportunity amongst the team. IWTS Engineering teams have the freedom to focuson hands‑on prototyping, research efforts, and Proof of Concepts (POCs) without day‑to‑day support obligations. IWTS Engineering teams are responsible for collaborating with ET product teams to understand and evaluate technical requirements that may result in infrastructure offering modifications. IWTS Engineering teams will work closely with the IWTS Service Delivery teams and a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to evaluate and validate proposed technical solutions and changes. IWTS Engineering teams will work closely with IWTS Area Level Architecture to identify areas of improvement, changes to architectural standards, and future state capability strategies. Additionally, IWTS Engineering teams work with the Project Support Office (PSO) as technical resources in validation of project estimates and requirements or as technical resources on defined projects. The ideal candidate combines deep Windows Server expertise with a broad understanding of enterprise infrastructure and has demonstrated the ability to lead complex technical modernization initiatives, influence engineering direction, and collaborate across technology disciplines. As a member of the IWTS IaaS Engineering team, you will be challenged and empowered to grow professionally. We appreciate your interest in this role.

Qualifications

Required:

• Advanced Windows Server engineering experience, including modernization, architecture, design, deployment, and troubleshooting of enterprise environments.
• Strong experience with Windows Server 2019, 2022, and/or 2025, including deployment, configuration, security, patching, upgrades, and performance.
• Experience with Active Directory modernization and Microsoft Entra ID integration, including hybrid identity, migration strategies, Group Policy, DNS, authentication, and enterprise directory architecture.
• Experience with Windows application packaging and enterprise software deployment modernization efforts.
• Strong scripting and automation skills for Windows Server provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and its potential impact on Windows Server, Active Directory, certificates, authentication, and encryption.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills across Windows Server and supporting infrastructure.
• Experience evaluating emerging technologies through hands‑on engineering, prototyping, testing, and Proofs of Concept (POCs).
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives, establish engineering standards, and influence technical direction.
• Demonstrated commitment to mentoring and developing engineers, including sharing technical expertise, providing guidance on complex engineering challenges, and fostering continuous learning and growth across the team.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, including collaboration with technical teams, vendors, and external technology partners.
• Ability to professionally represent the company at industry conferences, technical events, vendor engagements, and other external forums.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with enterprise virtualization platforms
• Experience with data center infrastructure and enterprise compute, including physical servers, hardware lifecycle, racks, power, cooling, cabling, and capacity planning.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC), automation, and GitOps, using technologies such as Ansible, Terraform, APIs, and Git‑based workflows.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure, hybrid cloud, and platform engineering concepts and practices.
• Experience with monitoring, observability, logging, and reporting to improve infrastructure performance, reliability, availability, and capacity management.
• Working knowledge of security, governance, risk management, and compliance principles and processes.
• Experience working across compute, virtualization, storage, networking, cybersecurity, cloud, and data center technologies.
• Experience collaborating with vendors, managed service providers, architecture, engineering, and operational teams.
• Demonstrated ability to foster innovation, encourage diverse perspectives, and incorporate new ideas into technical solutions and engineering practices.
• Relevant industry certifications in infrastructure, Microsoft technologies, cloud, virtualization, or related technical disciplines.

Our Benefits

Because work-life balance is a priority at State Farm, compensation is based on our standard 38:45‑hour work week!

• Potential starting salary range: $110,000 - $160,000
  • Starting salary will be based on skills, background, and experience
  • High end of the range limited to applicants with significant relevant experience
• Potential yearly incentive pay up to 15% of base salary

At State Farm, we offer more than just a paycheck. Check out our suite of benefits designed to give you the flexibility you need to take care of you and your family!

• Get Paid! On top of our competitive pay, you are eligible for an annual raise and bonus.
• Stay Well! Focus on you and your family’s health with our robust health and wellbeing programs. State Farm pays most of your healthcare premium, and we offer multiple healthcare plan options, including a high deductible plan. All medical plans provide 100% coverage for in‑network preventative care, AND you and your family have access to vision, dental, telemedicine, 24/7 mental health professionals, and much more!
• Develop and Grow! Take advantage of educational benefits like industry leading training programs, top‑notch tuition assistance programs, employee resource groups, and mentoring.
• Plan Ahead! Plan for those big moments in life with benefits like fertility/IVF/adoption assistance, college coaching, national discount programs, interactive monthly financial workshops, free financial coaching, and more. You can also start a savings account or consider financing through our State Farm Federal Credit Union!
• Take a Little “You” Time! You will have access to our generous time off policies designed so you can plan around holidays, family events, volunteering, or just to take a relaxing day off. With the opportunity to initially earn up to 20 days annually plus parental leave, paid holidays, celebration day, life leave (40 hours/year), bereavement leave, and community service/education support days, there will be plenty of time for you!
• Give Back! We offer several ways to give back through our Matching Gift Program, Good Neighbor Grant Program, and the Employee Assistance Fund.
• Finish Strong! Plan for retirement using free financial advisors and a 401(k) plan with company contributions of up to 7% of your salary.

Visit our State Farm Careers page for more information on our benefits, locations, and the hiring process of joining the State Farm team!