NeverDown: Senior Systems Engineer (QA Lab)

The Connors Group; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

The Connors Group is seeking a highly technical Senior Systems Engineer to join as a long-term consultant. You will design, build, manage, and document enterprise lab and test environments to evaluate, test, automate, and validate new technologies before production deployment.

The role is hybrid (3 days onsite) with commutable locations to Warren, NJ, Westport, CT, or NYC. You will work with infrastructure, architecture, cybersecurity, and engineering teams to support platform modernization and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of Systems Engineer/Infrastructure experience.
• Experience building/managing enterprise lab/test environments.
• Strong Microsoft infrastructure expertise (Windows Server, AD, DNS/DHCP, M365, Azure, SQL Server).
• Hands-on VMware administration across virtual infra and vCenter.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain enterprise lab/test environments for evaluation, automation, and validation.
• Document lab architecture, topology, and test results.
• Support governance, access controls, and onboarding for lab environments.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, architecture, cybersecurity, and engineering teams on initiatives.
• Translate production standards to repeatable lab/QA/validation practices.

Skills

Microsoft infrastructure

VMware

Storage technologies

Backup/Recovery

Microsoft 365

Azure

SQL Server

Automation

Networking

Documentation

Lab environments

Troubleshooting

Tools

PowerShell

Python

Ansible

Terraform

Job description

We are seeking a highly technical Senior Systems Engineer to join the organization in a long-term consultant capacity. This individual will be responsible for designing, building, managing, and documenting enterprise lab and test environments used to evaluate, test, automate, and validate new technologies before production deployment.

Hybrid 3 days a week. Must be commutable to Warren, NJ, Westport, CT, or NYC.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on infrastructure engineer who enjoys building environments from scratch and has strong expertise across Microsoft infrastructure, VMware virtualization, storage, networking, backup/recovery,

Microsoft 365, Azure, SQL Server, and automation. This person will partner with infrastructure, architecture, cybersecurity, and engineering teams to support innovation initiatives, proof-of-concepts, technology evaluations, platform modernization, Never Down readiness, and repeatable QA/lab validation practices. This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days per week onsite.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, maintain, refresh, and troubleshoot enterprise lab and test environments used for technology evaluation, automation, integration testing, resiliency validation, and pre-production readiness.
• Build environments from scratch that mirror key in-house technology patterns and support repeatable proof-of-concept, implementation, and validation activities.
• Document lab architecture, topology, dependencies, access, configuration details, startup/shutdown procedures, support contacts, and test results.
• Maintain clean, reliable, and well-documented lab environments that support repeatable testing, integration validation, failover exercises, and complex troubleshooting.
• Define and support the full lifecycle of lab and QA environment requests, including intake, approval, provisioning, inventory tracking, support, reconciliation, inactivity review, cleanup, and decommissioning.
• Support access governance and audit requirements, including tracking who has access to lab environments, how credentials or secrets are managed, and how access is reviewed or removed over time.
• Help enforce clear lab boundaries, including no production workloads, no production credentials, no enterprise system integration, and no long-term operational data storage unless formally approved through production onboarding.
• Evaluate, test, and validate new infrastructure technologies before production deployment.
• Perform proof-of-concepts, pilot implementations, system upgrades, and platform modernization activities in partnership with infrastructure, architecture, cybersecurity, and engineering teams.
• Translate production standards into repeatable lab, QA, and validation practices that reduce deployment risk and improve operational readiness.
• Document designs, test plans, validation results, implementation procedures, known issues, and lessons learned.

Systems, Virtualization, Storage & Network Engineering

• Engineer and support Microsoft-based infrastructure environments, including Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Microsoft 365, Azure, and SQL Server platforms.
• Manage VMware virtualization platforms and supporting storage technologies used in lab, QA, non-production, and production-adjacent environments.
• Support NetApp storage environments, enterprise backup/recovery solutions, and related operational procedures.
• Configure and troubleshoot Cisco networking components, and partner with network teams on routing, switching, VLANs, firewall connectivity, and access requirements in lab and production environments.

Automation, Operational Excellence & Troubleshooting

• Develop automation, scripts, checklists, and repeatable processes to improve provisioning, validation, testing, environment refreshes, evidence capture, and operational efficiency.
• Troubleshoot complex infrastructure issues across compute, storage, networking, cloud, operating systems, Microsoft platforms, application services, and security controls.
• Identify recurring issues and recommend improvements that reduce manual effort, configuration drift, dependency gaps, and deployment risk.
• Communicate clearly with technical and business stakeholders during evaluations, testing, issue triage, upgrades, modernization work, and implementation events.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of Systems Engineering, Infrastructure Engineering, lab engineering, QA/test environment, or production support experience.
• Experience building, managing, refreshing, or supporting enterprise lab/test environments.
• Strong Microsoft infrastructure expertise, including Windows Server, Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Microsoft 365, Azure, and SQL Server environments.
• Hands‑on VMware administration and engineering experience across virtual infrastructure, clusters, hosts, vCenter, and supporting operational practices.
• Experience with enterprise storage technologies, preferably NetApp, plus backup/recovery solutions and related operational processes.
• Cisco networking experience and ability to troubleshoot connectivity, VLAN, routing, switching, and firewall‑adjacent issues in partnership with network/security teams.
• Strong systems administration and infrastructure engineering background with the ability to design, test, validate, and document new technologies before production rollout.
• Strong troubleshooting, root‑cause analysis, documentation, communication, and cross‑team collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• AI, infrastructure automation, or platform engineering experience.
• Development or scripting background such as PowerShell, Python, Ansible, Terraform, or similar tools.
• Palo Alto firewall experience or strong familiarity with enterprise security/network controls.
• Experience supporting financial services, investment banking, or other highly regulated environments.
• Experience with enterprise‑scale infrastructure modernization initiatives, cloud adoption, resiliency programs, or NeverDown / high‑availability validation efforts.
• Familiarity with VMware, NetApp, Microsoft 365, Azure, SQL Server, Cisco, enterprise backup/recovery, monitoring platforms, ServiceNow/CMDB, and operational documentation standards.
• Hands‑on builder who enjoys creating lab and test environments from scratch.
• Broad, versatile systems engineer with strong technical curiosity and “jack of all trades” infrastructure depth.
• Comfortable moving across Microsoft, VMware, storage, networking, cloud, automation, and security‑adjacent topics to solve problems.
• Operationally disciplined with strong documentation, runbook, and evidence‑capture habits.
• Collaborative and able to work effectively across infrastructure, architecture, cybersecurity, engineering, application, and operations teams.
• Practical, methodical, and focused on repeatability, modernization, testing quality, and production readiness.