Senior Patch Management Engineer/ Data Center Infrastructure /L2 – Mid-Level

HCLTech; Cary (NC); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Retirement plan (401(k)

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Job summary

HCLTech is seeking an L2 Senior Patch Management Engineer to own patch lifecycle across hybrid data centers (physical, virtual, cloud). You will manage tooling, automate patch workflows, and prioritize vulnerabilities based on CVSS and business impact.

The role requires deep expertise in Windows/Linux patching, virtualization, and CMDB maintenance, with collaboration across application, DBA, and storage teams to ensure patching with minimal downtime.

Qualifications

• Experience managing patching for Windows Server and Linux (RHEL/Ubuntu/SUSE).
• Hands-on with WSUS, SCCM SUP, Red Hat Satellite, and Ansible.
• Strong scripting skills in PowerShell and Bash; automation experience.
• Familiarity with vulnerability scanning (Qualys/Tenable) and CVE mapping.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end patch lifecycle for Windows and Linux servers.
• Maintain patch tooling and automation scripts.
• Analyse CVE data and prioritize patches by CVSS.
• Coordinate with apps/DB/storage teams for downtime-free patching.
• Drive patch compliance against SLAs.
• Maintain CMDB accuracy and present dashboards.

Skills

Windows Server administration

Linux skills

PowerShell scripting

Bash scripting

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (AZ-800/AZ-801)

VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualisation (VCP-DCV)

CompTIA Security+ or CySA+

ITIL 4 Foundation

Tools

WSUS

SCCM SUP

Red Hat Satellite

Ansible

vSphere

Hyper-V

AWS SSM Patch Manager

Azure Update Manager

Qualys

Tenable Nessus

ServiceNow

Job description

Title - Senior Patch Management Engineer/ Data Center Infrastructure /L2 – Mid-Level

Location - Cary, NC / Jacksonville, FL - (hybrid -3 days onsite a week)

ROLE SUMMARY

The L2 Senior Data Center Patch Management Engineer is responsible for the full lifecycle of server patching across a hybrid data center environment (physical, virtual, and cloud-connected). This includes toolchain management, automation development, vulnerability-driven prioritisation, and L1 escalation support. The role requires deep knowledge of enterprise server platforms, hypervisors, and infrastructure automation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage the end-to-end patch management lifecycle for Windows Server and Linux (RHEL/Ubuntu/SUSE) environments.
• Maintain and optimise patch management tooling: WSUS, SCCM SUP, Red Hat Satellite, Ansible, or similar.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts (PowerShell, Bash, Ansible playbooks) for patch orchestration, pre/post-checks, and compliance reporting.
• Analyse vulnerability scan outputs (Qualys, Tenable) and map CVEs to required patches; prioritise based on CVSS and business criticality.
• Design and maintain patching runbooks, maintenance window procedures, and rollback plans for server environments.
• Oversee VMware vSphere / Hyper‑V snapshot and backup verification before patching; manage rollback in failure scenarios.
• Co‑ordinate with application, DBA, and storage teams to ensure application‑consistent patching with zero unplanned downtime.
• Drive patch compliance metrics towards defined SLAs (Critical: 72 hrs, High: 7 days, Medium: 30 days).
• Act as L2 escalation point for patch‑related incidents; conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain CMDB accuracy for server patch status and configuration baseline.
• Present patch compliance dashboards and trend reports to management and security teams.
• Mentor L1 analysts and support onboarding of new team members.

TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

• Advanced Windows Server administration (2016/2019/2022): roles, features, update mechanisms (CBS, WUA).
• Strong Linux skills: RPM/YUM/DNF on RHEL; APT on Ubuntu; patch lifecycle, kernel updates, reboot management.
• Deep expertise in patch tooling: WSUS / SCCM SUP, Red Hat Satellite, Ansible Tower/AWX.
• Scripting: Advanced PowerShell and Bash; experience with Ansible YAML playbooks.
• Virtualisation: VMware vSphere (vCenter, ESXi), Hyper‑V – snapshot workflows and patching order (hosts before guests).
• Cloud exposure: AWS SSM Patch Manager or Azure Update Manager for hybrid environments.
• Vulnerability management: Qualys, Tenable Nessus/SC, mapping CVEs to patch remediation.
• ITSM: ServiceNow – change management, CMDB, and automated ticket creation.
• Understanding of storage (SAN/NAS) and cluster patching procedures (Windows Failover Cluster, RHEL HA).

SOFT SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Strong analytical skills to diagnose complex patch failures across layered infrastructure.
• Excellent planning and co‑ordination skills for large‑scale maintenance windows.
• Clear written and verbal communication with technical and management audiences.
• Risk‑aware mindset – balances security urgency with operational stability.
• Self‑driven; proactively identifies tooling gaps and implements improvements.

PREFERRED CERTIFICATIONS

• Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (AZ‑800/AZ‑801)
• VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualisation (VCP‑DCV)
• CompTIA Security+ or CySA+
• ITIL 4 Foundation or Managing Professional

Compensation and Benefits

A candidate’s pay within the range will depend on their skills, experience, education, and other factors permitted by law. This role may also be eligible for performance‑based bonuses subject to company policies. In addition, this role is eligible for the following benefits subject to company policies: medical, dental, vision, pharmacy, life, accidental death & dismemberment, and disability insurance; employee assistance program; 401(k) retirement plan; 10 days of paid time off per year (some positions are eligible for need‑based leave with no designated number of leave days per year); and 10 paid holidays per year.

Disclaimer

HCL is an equal opportunity employer, committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees regardless of race, religion, sex, color, age, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, physical disability or genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other protected classification, in accordance with federal, state, and/or local law. Should any applicant have concerns about discrimination in the hiring process, they should provide a detailed report of those concerns to [e-mail] for investigation.