Senior Systems Engineer / Level 3 Engineer

People 1st IT; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

People 1st IT is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join our MSP-focused team. The role emphasizes ownership of complex IT projects, migrations, and infrastructure improvements, with approximately 75% remote work and periodic onsite client engagements in the Bay Area.

The ideal candidate will drive enterprise migrations, design resilient AD/Azure environments, and coordinate with vendors while delivering proactive support and strong documentation.

Qualifications

• Senior IT infrastructure experience in MSP environments.
• Strong troubleshooting across servers, cloud, networks, and endpoints.
• Ability to manage technical projects with limited supervision.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; strong documentation.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute client IT infrastructure projects from start to finish.
• Lead Microsoft 365 migrations and related cloud projects.
• Design, deploy, migrate, and troubleshoot Windows Server and AD environments.
• Implement and support Entra ID, Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive.
• Perform server migrations, upgrades, virtualization projects, and modernization.
• Design and troubleshoot networks including firewalls, switches, VLANs, VPNs, and site-to-site connectivity.
• Deploy and maintain backup and disaster recovery solutions.
• Serve as escalation point for L1/L2 technicians.
• Coordinate with vendors and clients; maintain project documentation.
• Communicate technical issues clearly to technical and nontechnical contacts.
• Onsite client work across the Bay Area.

Skills

MSP environments

Cloud migration

Project ownership

Escalation handling

Tools

Microsoft 365

Azure AD

Exchange Online

SharePoint/OneDrive

VMware/Hyper-V

Job description

People 1st, IT Inc Senior Systems Engineer / Level 3 Engineer

Work Arrangement: Approximately 75% Remote / 25% Client Onsite

Employment Type: Full-Time

Location: San Francisco Bay Area NO REMOTE APPLICANTS ACCEPTED

Position Overview

People 1st IT is looking for an experienced Level 3 Engineer / Senior Systems Engineer to join our technical team. This is a senior technical role focused primarily on project implementation, infrastructure improvements, migrations, advanced troubleshooting, and technical escalations within a managed services environment.

The position is approximately 75% remote, with occasional onsite work at client locations for projects, implementations, assessments, or issues that require a physical presence.

The ideal candidate is comfortable taking ownership of complex technical projects from planning through implementation, working directly with clients, coordinating with vendors, documenting environments, and serving as an escalation resource for other technicians.

Primary Responsibilities

• Plan and execute client IT infrastructure projects from beginning to completion.
• Lead Microsoft 365 migrations, tenant configuration, and related cloud projects.
• Design, deploy, migrate, and troubleshoot Windows Server and Active Directory environments.
• Implement and support Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive.
• Perform server migrations, upgrades, virtualization projects, and infrastructure modernization.
• Design and troubleshoot networks, including firewalls, switches, wireless infrastructure, VLANs, VPNs, and site-to-site connectivity.
• Deploy and maintain backup and disaster recovery solutions.
• Perform advanced troubleshooting and serve as an escalation point for Level 1 and Level 2 technicians.
• Perform client infrastructure assessments and recommend technical improvements.
• Coordinate with third-party vendors, ISPs, software providers, and other technology partners.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, diagrams, credentials, configurations, and project notes.
• Create implementation plans, migration plans, and project documentation.
• Communicate technical issues and recommendations clearly to both technical and nontechnical client contacts.
• Participate in onsite client work throughout the Bay Area.
• Assist with critical incidents and complex technical issues when necessary.

Technical Experience

• Microsoft 365 administration
• Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD
• Exchange Online
• SharePoint and OneDrive
• Microsoft Teams
• Windows Server
• Active Directory / Group Policy / DNS / DHCP
• Microsoft Azure
• Hyper-V and/or VMware
• Microsoft Intune / endpoint management
• Firewalls, switches, VLANs, VPNs, and wireless networking
• Ubiquiti / UniFi environments
• VOIP systems
• Backup and disaster recovery platforms
• Endpoint security / EDR solutions
• Remote monitoring and management platforms
• MSP documentation and ticketing systems
• Domain, DNS, SSL, and certificate management

Project Experience

The ideal candidate should have independently completed projects such as:

• Microsoft 365 migrations
• Server replacements and migrations
• Active Directory migrations
• File server and SharePoint migrations
• Office relocations and new-site deployments
• Firewall and network replacements
• Wi‑Fi deployments
• Cloud migrations
• Backup and disaster recovery implementations
• Infrastructure upgrades and modernization
• Tenant‑to‑tenant migrations
• Security and identity improvements

Qualifications

• Several years of senior‑level IT infrastructure experience, preferably within an MSP environment.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across servers, cloud platforms, networks, and endpoints.
• Ability to independently manage technical projects with limited supervision.
• Strong understanding of MSP operations and multi‑client environments.
• Comfortable working directly with executives, managers, vendors, and client IT contacts.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent documentation and organizational skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple client projects and technical issues simultaneously.
• Reliable transportation and ability to occasionally travel to client locations in the Bay Area.

What We’re Looking For

We are looking for someone who is not just a ticket‑based support technician. This person should be comfortable owning projects, making technical decisions, solving complex problems, and taking responsibility for client infrastructure.

The right candidate should be able to receive a project objective, evaluate the existing environment, develop an implementation plan, coordinate the necessary resources, execute the work, test the solution, document it, and successfully hand it off to the support team.

The role is primarily remote, but the engineer is expected to travel to onsite locations as projects or client situations require.