Senior Systems Engineer / Solutions Architect

van den Boom & Associates LLC; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

vdBA SecureOps is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer / Solutions Architect to lead security‑driven MSP delivery for life sciences clients. You will design Microsoft 365/Azure solutions, enforce security controls, and mentor engineers while building automation and AI tooling to streamline operations.

You will work directly with clients, scope engagements, and shape proposals while maintaining architecture standards in a fast‑growing practice.

Qualifications

• Must have hands-on Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 administration and architecture experience.
• Strong security background: IAM, endpoint security, conditional access and best practices.
• PowerShell scripting proficiency required.
• Interest in automation and AI tooling (Claude) for client environments.
• Proven escalation point experience for a service desk or support team.
• Experience designing client solutions, including scoping and documentation.
• Excellent client communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Tier 3 escalation point for the service desk across infrastructure, cloud, and security.
• Mentor Tier 1/2 technicians; build runbooks and technical docs.
• Own root-cause analysis for recurring incidents.
• Design end-to-end Microsoft 365/Azure solutions including identity, security, and networking.
• Lead client engagements, contribute to proposals and SOWs, estimate effort.
• Lead onboarding and migrations into the managed environment.
• Establish and maintain architecture standards and reference designs.
• Architect and administer Microsoft 365 and Azure environments with strong security controls.

Skills

Azure & M365

IAM & Security

PowerShell

Automation & AI

Escalation Point

Solution Design

Client Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Claude

ConnectWise

NinjaOne

Job description

About The Role

vdBA SecureOps is building a security-led managed services practice for life sciences clients. The Senior Systems Engineer / Solutions Architect is the most senior technical resource on the delivery team — the Tier 3 escalation point for the service desk, the designer of the Microsoft-centric, security-hardened environments our clients run on, and a builder of the automation and AI tooling that keeps the team efficient as we scale. This role blends deep hands‑on engineering with client‑facing solution design.

About The Role

vdBA SecureOps is building a security-led managed services practice for life sciences clients. The Senior Systems Engineer / Solutions Architect is the most senior technical resource on the delivery team — the Tier 3 escalation point for the service desk, the designer of the Microsoft-centric, security-hardened environments our clients run on, and a builder of the automation and AI tooling that keeps the team efficient as we scale. This role blends deep hands‑on engineering with client‑facing solution design.

Key Responsibilities

Escalation & Technical Leadership

• Serve as the Tier 3 escalation point for the service desk, resolving the most complex issues across infrastructure, cloud, and security.
• Mentor and train Tier 1/2 technicians; build technical documentation and runbooks that raise the team's overall capability.
• Own root-cause analysis for recurring or high-impact incidents.

Solution Design & Architecture

• Design end-to-end technical solutions for clients spanning Microsoft 365, Azure, identity/security, networking, and endpoint management.
• Partner with sales and leadership to scope new client engagements, contribute to proposals/SOWs, and estimate effort.
• Lead technical onboarding and migrations for new clients into the managed environment.
• Establish and maintain architecture standards and reference designs the team can build against consistently.

Microsoft Cloud & Security Engineering

• Architect and administer Microsoft 365 and Azure environments: identity (Entra ID/Azure AD, conditional access), Intune/endpoint management, Exchange Online, SharePoint/OneDrive, and Azure infrastructure.
• Implement and maintain security controls across the Microsoft stack: MFA/conditional access, endpoint protection, DLP, and identity governance.
• Support alignment of client environments to compliance frameworks (SOC 2, HIPAA, HITRUST) in partnership with the security team.

Automation & AI Tooling

• Build automation using PowerShell (and other scripting languages) to streamline provisioning, monitoring, and remediation across client environments.
• Design and build AI-assisted tooling and agents — using platforms like Claude — to automate documentation, ticket triage, reporting, and other repeatable workflows.
• Continuously look for opportunities to reduce manual ticket volume through automation and self-service.

Infrastructure & Networking

• Support broader infrastructure needs: server administration (Windows Server, Active Directory), virtualization, backup/disaster recovery, and core networking (firewalls, switching, VPN).
• Participate in on-call/escalation rotation for critical incidents as needed.

Qualifications

Required

• Must come from a scaled MSP, with experience supporting multiple clients/environments at once — not a single-organization IT background.
• Deep, hands‑on expertise in Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365/O365 administration and architecture.
• Strong security background: identity and access management, endpoint security, conditional access, and general security best practices.
• Strong scripting ability, particularly PowerShell.
• Experience with — or strong interest in — building automation and AI agents using tools like Claude.
• Proven experience serving as an escalation point for a service desk or support team.
• Experience designing technical solutions for clients, including scoping and documentation.
• Strong communication skills — able to work directly with clients on technical solutions, not just internally.

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent hands‑on experience.
• Experience serving healthcare or life sciences clients.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert, Security+, or similar).
• Experience with additional scripting/automation languages (e.g., Python).
• Experience with RMM/PSA platforms common in MSP environments (e.g., ConnectWise, NinjaOne).

What We're Looking For

• A senior technologist who enjoys both deep technical work and mentoring others.
• Comfortable being the “buck stops here” person for the hardest technical problems.
• A builder mindset — excited to create automation and tooling that makes the whole team more effective.
• A fast learner who is energetic and adaptable in a fast-growing environment.

vdB&A is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and consider qualified applicants regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.