Senior Systems Engineer / Solutions Architect

van den Boom & Associates; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

vdBA SecureOps is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer / Solutions Architect to lead Microsoft‑centric, security‑hardened environments for life sciences clients. The role blends hands‑on engineering with client‑facing design and escalation leadership.

You will design end‑to‑end Azure/M365 solutions, mentor engineers, and drive automation and AI tooling while aligning environments with SOC 2, HIPAA, HITRUST. A senior technologist mindset is essential.

Qualifications

• 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.

Responsibilities

• Escalation & Technical Leadership: Tier 3 escalation for complex infra, cloud, and security issues.
• Mentor Tier 1/2; create docs/runbooks to raise team capability.
• Own root‑cause analysis for recurring incidents.
• Solution Design & Architecture: design end‑to‑end Microsoft 365/Azure solutions across identity/security, networking, and endpoint management.
• Lead onboarding and migrations to the managed environment.
• Establish and maintain architecture standards and reference designs.
• Microsoft Cloud & Security Engineering: administer Microsoft 365/Azure environments; implement security controls.
• Automation & AI Tooling: build automation with PowerShell; design AI tooling using Claude.
• Infrastructure & Networking: support server, virtualization, DR, and core networking; participate in on‑call rotation.

Skills

Communication

Mentoring

Escalation leadership

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft 365 / O365

PowerShell

Claude AI tooling

Identity & access management tools

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.

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.