Senior Virtualization Architect (VMware vSphere)

Zaden Tech; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Zaden Tech in Chantilly, VA is seeking a senior VMware Architect to own the architecture and health of a 2,000+ VM vSphere estate across two DoD enclaves. You will lead a host consolidation and refresh to tighten the footprint without disrupting test events.

You will collaborate with platform engineers and a cyber team, design vSphere 8 clusters, plan upgrades to VMware Cloud Foundation 9, and automate VM builds with Terraform, Packer and Ansible in GitLab CI.

Qualifications

• 10+ years designing and operating VMware vSphere environments (1,000+ VMs).
• Professional VMware certification (VCP-DCV or higher) or equivalent experience.
• Experience leading host consolidations or data center migrations.
• Hands-on automation with Terraform, Ansible or PowerCLI.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain DHA privileged access.
• DoD 8140 qualification or ability to earn within six months.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and operation of vSphere 8 clusters, vCenter, vSAN and NSX across two enclaves
• Plan and run a consolidation and right-sizing program: dormant VM disposition, memory and CPU right-sizing, and fewer active hosts
• Plan the path from vSphere 8 to VMware Cloud Foundation 9
• Automate VM builds and configuration with Terraform, Packer and Ansible in GitLab CI
• Keep hosts and VMs patched and STIG-compliant, and support RMF evidence for authorizations
• Lead infrastructure change control and serve as technical lead for the operations team

Skills

VMware vSphere architecture

Automation: Terraform/Ansible/PowerCLI

DoD enclave knowledge

GitLab CI experience

Education

VCP-DCV or higher

Tools

vCenter

vSAN

NSX

Terraform

Ansible

Packer

Job description

This position supports a new Defense Health Agency program, and the start date will align with the program start.

You’ll own the architecture and day-to-day health of a VMware vSphere estate of more than 2,000 virtual machines across two disconnected DoD enclaves in Chantilly, VA. You’ll lead a host consolidation and refresh that moves the environment onto fewer, denser hosts in a smaller footprint, without disrupting the test events the program depends on. You’ll work alongside platform engineers who build environments as code and a cyber team that keeps every system authorized.

What you’ll do:

• Lead design and operation of vSphere 8 clusters, vCenter, vSAN and NSX across two enclaves
• Plan and run a consolidation and right-sizing program: dormant VM disposition, memory and CPU right-sizing, and fewer active hosts
• Plan the path from vSphere 8 to VMware Cloud Foundation 9
• Automate VM builds and configuration with Terraform, Packer and Ansible in GitLab CI
• Keep hosts and VMs patched and STIG-compliant, and support RMF evidence for authorizations
• Lead infrastructure change control and serve as technical lead for the operations team

Must have:

• 10 or more years designing and operating VMware vSphere, including environments of 1,000 or more VMs
• A professional-level VMware certification (VCP-DCV or higher) or equivalent experience
• Experience leading a host consolidation, hardware refresh or data center migration
• Hands-on automation with Terraform, Ansible or PowerCLI
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain the investigation DHA designates for privileged access
• DoD 8140 qualification for a privileged infrastructure role, or the ability to earn it within six months

Nice to have:

• An active Secret clearance or higher
• VCAP, VCDX or VMware Cloud Foundation experience
• Air-gapped or classified environment experience
• Experience supporting health IT or test-lab environments