Senior Virtualization & Systems Engineer

Jobtailor; Center Square (PA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking a senior systems/infrastructure engineer to build and maintain a VMware-based environment, Active Directory, and a hybrid Microsoft 365 footprint. You will design forests, deploy vSphere clusters, and automate via PowerShell while ensuring robust DR and backup strategies.

You will lead on-prem and cloud integrations, manage DNS/DHCP/PKI, and produce clear technical documentation for runbooks and diagrams. A strong background in Windows Server and virtualization is essential.

Qualifications

• 8–10 years of hands-on systems or infrastructure engineering experience.
• Proven ability to build VMware vSphere clusters from bare metal and administer them.
• Experience designing and implementing Active Directory forests and domains.
• Strong Group Policy design, deployment and troubleshooting skills.
• Hands-on experience with physical Windows Server hardware and bare-metal deployments.
• Deep expertise in Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 including AD DS, DNS, DHCP, PKI, DFS and print services.
• Experience with Microsoft 365 administration including Exchange Online, licensing, tenant configuration, and Azure AD Connect.
• PowerShell scripting for automation and routine administrative tasks.
• Solid networking fundamentals and storage/backup knowledge (Veeam, Zerto, SRM).
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation including runbooks and diagrams.
• Bachelor's degree in CS/IT or related field or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Build and configure VMware vSphere clusters from scratch and perform ongoing administration.
• Plan, rack, cable, and commission physical Windows Server hardware including BIOS/firmware and RAID.
• Administer and maintain the VMware environment, including VM lifecycle management and capacity monitoring.
• Engineer and deploy Active Directory environments and manage domain replication and DNS integration.
• Manage day-to-day Active Directory administration including user/group management and GPO troubleshooting.
• Design and implement Group Policy frameworks for security baselines and software deployment.
• Administer DNS, DHCP, and PKI/certificate services supporting AD and the enterprise.
• Manage Microsoft 365 services including Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint with hybrid connectivity.
• Implement and maintain VMware DR solutions (VR, SRM) and test recovery procedures.
• Monitor infrastructure health across servers, virtual hosts, and storage; optimize performance.
• Develop PowerShell scripts to automate builds and repetitive tasks.
• Produce and maintain engineering docs, runbooks, diagrams, and DR playbooks.
• Provide Tier 3 escalation support and serve as SME across VMware, Windows Server, AD, and M365.

Skills

VMware vSphere

Active Directory

PowerShell scripting

Microsoft 365 administration

Networking fundamentals

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Information Technology or related field

Tools

ESXi

vCenter

vSAN

Site Recovery Manager

Veeam

DNS/DHCP

Group Policy

Azure AD Connect

Intune

Job description

Responsibilities

• Build and configure VMware vSphere clusters from scratch — including ESXi host deployment, vCenter installation, vSAN setup, distributed virtual switches, and HA/DRS policies.
• Plan, rack, cable, and commission physical Windows Server hardware including BIOS/firmware configuration, RAID setup, NIC teaming, and bare-metal OS installation.
• Administer and maintain the VMware environment on an ongoing basis, including VM lifecycle management, host patching, snapshot management, and capacity monitoring.
• Engineer and deploy Active Directory environments including forest and domain design, site and replication topology, FSMO role placement, DNS integration, and OU structure.
• Perform day-to-day Active Directory administration including user and group management, delegation of control, trust relationships, and replication health monitoring.
• Design and implement Group Policy frameworks for security baselines, software deployment, user environment management, and compliance enforcement — and manage ongoing GPO changes and troubleshooting.
• Administer DNS, DHCP, and PKI/certificate services in support of Active Directory and the broader enterprise environment.
• Manage and support Microsoft 365 services including Exchange Online, Teams, and SharePoint, with a focus on hybrid identity and integration with on-premises Active Directory.
• Implement and maintain VMware disaster recovery solutions including vSphere Replication, Site Recovery Manager, and Veeam-based backup strategies; test and validate recovery procedures regularly.
• Monitor infrastructure health across physical servers, virtual hosts, and storage — proactively identifying and resolving performance issues before they impact operations.
• Develop PowerShell scripts and automation to streamline builds, administrative workflows, and recurring operational tasks.
• Produce and maintain engineering documentation including infrastructure diagrams, build runbooks, GPO specs, and DR playbooks.
• Provide Tier 3 escalation support and serve as the subject matter expert across VMware, Windows Server, Active Directory, and Microsoft 365.

Requirements

• 8–10 years of hands‑on experience in systems or infrastructure engineering, with a track record spanning both building new environments and administering them long‑term.
• Proven experience standing up VMware vSphere clusters from bare metal — ESXi, vCenter, vSAN, distributed switches, and HA/DRS — as well as ongoing vSphere administration.
• Direct experience building Active Directory forests and domains from scratch, combined with strong day‑to‑day AD administration skills.
• Strong Group Policy experience spanning both initial design and framework build‑out as well as ongoing GPO management and troubleshooting.
• Hands‑on experience with physical Windows Server hardware: racking, BIOS/iDRAC/iLO configuration, RAID provisioning, NIC teaming, and bare‑metal OS deployment.
• Deep proficiency with Windows Server (2016/2019/2022) including AD DS, DNS, DHCP, PKI, DFS, and print services.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft 365 administration including Exchange Online, licensing, tenant configuration, and hybrid connectivity via Azure AD Connect.
• Strong PowerShell scripting skills for both infrastructure automation and routine administrative tasks.
• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals — VLANs, routing, DNS, and firewall rules — as they apply to VMware and Windows environments.
• Experience with enterprise backup and DR platforms such as Veeam, Zerto, or VMware Site Recovery Manager.
• Ability to produce clear technical documentation including build guides, diagrams, and operational runbooks.
• Microsoft Intune experience is a plus. Familiarity with Intune for endpoint enrollment, compliance policies, configuration profiles, and co‑management alongside on‑prem Group Policy is highly desirable.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field or equivalent professional experience.