Senior Windows ESXi Nutanix Administrator

Cognizant; Newport Beach (CA); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

401(k) plan and contributions

Paid holidays plus PTO

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Senior Windows, ESXi, and Nutanix Administrator to manage enterprise infrastructure across Windows Server, VMware, Nutanix, DR, security, and datacenter operations. You will drive incident and problem resolution, lead modernization initiatives, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure reliable IT service delivery.

The role emphasizes automation via PowerShell/PowerCLI, ITSM support with ServiceNow, and governance with ITIL practices.

Qualifications

• 10 years of Windows Server administration experience in enterprise environments.
• Proficiency with VMware ESXi, vCenter, HA, DRS, vMotion and lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of Nutanix AHV and Prism for cluster administration, storage management, and performance optimization.
• Expertise in disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution utilizing VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM).
• Deep understanding of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, SCCM, and SSL certificate management.
• Ability to develop and maintain automation solutions using PowerShell and PowerCLI.
• Familiarity with security, vulnerability management, and endpoint protection platforms such as Tanium, Qualys, and CrowdStrike.
• Knowledge of monitoring and observability tools, including Splunk and Grafana.
• Strong understanding of ITIL service management practices, including Incident, Change, Problem, Request, and Configuration Management.
• Capability to support enterprise infrastructure hardware platforms, including Dell, HP, Cisco UCS, and IBM systems.

Responsibilities

• Administer, configure, patch, monitor, and troubleshoot Windows Server environments.
• Manage Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, SCCM, and SSL certificate services.
• Administer VMware ESXi, vCenter, HA, DRS, vMotion, virtual machine provisioning, and cluster optimization.
• Manage Nutanix AHV and Prism environments, including cluster operations, storage administration, and performance monitoring.
• Support disaster recovery solutions using VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM), replication technologies, failover/failback activities, and DR testing.
• Monitor and maintain infrastructure security and compliance using Tanium, Qualys, and CrowdStrike.
• Utilize Splunk and Grafana for log analysis, monitoring, dashboard creation, and incident investigations.
• Develop and maintain PowerShell and PowerCLI automation scripts to improve operational efficiency.
• Support ITSM processes through ServiceNow, including Incident, Change, Problem, Service Request, and Configuration Management.
• Manage software asset and license compliance activities using Flexera.
• Administer Dell, HP, Cisco UCS, and IBM infrastructure hardware, including firmware upgrades, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
• Lead infrastructure transformation initiatives, including datacenter consolidation, platform upgrades, virtualization migrations, and infrastructure refresh projects.
• Coordinate major incident response activities, ensuring effective communication, timely resolution, and service restoration.
• Drive proactive and reactive problem management through root cause analysis, trend identification, and remediation planning.
• Assess operational risks, facilitate change approvals, and ensure successful implementation of infrastructure changes.
• Maintain operational governance standards, SLA compliance, documentation, and continuous service improvement practices.
• Partner with business stakeholders and technical teams to ensure alignment with organizational objectives and service expectations.

Skills

Windows Server

VMware vSphere

Nutanix AHV

Disaster recovery

Active Directory

PowerShell

Security tools

ITIL

Splunk

Grafana

SCCM

ServiceNow

Flexera

Tools

Tanium

Qualys

CrowdStrike

Splunk

Grafana

ServiceNow

Flexera

SCCM

Job description

About the role

As a Senior Windows, ESXi and Nutanix Administrator, you will make an impact by managing and supporting enterprise infrastructure environments across Windows Server, VMware, Nutanix, disaster recovery, security, and datacenter operations. You will be responsible for maintaining highly available and secure infrastructure services, driving operational excellence, leading major incident and problem management activities, and supporting infrastructure modernization initiatives. You will collaborate with business stakeholders, technology teams, and vendors to ensure reliable and compliant IT service delivery.

In this role, you will

• Administer, configure, patch, monitor, and troubleshoot Windows Server environments.
• Manage Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, SCCM, and SSL certificate services.
• Administer VMware ESXi, vCenter, HA, DRS, vMotion, virtual machine provisioning, and cluster optimization.
• Manage Nutanix AHV and Prism environments, including cluster operations, storage administration, and performance monitoring.
• Support disaster recovery solutions using VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM), replication technologies, failover/failback activities, and DR testing.
• Monitor and maintain infrastructure security and compliance using Tanium, Qualys, and CrowdStrike.
• Utilize Splunk and Grafana for log analysis, monitoring, dashboard creation, and incident investigations.
• Develop and maintain PowerShell and PowerCLI automation scripts to improve operational efficiency.
• Support ITSM processes through ServiceNow, including Incident, Change, Problem, Service Request, and Configuration Management.
• Manage software asset and license compliance activities using Flexera.
• Administer Dell, HP, Cisco UCS, and IBM infrastructure hardware, including firmware upgrades, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
• Lead infrastructure transformation initiatives, including datacenter consolidation, platform upgrades, virtualization migrations, and infrastructure refresh projects.
• Coordinate major incident response activities, ensuring effective communication, timely resolution, and service restoration.
• Drive proactive and reactive problem management through root cause analysis, trend identification, and remediation planning.
• Assess operational risks, facilitate change approvals, and ensure successful implementation of infrastructure changes.
• Maintain operational governance standards, SLA compliance, documentation, and continuous service improvement practices.
• Partner with business stakeholders and technical teams to ensure alignment with organizational objectives and service expectations.

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Newport Beach, CA. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations

What you need to have to be considered

• 10 years of experience in Windows Server administration supporting enterprise environments.
• Proficiency with VMware vSphere technologies including ESXi, vCenter, HA, DRS, vMotion, and virtual machine lifecycle management.
• Knowledge of Nutanix AHV and Prism for cluster administration, storage management, and performance optimization.
• Expertise in disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution utilizing VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM).
• Deep understanding of Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, SCCM, and SSL certificate management.
• Ability to develop and maintain automation solutions using PowerShell and PowerCLI.
• Familiarity with security, vulnerability management, and endpoint protection platforms such as Tanium, Qualys, and CrowdStrike.
• Knowledge of monitoring and observability tools, including Splunk and Grafana.
• Strong understanding of ITIL service management practices, including Incident, Change, Problem, Request, and Configuration Management.
• Capability to support enterprise infrastructure hardware platforms, including Dell, HP, Cisco UCS, and IBM systems.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and customer-facing skills.
• Proven ability to lead major incident resolution efforts and effectively coordinate cross-functional teams during critical service disruptions.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with a focus on operational stability and continuous improvement.

These will help you stand out

• Background in large-scale infrastructure transformation and modernization initiatives.
• Knowledge of datacenter consolidation, infrastructure refresh programs, and virtualization platform upgrades.
• Familiarity with P2V, V2V, Hyper-V, and storage migration projects.
• Ability to drive root cause analysis and implement long-term corrective actions.
• Industry certifications related to VMware, Nutanix, Microsoft, ITIL, or infrastructure operations.
• Experience working within highly regulated, SLA-driven enterprise environments.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out.

Salary and Other Compensation

Applications will be accepted until October 10, 2026. The annual salary for this position is between $100,000 - $115,000 USD depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits

Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
• 401(k) plan and contributions
• Long-term/Short-term Disability
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer

The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future.