Sr. Systems Engineer

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP; New York (NY); On-site; USD 170,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in New York is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to support the Information Technology Department. The role focuses on building and maintaining Hyper-V infrastructure and virtualization services to support a global law firm.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years of Windows infrastructure experience, expertise with SCVMM, Hyper-V, AD, DNS, DHCP, and a security-minded approach in a regulated environment, with opportunities to advance professionally.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in Windows infrastructure engineering/architecture
• Deep hands-on Hyper‑V in clustered production environments
• Strong working knowledge of AD, DNS, DHCP, and Windows Server administration
• Experience with Microsoft Entra ID and hybrid identity architectures
• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, VLANs)
• Experience in enterprise environments with change management discipline
• Experience deploying Guardicore Centra for network micro‑segmentation

Responsibilities

• Architect and manage Hyper-V clusters, live migration, failover, and S2D
• Administer SCVMM for host management, networks, VM provisioning, and cluster lifecycle
• Configure and maintain virtual networking (VM switches, VLANs, QoS, SR-IOV)
• Manage VM lifecycle including provisioning, snapshots, backups, and decommissioning
• Tune Hyper-V performance and resolve complex hypervisor issues
• Implement Hyper-V replica for DR and BC
• Convert VMware to Hyper-V
• Build and maintain server OS images
• Develop PowerShell automation for provisioning, health monitoring, and maintenance
• Administer Cisco UCS and Intersight for lifecycle management and firmware upgrades
• Design, administer, and maintain AD domains, GPOs, RBAC to least privilege
• Perform AD health monitoring, replication troubleshooting, and schema management
• Manage enterprise storage platforms for availability and performance

Skills

Windows infrastructure engineering

Hyper-V expertise

Networking fundamentals

Change management

Documentation

Tools

SCVMM

Hyper-V

Guardicore Centra

Cisco Intersight

Active Directory

DNS

DHCP

Entra ID

Job description

Summary

The New York office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is looking for a Senior Systems Engineer to support the Information Technology Department. Willkie is an elite international law firm of approximately 1,300 lawyers located in 16 offices in six countries.

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of five years’ experience to be a part of our Infrastructure & Security team working out of our New York office. The Senior Systems Engineer will be responsible for configuring and maintaining virtual networking, administering System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), and architect and manage Microsoft Hyper-V clusters. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise with a strong understanding of security, compliance, and user experience in a legal or highly regulated environment.

At Willkie, we believe great people are the key to our success. As such, we are offering a highly competitive compensation package with exceptional benefits. If you are looking to work in a friendly, collaborative environment that affords unique opportunities to expand your professional development, this role is for you.

Responsibilities

• Architect and manage Microsoft Hyper-V clusters including live migration, failover clustering, and storage spaces direct (S2D)
• Administer System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) for Hyper-V host management/logical networks/VM Provisioning and cluster lifecycle operations.
• Configure and maintain virtual networking including VM switches, VLANs, QoS, and SR-IOV
• Manage VM lifecycle including provisioning, snapshotting, backup integration, and decommissioning
• Performance-tune Hyper-V hosts and resolve complex hypervisor-level issues
• Implement Hyper-V replica for disaster recovery and business continuity
• Convert servers from VMware to Hyper-V
• Build and maintain server OS images
• Develop and maintain PowerShell automation to streamline infrastructure provisioning, operational workflow, health monitoring, reporting, and platform maintenance
• Hands-on experience with Cisco Server Management
• Administer and maintain Cisco Intersight for server lifecycle management, policy-based configuration, and UCS infrastructure health
• Ability to build and assign Cisco IMM domain and server profiles, policies, as well as manage firmware upgrades
• Design, administer, and maintain Active Directory domains, forests, and trusts across multi-site environments
• Manage Group Policy Objects (GPOs) for security baselines, software deployment, and environment configuration
• Design and implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) models aligned to least-privilege principles
• Perform AD health monitoring, replication troubleshooting, and schema management
• Implement and enforce AD tiering models and privileged access workstation (PAW) strategies
• Administer enterprise-grade DHCP infrastructure including scope management, failover, and high availability configurations
• Manage internal and external DNS zones, records, and conditional forwarding across hybrid environments
• Troubleshoot name resolution and IP address allocation issues across complex multi-VLAN networks
• Manage hybrid identity scenarios including Entra Connect sync, pass-through authentication, and seamless SSO
• Administer, maintain, and troubleshoot enterprise storage platforms including Pure Storage, NetApp, and Dell EMC Unity to ensure high availability, optimal performance, and reliable data access across production environments.
• Perform storage provisioning, capacity planning, firmware upgrades, and performance monitoring while supporting incident resolution and collaborating with infrastructure teams on backup, disaster recovery, and system integrations.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Windows infrastructure engineering or architecture role
• Deep hands-on expertise with Microsoft Hyper‑V in clustered, production environments (mandatory)
• Strong working knowledge of Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and Windows Server administration
• Experience with Microsoft Entra ID and hybrid identity architectures
• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, firewall rules)
• Experience working in enterprise environments with a strong change management discipline
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to document complex systems clearly
• Experience deploying and managing Guardicore Centra for network micro‑segmentation and east‑west traffic control

ADA Requirements

• Ability to sit at a desk most of the working day and walk short distances
• Needs manual dexterity, speed and accuracy in handling office equipment
• Ability to work efficiently and accurately in an atmosphere of frequent interruption
• Ability to work in close proximity to other individuals
• Ability to carry light [to moderate] objects, e.g., files, small objects and supplies a short distance.
• Must be able to lift, carry and move objects [up to 15/20/25 lbs OR in excess of 25/30 lbs]

Employment Status

• Exempt

Pay Range

USD $170,000.00 - USD $180,000.00 /Yr.

Pay Range Statement

The salary range for this role represents the Firm’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent upon a number of factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications and location. Willkie offers a comprehensive suite of benefit programs to all eligible employees. A summary of available benefits can be found here in the Career section of the Firm’s website.

EEO Statement

Willkie Farr & Gallagher is an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon actual or perceived: race (including hair texture, protective hairstyles and other traits associated with race), color, age, religious creed, citizenship, citizenship status and alienage, nationality, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity or creed, disability, genetic information or medical condition, reproductive health decision making, pregnancy or maternity, paternity, marital or civil partnership status, caregiver status, gender (including gender identity, expression, nonconformity, gender reassignment or status as a transgender individual), sex, sexual orientation or preference, veteran or military status, height, weight, any other characteristic protected by law or any combination thereof. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let the hiring manager know.

California Applicants

Pursuant to the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO) and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicant with arrest and conviction records.