Sr. Systems Engineer-IBM i, AIX, Storage, and Backup

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.; Marietta (GA); Remote; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

CloudFirst is seeking a Sr. Systems Engineer to support IBM i, AIX, storage, and backup environments. This remote role requires deep hands-on experience with IBM Power Systems, PowerHA, MIMIX, and related technologies in a U.S.-based setting.

You will manage high availability, participate in security hardening, document runbooks, and provide after-hours escalation. A bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of experience are expected; collaboration with IT Infrastructure, Service Delivery, and Sales

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business, or related field.
• 10+ years of hands-on experience supporting IBM Power Systems environments.
• Strong experience with IBM i and VIOS installation, administration, and upgrades.
• Experience installing and managing high availability solutions such as MIMIX, PowerHA, and SAN replication.

Responsibilities

• Maintain, monitor, and support IBM Power Systems, IBM i, AIX, storage, backup, and related data center infrastructure.
• Serve as a technical liaison between IT Infrastructure, Service Delivery, and Sales teams for upcoming implementations.
• Monitor security, identify risks, and provide recommendations to improve security posture and resilience.
• Install, configure, and manage high availability solutions (PowerHA, MIMIX, SAN replication).
• Provide after-hours support for emergencies, maintenance, upgrades, and incident response.
• Create and maintain documentation including runbooks, SOPs, and network diagrams.

Skills

IBM Power Systems expertise

AIX experience

System administration

Security & Compliance

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

HMC (Hardware Management Console)

PowerVM

VIOS

MIMIX

PowerHA

NPIV

vSCSI

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Sr. Systems Engineer-IBM i, AIX, Storage, and Backup

30+ days ago Requisition ID: 1006

Salary Range: $100,000.00 To $125,000.00 Annually

CloudFirst is a leading managed cloud, cybersecurity, and infrastructure services provider focused on helping midsize enterprises modernize operations, improve resiliency, and accelerate business growth. The company delivers secure, scalable, and compliant IT solutions that allow organizations to focus on innovation while CloudFirst manages mission-critical infrastructure, cybersecurity, and operational performance.

With deep expertise across cloud infrastructure, managed services, cybersecurity, disaster recovery, and compliance, CloudFirst partners with clients across industries including manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, legal, transportation, hospitality, utilities, construction, and government.

CloudFirst’s mission is to protect and optimize customer operations, data, and business continuity. The company is committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences through responsive engineering support, operational excellence, and strategic technology partnerships.

SR. SYSTEMS ENGINEER: IBM i, AIX, Storage, and Backup

LOCATION: Remote, based inthe U.S.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Systems Engineer to support IBM i, AIX, storage, backup, and high availability environments. This role is responsible for maintaining, monitoring, and supporting IBM Power Systems and related infrastructure while serving as a technical liaison between IT Infrastructure, Service Delivery, and Sales teams. The ideal candidate will provide expert guidance on implementation strategy, solution supportability, operational readiness, and long-term infrastructure reliability.

Key Responsibilities:

• Maintain, monitor, and support IBM Power Systems, IBM i, AIX, storage, backup, and related data center infrastructure.
• Serve as a technical liaison between IT Infrastructure, Service Delivery, and Sales teams to evaluate upcoming implementations and confirm ongoing solution supportability.
• Monitor infrastructure security, identify risks or gaps, and provide recommendations to improve security posture and operational resilience.
• Install, configure, and manage IBM Power Systems high availability solutions, including PowerHA, MIMIX, host-based replication products, and SAN replication technologies.
• Provide after-hours support for infrastructure emergencies, scheduled maintenance, upgrades, and critical incident response.
• Develop and maintain accurate technical documentation, including project plans, operating procedures, runbooks, network diagrams, and scopes of work.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by management.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 10+ years of hands-on experience supporting IBM Power Systems environments.
• Strong experience with IBM i and VIOS installation, administration, configuration, maintenance, and upgrades.
• Experience installing, configuring, and managing high availability solutions such as MIMIX, PowerHA, SAN replication, and related technologies.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision while also collaborating effectively within a team environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Detail-oriented, organized, and proactive, with strong follow-through and time-management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize competing demands in a fast-paced technical environment.
• Strong work ethic and commitment to teamwork, accountability, and high-quality service delivery.

1. Core Operating Systems Expertise

IBM i (formerly AS/400, iSeries)

• System Administration: Advancedadministrationof IBM ioperating systemversions, includingPTF management, system sizing,performance monitoring,and hardwareupgrade planning.
• Work Management: Deep knowledge of subsystems, job queues, user profiles, class objects, and system values optimization.
• Security & Compliance: Experience hardening operating systemsecurity, managing object authority, implementingaudit controls, andsupportingcompliancerequirements such asSOXandPCI-DSS.
• Database Integration: Working knowledgeofDb2for i, SQL-basedperformanceanalysis, journaling, andcommitmentcontrol.

IBM AIX (Advanced Interactive eXecutive)

• OS Administration: Full-lifecycleadministrationof AIXenvironments, includingNIM-basedinstallation, patching,Technology Level upgrades,configuration, and operating systemhardening.
• Storage & Volume Management: Advanced proficiency with LVM, including management of physical volumes, volume groups, logical volumes,and JFS2 file systems.
• Performance Monitoring & Tuning: Expertuse ofdiagnostic tools such as NMON, topas, vmstat, iostat, and sar toidentify andresolveperformance bottlenecks.

2. Hardware and Virtualization (IBM Power Systems)

• IBM Power Hardware: Comprehensive experience withenterprise IBMPower Systems andrelatedhardware components.
• HMC: Senior-level proficiency managing Hardware Management Console environments, including creation, configuration, and dynamic allocation of LPAR resources for CPU, memory, and I/O.
• PowerVM: In-depth understanding ofIBM Powervirtualization technologies, including VIOS, NPIV, vSCSI, and Live Partition Mobility.
• VIOS (Virtual I/O Server): Configuration, tuning, and maintenance of dual/redundant VIOS environments.
• NPIV (N-Port ID Virtualization) & vSCSI: Fiber Channel mapping to LPARs.
• LPM (Live Partition Mobility): Seamless migration of active partitions between physical hosts.
• High Availability: Experience managingenterprise clusteringand high availabilityenvironments, includingPowerHA SystemMirror for AIXandIBM i.

3. Storage and SAN Infrastructure

• Enterprise Storage Arrays: Experience with architecture, zoning, provisioning, and replicationfor enterprisestorage platforms, includingIBM FlashSystem,SAN Volume Controller,Dell EMC, andNetApptechnologies.
• SAN Switches & Fabric: Ability to designandmanageFibre Channel networks,administerBrocadeorCisco MDSfabrics
• Storage Optimization: Experience managingstorage pools, thin provisioning, deduplication,replication,and flashcopytechnologies.

4. Enterprise Backup and Disaster Recovery (DR)

• IBM Native Utilities: Advanced experience withnative backupand recovery utilities, includingmksysb and savevg for AIX and full system saves for IBM i.
• IBM BRMS : Experience architecting andmanagingBRMS policy configuration, media management, automation, and daily operational processes.
• Hardware Data Protection: Administration of physical andvirtual tape libraries, enterprise tape systems, and SAN-level replicationtechnologies such asGlobal MirrorandMetro Mirror.
• Disaster Recovery Testing: Design, maintain, and execute disaster recovery and bare-metal restore plans that support defined recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives.

5. Automation and Soft Skills

• Automation/Scripting: Proficiency writing operational scripts to streamline routine tasks using KornShell, Bash, Perl, or Python. Experience with configuration management tools such as Ansible for IBM Power environments is preferred.
• ITIL Framework: Working knowledge ofITIL service managementpractices,particularly incident, problem, and change managementusing tools such asServiceNow or Jira.
• Mentorship & Collaboration: Abilitytoserveas aseniortechnical escalationresource, createclear documentationandrunbooks, and mentor junior administrators.

Alignment with CloudFirst Values:

At CloudFirst, how we work is just as important as what we deliver. Team members are expected to align their approach to work with CloudFirst’s core values, including:

Client Focus: We put clients at the center of our work and consider their needs in every decision.

Will-Do Attitude: We approach challenges with ownership, urgency, and a commitment to delivering value for our clients.

Collaboration: We work as one team, supporting each other with responsiveness, accountability, and shared purpose.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

CloudFirst is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.