Systems Engineer-IT

Challenge Manufacturing Holdings, Inc; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Health Savings Account

Flexible Spending Accounts

Short-Term Disability

Basic Life Insurance

Long-Term Disability options

Employer 401k Match

ESOP shares

Tuition reimbursement

Referral Bonus Program

Challenge Incentive Program

Paid time off

Job summary

Challenge Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. is seeking a detail-oriented Systems Engineer to join our IT Infrastructure team in Walker, MI. This role designs, implements, and supports core server infrastructure across Windows Server and Linux, managing AD, DNS, DHCP, Exchange, PKI, System Center, and virtualization.

You will monitor health, optimize performance, ensure security, maintain documentation, and participate in on-call rotations, with an 8:00 am–4:30 pm M-F schedule at our corporate office.

Qualifications

• Associates degree required in IT/CS or related field.
• 3+ years of network/support experience.
• Proven Windows Server and Linux administration experience.
• Hands on experience with AD, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, Exchange, PKI, and System Center.
• Experience with virtualization tech (Nutanix AHV, Hyper-V).
• Experience with security tools (SentinelOne, Cisco Umbrella, Duo, Cisco ISE).
• Familiarity with SAN infra and performance monitoring.
• Experience with SCCM and Intune.
• Strong troubleshooting and communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft products.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and work after-hours as needed.

Responsibilities

• Design and engineer infrastructure solutions to meet project and operational requirements.
• Build, configure, patch, and maintain Windows and Linux servers according to best practices.
• Administer and optimize Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, Exchange, PKI, and System Center.
• Implement and support virtualization platforms (Nutanix AHV, Hyper-V) and manage SAN storage.
• Monitor system health, track KPIs, perform tuning, and capacity planning.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, standards, and processes.
• Diagnose and resolve hardware, software, and connectivity problems quickly.
• Ensure systems are secure through regular patching and SIEM-based threat hunting.
• Oversee backups and data integrity; ensure availability.
• Prepare audit reports and support compliance requirements.
• Recommend automation to improve efficiency; reduce manual tasks.
• Administer Microsoft licensing and email security to prevent threats.
• Collaborate with other departments and participate in on-call rotations.

Skills

Windows Server administration

Linux administration

Active Directory

DNS

DHCP

Group Policy

MS Exchange

PKI

System Center

Virtualization (Nutanix AHV/Hyper-V)

SAN storage

Scripting (PowerShell, Bash, Python)

Security tooling (SentinelOne, Cisco I

Troubleshooting

Education

Associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Nutanix AHV

Hyper-V

Microsoft System Center

Active Directory

DNS

DHCP

Exchange

PKI

SIEM platforms

Job description

Who We Are: Challenge Manufacturing’s mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations. Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge’s success! Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered!

Challenge Manufacturing’s mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations. Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge’s success! Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered.

Who We Want: We are seeking a detail-oriented, proactive, and technically skilled Systems Engineer to join our IT Infrastructure team. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, and supporting core server infrastructure across both Windows Server and Linux environments. The ideal candidate will manage enterprise services such as Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, Exchange, PKI, Microsoft System Center, Nutanix AHV/Hyper-V, and SAN storage, while driving automation, performance optimization, and security best practices. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment and enjoy balancing innovation with reliability, we would like to hear from you.

What You’ll Do:

• Design and engineer infrastructure solutions to meet project and operational requirements.
• Build, configure, patch, and maintain Windows and Linux servers according to best practices.
• Administer and optimize Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, Microsoft Exchange, PKI, and Microsoft System Center.
• Implement and support virtualization platforms (Nutanix AHV, Hyper-V) and manage SAN storage infrastructure.
• Monitor system health, track KPIs, perform tuning, and conduct capacity planning for physical and virtual environments.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, standards, and process workflows.
• Diagnose and resolve hardware, software, and connectivity problems quickly and effectively.
• Ensure systems are secure through regular patching, adherence to security best practices, and proactive threat hunting using SIEM platforms.
• Oversee and enhance backup processes to safeguard data integrity and availability.
• Prepare and deliver audit reports and provide clear documentation to support compliance and management requirements.
• Recommend and implement automated approaches to improve efficiency and reduce manual tasks.
• Administer Microsoft licensing for compliance/cost optimization and manage email security solutions to prevent phishing, malware, and unauthorized access.
• Work flexibly with other departments and share knowledge.
• Participate in IT on-call rotation and maintain availability outside of normal business hours to respond to critical system outages, emergencies, and other business impacting incidents as needed.

When and Where:

This will be a 8am - 4:30pm M-F position located at our Corporate Office in Walker, MI. Occasionally, this may require you to arrive early, stay late, or work on weekends, outside of our regular hours, to ensure we successfully meet customer needs, deadlines, or urgent requests.

What You Need to Have:

Required Qualifications:

• Associates degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• 3+ years of network/support experience.
• Proven experience with Windows Server and Linux administration.
• Hands on expertise in Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, Exchange, PKI, and System Center.
• Experience with virtualization technologies (Nutanix AHV, Hyper-V).
• Experience with security tools such as; Sentinel One, Cisco Umbrella, Duo, and Cisco ISE.
• Familiarity with SAN infrastructure and performance monitoring.
• Experience with SCCM and Intune.
• Strong troubleshooting and analytical abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft products.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• Customer-focused mindset with urgency in addressing business needs.
• Willingness to work weekends and after-hours to support scheduled maintenance or projects.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• 5+ years of network/support experience.
• Experience with automated infrastructure management and scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Bash, Python).
• Exposure to cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP) in hybrid environments.
• Prior experience in enterprise-scale, manufacturing, or global business environments.

We’re excited to offer a range of awesome benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions, Flexible Spending Accounts, company-paid Short-Term Disability and Basic Life Insurance, Voluntary Life and Long-Term Disability options, an Employer 401k Match, ESOP shares, tuition reimbursement, a Referral Bonus Program, Challenge Incentive Program, and paid time off.

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Company-paid Short-Term Disability
• Basic Life Insurance
• Voluntary Life
• Long-Term Disability options
• Employer 401k Match
• ESOP shares
• Tuition reimbursement
• Referral Bonus Program
• Challenge Incentive Program
• Paid time off

Please note, while these benefits are part of what we offer, they may not all apply to this specific role. The details shared in this job description are intended to give you a general idea, but duties and responsibilities may evolve over time, with or without notice.

And of course, we’re happy to provide reasonable accommodations to help individuals with disabilities succeed in their role.