Systems Engineer – Platform Deployment Operations

SPHERE co; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

SPHERE co is seeking a Systems Engineer – Platform Deployment Operations for a remote, US-based engagement. You will design and deploy regions and secure zones, provision infrastructure, and ensure ongoing health of the SPHEREboard platform across Windows, Linux, and storage ecosystems.

You will work closely with client teams to implement least-privilege access, manage credentials, and drive changes through regulatory approvals, with strong emphasis on automation and data integration using SQL,

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on systems administration, infrastructure engineering, or technical operations.
• Strong Linux administration: users and groups, permissions, sudo, SSH, services and logs.
• Working knowledge of Windows Server and Active Directory for integration with SPHEREboard.
• Solid understanding of file share permissions (NTFS/NFS).
• Networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, DNS, firewalls, proxies and SSL/TLS.
• Experience with virtualization and infrastructure as code (Terraform).
• SQL Server skills: basic queries, joins, permissions and DB administration.
• Security-minded with least-privilege, credential handling, and change control.

Responsibilities

• Plan and design deployments for new regions and secure zones meeting regulatory requirements.
• Build infrastructure by provisioning VMs and appliances and installing SPHEREboard and data components.
• Configure access with service accounts, groups, and least-privilege policies.
• Connect storage and collect activity data across Hitachi, NetApp, and Windows platforms.
• Manage networking and certificates, including DNS validation and SSL/TLS setup.
• Maintain platform health by monitoring scans, data refreshes, and re-scans.
• Work with data: query SQL data, deliver via feeds or BI datasets, reconcile with live env.
• Document deployment runbooks, inventories, and share lessons with Engineering.

Skills

Linux administration

Windows Server

Networking

Scripting (Shell)

Active Directory

Cloud/VMware

Terraform

SQL Server

Troubleshooting

Client relationship

Tools

Terraform

VMware

PowerShell

Job description

Remote (U.S. – based, Eastern or Central time zone)

The Opportunity:

The Systems Engineer – Platform Deployment Operations is a hands‑on, customer‑facing role dedicated to a long‑term engagement with a global enterprise client. You will expand SPHEREboard’s unstructured data capabilities, which collect permission and activity data from file servers and NAS platforms, into new regions and secure network zones, and keep the platform healthy once it is running.

It suits a systems or infrastructure engineer who understands how Windows, Linux, directory, network, and storage systems work together; can deploy technical software where every change crosses regional, regulatory, and organizational boundaries; and enjoys working closely with client teams as a trusted, steady technical partner.

Essential Functions:

• Plan and design deployments: Review target architecture, confirm prerequisites, and design deployments for new regions and secure zones that meet local regulatory, data residency, and change control requirements; shepherd changes through client approvals.
• Build the infrastructure: Provision virtual machines and appliances (including OVA-based components) using infrastructure as code such as Terraform, specifying region, identifiers, CPU, memory, and storage. Install and configure SPHEREboard application, SQL Server database, and data collection components.
• Configure access the right way: Set up service accounts, groups, database and file system permissions, and credential retrieval, such as CyberArk safes for authenticating to Linux servers. When a client asks for a tighter least‑privilege model, such as granular sudo rights instead of full sudo, research it, test it in our lab, and agree the approach.
• Connect storage and collect activity data: Configure connectors to Hitachi, NetApp, and Windows file platforms over SMB/CIFS and NFS; deploy and validate activity collection; run migrations and upgrades across DEV, QA, and PROD.
• Manage networking and certificates: Request firewall and port changes, validate DNS and connectivity between components, and request, install, and test SSL/TLS certificates.
• Keep the platform healthy: Track scan coverage and data refreshes and drive failures to a successful re‑scan. Diagnose issues caused by client‑side changes, such as a modified GPO, closed port, expired certificate, or rotated credential, by understanding how systems authenticate, communicate, and share data.
• Work with the data: Query and validate data in SQL, deliver it through feeds such as CSV extracts or Power BI datasets, and reconcile what the platform shows against the live environment.
• Document and improve: Maintain runbooks, service account inventories, and deployment records; share field lessons with Engineering and Product.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of hands‑on experience in systems administration, infrastructure engineering, or technical operations, ideally in large, regulated enterprises.
• Strong Linux administration: users and groups, file ownership and permissions, sudo, SSH, services, and logs; comfortable with shell scripting.
• Working knowledge of Windows Server and Active Directory (accounts, groups, Group Policy, LDAP, Kerberos), enough to work confidently with the systems SPHEREboard connects to.
• Solid understanding of file share permissions: NTFS/NFS and share permissions.
• Practical networking knowledge: TCP/IP, DNS, firewalls and ports, proxies, and SSL/TLS certificates (requesting, installing, and validating them).
• Experience with virtualization (VMware or cloud VMs, OVA appliances) and infrastructure as code such as Terraform.
• Working SQL skills on Microsoft SQL Server, including queries, joins, permissions, and basic database administration.
• Methodical diagnosis of multi‑system issues from symptom to root cause, with a security‑minded approach to least privilege, credentials, and change control.
• Client skills: Builds trusted relationships with varied client personas, from infrastructure engineers to security and business stakeholders; learns who to go to for what; explains findings clearly; and influences without authority.

Preferred Experience:

• Deploying enterprise software in customer environments, as a vendor or consultant.
• Hitachi or NetApp NAS administration, or file activity monitoring tools.
• CyberArk or another PAM platform, particularly credential retrieval for infrastructure, servers and applications.
• Multi‑region deployments with data residency rules (APAC, EMEA); Cassandra or similar data stores.
• PowerShell, REST APIs, and reporting tools such as Power BI or Tableau.

Personality Traits:

• Inquisitive: Asks the right questions; wants to know how things work, not take them at face value.
• Systems thinking: Sees how components connect, authenticate, and depend on each other.
• Data storytelling: Reads granular details or an Excel export and tells the story of what the data means versus the live environment.
• Automation mindset: Turns repeatable work into consistent, documented steps.

What Success Looks Like:

• New regions and secure zones go live on a predictable cadence, with validation evidence.
• Scan coverage stays high, and failures are resolved quickly and don’t recur.
• Client teams trust the engineer, changes clear approvals smoothly, and documentation stays current.

Why Join Us:

Build deep expertise on a demanding global deployment that reduces data access risk, at a high‑growth, collaborative company with competitive compensation, benefits, and room to grow.

About SPHERE:

SPHERE is the global leader in Identity Hygiene. We are dedicated to reshaping modern identity programs by embedding this foundational fabric, enabling organizations to quickly reduce risks. We work through an identity lens that protects an organization’s accounts, data, and infrastructure. Our solutions deliver immediate time‑to‑value by leveraging automation to discover, remediate and secure identities, now and forever.

Driven by our core values of passion, empathy, and authenticity, our vision drives us to continually innovate, helping our clients to sleep better knowing their attack surface is drastically reduced, thwarting the plans of bad actors every single day.

To find out more about SPHERE and our solutions, please visit

www.sphereco.com

SPHERE is an equal‑opportunity employer. Applicants will be evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.