Senior Systems Engineer

Role Overview

• Design, deploy, and manage enterprise VMware vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environments hosting Windows and Linux workloads.
• Implement and maintain vSphere HA, DRS, Site Recovery Manager, and NSX-T for network virtualization and micro-segmentation.
• Support SAN/NAS (Pure Storage, NetApp, HPE Nimble) solutions across multiple sites and manage HPE servers using HPE OneView.
• Perform capacity planning, lifecycle management, and both proactive and reactive maintenance of the VMware environment.
• Monitor and optimize VM performance using VMware Aria Suite, vCenter tools, and other monitoring applications.
• Maintain and provision Omnissa Horizon VDI and Azure Virtual Desktop environments.
• Design hybrid cloud architectures with workload portability between on-premises VCF and public clouds (VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution).
• Implement cloud automation and orchestration using VMware Aria Suite Automation, Cloud Assembly, and PowerCLI/PowerShell scripting.
• Configure federation between private and public cloud deployments with strategies for cloud bursting and disaster recovery.
• Apply security hardening standards following VMware and industry best practices (STIG, CIS, HIPAA benchmarks).
• Conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability patching across VMware infrastructure including ESXi hosts.
• Manage NSX firewall policies, VM security policies, and network segmentation in collaboration with security and network teams.
• Implement security logging and alerting through VMware Aria Suite Log Insight and SIEM integration.
• Lead VMware infrastructure projects from inception through implementation with full documentation, adhering to BC/DR best practices.
• Serve as VMware subject matter expert and technical liaison for cross-functional initiatives.
• Collaborate with Windows, Linux, and application development teams to ensure platform performance requirements are met.
• Develop and maintain virtualization standards, procedures, and technical documentation including diagrams.
• Other duties as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Computer Science, Information Technology or a related field.
• 10+ years of hands-on experience with VMware vSphere, ESXi, and related VMware technologies.
• Strong proficiency with Windows Server (2016/2019/2022), Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and Group Policy in virtualized environments.
• Experience with vSphere networking (VDS, NSX-T), storage technologies (VMFS, vSAN, SAN, NAS), and shared storage protocols.
• Experience managing data centers and hardware/software such as HPE servers, HPE OneView, and enterprise storage (Pure, NetApp, HPE Nimble).
• Proficiency in PowerCLI and PowerShell scripting for automation.
• Experience with Omnissa Horizon and Azure Virtual Desktop.
• Strong problem-solving, troubleshooting, and project management skills.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Ability to prioritize workloads for projects and operations in fast-paced environments.
• Core networking knowledge and ability to troubleshoot connectivity issues with network teams.
• Flexibility for after-hours work and participation in on-call rotation.
• Must be able to work on-site at Chicago office and/or regional data centers as needed.
• Flexibility for after-hours work and participation in on-call rotation.
• VMware Certified Professional (VCP) or higher (VCAP, VCDX) preferred
• VMware Cloud Foundation certification preferred
• Experience with VMware Aria Suite (Operations, Automation, Log Insight) preferred
• Familiarity with VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution preferred
• Understanding of security compliance frameworks (STIG, CIS, NIST, HIPAA) preferred
• Core networking knowledge and ability to troubleshoot connectivity issues with network teams preferred.

Tech Stack

• Assembly
• AWS
• Azure
• Cloud
• DNS
• Linux
• VMware

Benefits

• Full benefits package, including Paid Time Off (PTO)
• medical
• dental
• vision
• 401(k) with match
• robust EAP
• wellness program
• and much more