Windows Server Operator (Systems & Infrastructure)

We are seeking an experienced L2 Lab Server Operator to manage, maintain, and optimize

our non-production, R&D, and testing laboratory environments. In this role, you will be the

backbone of our lab infrastructure, ensuring high availability, performance, and security across a

diverse technical stack.

The ideal candidate possesses deep technical expertise in Wintel (Windows Server),

Enterprise Storage, VMware, and Hyper-V, alongside a strong engineering mindset to deploy,

troubleshoot, and automate complex lab topologies.

Key Responsibilities

1. Compute & Virtualization Management (VMware & Hyper-V)

• Provision & Maintain: Deploy, configure, and lifecycle-manage virtual machines across both VMware vSphere/ESXi and Microsoft Hyper-V environments.
• Cluster Administration: Manage host clusters, configure high availability (HA),
• Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), and live migrations (vMotion / Live Migration).
• Resource Optimization: Monitor CPU, memory, and provisioned storage allocation to prevent resource contention and optimize lab utilization.
• Troubleshooting: Diagnose and resolve complex Layer 2 virtualization issues, including host isolation, snapshot chains, and virtual switch (vSwitch) misconfigurations.

2. Wintel Administration

• OS Lifecycle: Install, configure, and harden Windows Server operating systems (2016 through latest versions) within the lab environment.
• Core Infrastructure Services: Administer and troubleshoot Active Directory (AD), Group
• Policy Objects (GPOs), DNS, DHCP, and IIS configurations dedicated to the lab.
• Patch & Compliance: Implement and maintain a rigorous patching cadence for Windows servers utilizing WSUS or automated configuration management tools without disrupting active lab testing.

3. Enterprise Storage Operations

• Provisioning: Allocate and present storage blocks/shares (SAN/NAS) to virtualization hosts and standalone bare-metal servers using protocols like iSCSI, Fibre Channel (FC), and NFS/SMB.
• Storage Management: Monitor storage array health, capacity, and performance.
• Manage storage tiers, deduplication, and snapshots.
• Backup & Recovery: Execute and verify routine backup configurations for critical lab baselines, configurations, and data repositories to ensure rapid recovery capabilities.

4. Lab Operations & Support

• Hardware Lifecycle: Perform physical rack-and-stack, cabling (fiber/ethernet), and bare- metal provisioning of enterprise servers (e.g., Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant).
• Environment Isolation: Collaborate with networking teams to set up isolated VLANs, routing, and firewall rules tailored for specific testing scenarios.
• Automation & Scripting: Leverage PowerShell, PowerCLI, or Python to automate repetitive tasks such as VM provisioning, environment teardowns, and status reporting.
• Incident Management: Serve as the Tier 2 escalation point for all lab-related infrastructure alerts, performance degradation, and hardware failures.

Qualifications & Skills

• Education: Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Experience: 35 years of experience in system administration, infrastructure operations, or data center environment support.
• Virtualization: Strong proficiency in VMware vSphere (vCenter, ESXi) and Microsoft
• Hyper-V / Failover Cluster Manager.
• Operating Systems: Advanced administration of Windows Server ecosystems; familiarity with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) or Ubuntu is a plus.
• Storage: Hands-on experience with enterprise storage platforms (e.g., NetApp, Dell EMC, Pure Storage) and fabric switches.
• Scripting: Proficiency in PowerShell for Windows and virtualization management.

Soft Skills & Work Environment

• Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, fluid environment where lab configurations change frequently based on engineering needs.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical mindset with a methodical approach to root-cause analysis.
• Documentation: Diligent about keeping topology diagrams, asset inventories, and "how- to" runbooks accurate and up to date.
• Preferred Certifications (Any of the following are a plus)
• VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
• Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate
• Enterprise Storage certifications (e.g., NetApp NCA/NCDA, Dell Technologies Associate)