Senior IT Architect
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
Collaborate with the internal systems engineering team and vendors to design and implement new virtualization environments
Develop process and procedures for administering and supporting new and existing virtualization environments
Build, configure and maintain virtualized clients, servers, and architecture
Oversee subcontractors and vendors performing installations and configurations
Collaborate with system engineers to migrate existing systems into the virtualization environment and future designs and expansions
Have a strong understanding and hands-on experience with upgrade paths and requirements
Coordinate the efforts of technical support staff in the performance of assigned projects
Apply advanced methods, theories and research techniques and assist in the development, implementation and documentation of processes and procedures to ensure compliance with business practices
Advanced knowledge of virtualization and hyperconverged concepts and principles, to include platforms like VMWare vSphere/vCenter/VMWare Cloud Foundation, Nutanix AOS, Dell VxRail.
Experience managing VCSA/vCenter and creating VMs and templates efficiently.
Understanding of network services as related to a virtualized environment (e.g. vSwitch, VLAN, vMotion, etc.)
In-depth experience deploying VMware products and managing a virtualized environment (HA, DRS, resource allocation, snapshot management, VMDKs, Datastores, vMotion, VUM, etc.)
Design, recommend, and deploy emerging server virtualization technologies.
Support operations of multi-vendor server environments, such as HP, Dell, Nutanix.
Strong knowledge of the configuration needed for virtual hosts/machines and attached storage devices.
Monitor and provide break/fix support to virtualized systems across the enterprise.
System performance tuning and the ability to diagnose elusive symptoms and root causes.
Responding and resolving service outages and interruptions.
Research, evaluate, and recommend new tools and technologies for server virtualization.
Identify trends and abnormalities and proactively take steps to prevent performance impacts to virtual environment and business function.
Strong knowledge of PowerShell/PowerCLI.
Strong understanding of modern cybersecurity principles and their application to virtualized environments, inclusive of privileged access management and securing hypervisor management planes.
Strong understanding of Microsoft Windows Server platforms running in a virtual environment and their interactions with the hypervisor.
Other duties as assigned
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, management information systems, or related field required
Minimum of seven (7+) years of experience advance administering VMware Environments
Minimum of seven (7+) years of experience in the administration of Microsoft environments
Excellent time management and organization skills, with the capability to manage multiple competing priorities
Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate, partner, and collaborate with internal team members in a professional manner.
Aptitude to pick up new concepts and technology rapidly and the ability to explain it to all stakeholders
Analytical and creative problem-solving skills for design and testing of systems
Strong ability to Identify, analyze, and remediate technical challenges
Experience supporting mission critical IT infrastructure in a 24x7x365 environment
Perform proactive support functions and reporting to maintain the integrity of the enterprise virtual environment and business function.
Take lead in the research, planning and implementation of server virtualization projects in accordance with the IT goals and objectives.
Proficiency and experience with VMware Products, like VMware vCloud, vSphere, vSAN, NSX, or similar virtualization platforms.
Provide on-going training and technical direction to other team members pertaining to virtualization optimization, installation, upgrades, configuration, and troubleshooting.
Ability to document the infrastructure by the use of Visio drawings and other tools.
Participation in an on-call rotation.
Ability to secure and maintain gaming permits in multiple jurisdictions as required.
Ability to travel occasionally when necessary.
Applicable Certifications, preferred:
VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
VMware Certified Advance Professional (VCAP)
VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX)
Experience with the following is a plus, but not required:
Experience with containerization technologies like Docker
Experience with container orchestration technologies like Kubernetes
Experience with Unix-style operating systems