Windows SME / Lead Infrastructure

Job Description

Job Description Job Title: Windows SME / Lead Infrastructure

Location: San Jose, Fremont, or Irvine, CA
Work Arrangement: Onsite
Experience: 14 years

Job Overview

We are seeking an experienced Windows SME / Lead to manage and support enterprise Windows Server and Linux environments. The ideal candidate will have strong technical expertise in Windows Server administration, virtualization, Linux administration, infrastructure security, patch management, automation, and production support.

The role requires hands-on technical leadership, advanced troubleshooting, infrastructure optimization, and coordination of L2/L3 operations across Windows and Linux platforms.

Key Skills Required

• Windows Server Administration (2012/2016/2019/2022)

• Active Directory

• Hyper-V, VMware, and Linux

• SCCM, WSUS, and Azure Arc

• Failover Clustering

• CrowdStrike and Microsoft Defender

• ServiceNow and ITIL

• PowerShell, Bash, Python, and Ansible

• OS Patching and Security Hardening

• Infrastructure Monitoring and Troubleshooting

• Technical Leadership and Architecture

Key Responsibilities 1. Windows Server Administration

• Lead administration and support of Windows Server environments (2012, 2016, 2019, and 2022).

• Manage server configurations, security, availability, and performance.

• Execute approved upgrades, infrastructure changes, and maintenance activities.

• Maintain operational runbooks and Configuration Management Database (CMDB) records.

2. Virtualization & Hyper-V Administration

• Administer Hyper-V hosts and failover clusters.

• Manage System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM).

• Support host-level storage and network integration.

• Provision and decommission virtual machines.

• Manage checkpoints, live migration, and host patching.

• Troubleshoot host and virtual machine availability and performance incidents.

• Participate in root cause analysis (RCA).

3. Linux Server Administration

• Administer RHEL, SUSE, Oracle Linux, and Ubuntu environments.

• Build, configure, harden, and decommission Linux servers.

• Resolve L2/L3 incidents and service requests within defined service-level requirements.

• Execute OS patching and kernel upgrades within security SLAs.

• Manage LVM, file systems, NFS, user and sudo access, cron jobs, and system services.

• Monitor and report patch compliance.

4. Automation & Operational Improvement

• Automate routine infrastructure operations using Bash, Python, PowerShell, and Ansible.

• Identify opportunities to reduce manual operational effort and improve service reliability.

• Contribute to Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) toil-reduction initiatives.

• Develop and maintain automation scripts and operational procedures.

5. Security, Monitoring & Incident Management

• Support infrastructure security using CrowdStrike and Microsoft Defender.

• Manage patching, vulnerability remediation, and security hardening.

• Monitor infrastructure health, availability, and performance.

• Troubleshoot complex infrastructure issues and participate in RCA.

• Support change planning, capacity reviews, and service improvement activities.

• Maintain accurate runbooks and CMDB documentation.

Required Qualifications

• 14 years of overall IT infrastructure experience.

• Strong experience in Windows Server administration and Active Directory.

• Hands-on experience with Hyper-V, failover clustering, and virtualization.

• Working knowledge of VMware and Linux environments.

• Strong Linux administration experience across RHEL, SUSE, Oracle Linux, and Ubuntu.

• Experience with SCCM, WSUS, and Azure Arc.

• Knowledge of OS patching, kernel upgrades, security hardening, and compliance.

• Experience with PowerShell, Bash, Python, and Ansible automation.

• Familiarity with CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, and infrastructure monitoring tools.

• Experience handling L2/L3 production incidents and root cause analysis.

• Knowledge of ServiceNow, ITIL processes, change management, and CMDB.

• Strong technical leadership, troubleshooting, and communication skills.