VMware Infrastructure Engineer - SQL Server Migration
Job Description
Job Title: VMware Infrastructure Engineer – SQL Server Migration
Location: Remote (Houston, TX preferred)
Engagement: Contract - 12+ Months
Position Summary
We are looking for a skilled VMware Infrastructure Engineer with solid working knowledge of vSphere 6.7 and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1, combined with strong hands-on experience migrating and managing Microsoft SQL Server workloads within VMware virtual environments.
This role is focused on operating within an established VMware environment — the underlying VCF platform, NSX-T network segments, and gateways will already be in place and managed by a dedicated platform team. You will not be required to design, implement, or manage VCF, NSX-T, or HCX infrastructure. Your core responsibility is ensuring SQL Server workloads run reliably, are migrated successfully onto the platform, and are configured to VMware and Microsoft best practices.
Key Responsibilities
SQL Database Migration
• Plan, test, and execute migrations of Microsoft SQL Server databases into VMware virtual machines within the existing VCF 9.1 environment.
• Perform SQL workload migrations between virtual machines and across environments with minimal disruption to production services.
• Validate data integrity, connectivity, and application compatibility before and after each migration.
• Right-size virtual machine configurations (vCPU, memory, storage I/O) based on SQL Server workload requirements and VMware best practices.
• Document migration plans, runbooks, and post-migration validation reports.
SQL Server Configuration & Best Practices on VMware
• Configure SQL Server instances and databases in accordance with VMware and Microsoft best practices for virtualized SQL workloads.
• Deploy and manage SQL Server Always On Availability Groups (AGs) within the VMware virtual environment, including listener configuration and failover testing.
• Apply VMware-specific SQL tuning recommendations including NUMA alignment, large memory pages, storage latency settings, and vCPU scheduling.
• Assist with SQL Server performance troubleshooting in the VMware context, working with the platform team where infrastructure-level investigation is required.
Day-to-Day VMware Operations
• Operate confidently within a vSphere 6.7 environment — provisioning, cloning, snapshotting, and reconfiguring virtual machines as needed.
• Navigate and work within a VCF 9.1 environment, utilizing existing workload domains and pre-configured resources for SQL VM deployments.
• Consume NSX-T virtual network segments and gateways already in place — connecting VMs to the correct segments and troubleshooting basic VM-level connectivity issues.
• Work with the storage team to present and configure datastores and VMDKs appropriately for SQL Server performance requirements.
Collaboration & Documentation
• Work closely with DBA, application, and platform teams to coordinate migration windows and post-migration validation.
• Produce clear, accurate technical documentation including migration runbooks, VM build standards, and SQL configuration baselines.
• Raise and track infrastructure requests with the platform team for any VCF, NSX-T, or HCX-related changes that fall outside the scope of this role.
Required Qualifications
Experience
• 4+ years of hands-on experience working in VMware vSphere environments, including vSphere 6.7.
• Working knowledge of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1 — sufficient to navigate the environment, understand workload domains, and deploy VMs within an existing platform.
• Working knowledge of VMware NSX-T — understanding of virtual network segments and logical gateway topology; ability to connect VMs to existing segments and diagnose basic connectivity issues (no design or implementation responsibility).
• Proven experience migrating Microsoft SQL Server workloads into and within VMware virtual environments.
• Hands-on experience with SQL Server Always On Availability Groups in a virtualized context.
• Solid understanding of SQL Server configuration best practices on VMware (NUMA, vCPU, memory, storage I/O).
Technical Skills
• VMware vSphere 6.7 — VM provisioning, cloning, snapshots, resource configuration, and vCenter management.
• VMware VCF 9.1 — workload domain awareness, VM deployment within existing domains (operational, not architectural).
• VMware NSX-T — understanding of network segments, T1 gateways, and overlay networking; connecting and troubleshooting VMs at the network edge (no NSX-T design, deployment, or management required).
• Microsoft SQL Server (2016, 2019, or 2022) — installation, configuration, migration, Always On Availability Groups, backup/restore.
• SQL Server migration tooling — native backup/restore, log shipping, database mirroring, or SQL Server replication.
• PowerShell and/or PowerCLI for scripting routine VMware and SQL Server operational tasks.
Certifications (Preferred)
• VMware Certified Professional — Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV 2023 or later).
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Database Administrator Associate (DP-300) or equivalent SQL Server certification.
Preferred Qualifications
• Familiarity with VMware Aria Operations (vROps) for monitoring VM and SQL workload performance.
• Experience with storage best practices for SQL on VMware (thin vs. thick provisioning, VMDK alignment, datastore I/O).
• Exposure to SQL Server on Windows Server failover clustering (WSFC) within a VMware environment.
• Understanding of VMware vMotion, DRS, and HA behavior and how it affects SQL Server workloads.
• Experience working within ITIL-aligned change management processes in enterprise environments.