Senior Infrastructure Engineer

Position: Senior Infra Engineer

Location: Auburn Hills, MI 48326 (Onsite)

Period: 6+ Months

We are seeking a highly skilled and hands-on Senior Infra Administrator to manage and optimize our enterprise-level server and network infrastructure. In this role, you will take charge of complex server and network environments, troubleshoot critical issues, and drive the implementation of cutting-edge technologies. The ideal candidate will have extensive hands-on experience with on-premise server and network systems, a deep technical understanding of server and network operations, and the ability to solve advanced infrastructure problems in real-time.

Key Responsibilities and skills:

• Hands-on server management: Directly install, configure, and maintain Windows, Linux, and cloud servers in production environments.
• Provide technical leadership in troubleshooting and resolving issues, ensuring maximum uptime and performance.
• network infrastructure including routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs, and wireless networks. Ensure network performance, reliability, and availability.
• Performance optimization: Monitor and tune server performance using diagnostic tools to identify bottlenecks, manage resource allocation, and implement solutions for performance improvement in real-time.
• Security implementation: Actively implement, configure, and maintain server security systems including firewalls, IDS/IPS, and access control measures.
• Ensure systems are hardened and regularly patched to protect against vulnerabilities and unauthorized access.
• Backup and recovery operations: Execute and oversee regular backup operations, ensuring data integrity and recovery strategies are robust and well-tested to handle failures or disasters with minimal downtime.
• Automation and scripting: Design and deploy automation scripts and tools (e.g., PowerShell, Python, Bash, Ansible) to streamline server management tasks such as deployment, monitoring, and updates, reducing manual intervention and improving operational efficiency.
• Develop and implement automation scripts and tools to streamline network configuration, monitoring, and management, using languages like Python or tools like Ansible.
• Server upgrades and patching: Proactively manage and perform hands-on system upgrades, patches, and hardware migrations with minimal service disruption. Ensure that systems are kept up-to-date and in compliance with organizational standards.
• Virtualization management: Hands-on configuration, optimization, and maintenance of virtual server environments (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM). Lead efforts to improve resource utilization and streamline virtualized environments.
• Advanced troubleshooting: Use deep technical expertise to quickly identify and resolve critical issues in production environments, ensuring rapid recovery and minimal impact to business operations.
• Active Directory administration: Manage and maintain the overall health of the AD environment, including domain controllers, DNS, and Group Policy Objects (GPOs). Ensure directory services are stable, secure, and scalable.
• AD infrastructure design and deployment: Design, configure, and implement AD infrastructures for new projects, ensuring proper replication, security, and organizational structure.
• Group Policy management: Create, manage, and troubleshoot GPOs to enforce security policies, software deployment, and user/device configurations across the enterprise.
• User and identity management: Oversee user accounts, permissions, and authentication within the AD environment. Manage and configure roles, organizational units (OUs), and user profiles to ensure efficient access management.
• Active Directory migrations and upgrades: Plan and execute AD migrations, consolidations, or upgrades to new versions or cloud-based AD solutions (e.g., Azure AD). Ensure minimal downtime and data integrity during migrations.
• Security management: Implement and enforce security policies within AD, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), access control, password policies, and auditing. Work to detect and mitigate security risks within the directory.
• Troubleshooting and performance tuning: Actively monitor AD services and performance, identifying and resolving issues such as replication failures, login delays, and DNS issues. Respond to and resolve high-priority incidents affecting AD services.
• Integration with other services: Integrate AD with other applications, services, and cloud environments (Azure AD, Office 365, Exchange, etc.), ensuring seamless user authentication and directory synchronization.
• Documentation and process improvement: Maintain detailed and accurate documentation of all server configurations, procedures, and troubleshooting processes. Continuously seek to optimize operational workflows.

Key Skills & Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field. Equivalent hands-on experience is highly valued.
• Experience: At least 7-10 years of hands-on server administration experience managing large-scale enterprise environments with a mix of Windows, Linux, and cloud-based infrastructure.
• Technical depth: Expert-level understanding of server operating systems (Windows Server, Linux distributions like RHEL or Ubuntu), networking protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP), and virtualization technologies (VMware, Hyper-V). Experience with SAN/NAS storage systems.
• In-depth knowledge of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, BGP, OSPF, and other networking protocols. Expert-level hands-on experience configuring and managing Cisco, Juniper, or similar networking devices.
• Strong knowledge of Active Directory, Group Policy Objects (GPOs), DNS, DHCP, LDAP, and Kerberos. Expertise in managing multi-site domain infrastructures.
• Wireless networking: Hands-on experience with enterprise wireless networks, including configuration and troubleshooting of access points, wireless controllers, and associated devices.
• Scripting and automation: Practical experience with scripting and automation tools (e.g., Python, Ansible, PowerShell) for automating network management tasks.
• Proven hands-on experience scripting and automating server tasks using tools like PowerShell, Python, Bash, and Ansible. Experience with configuration management tools (Puppet, Chef) is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in PowerShell for AD management tasks, automation of user provisioning, and maintenance processes. Experience with other automation tools (e.g., System Center, Ansible) is a plus.
• Security expertise: Extensive hands-on experience implementing and managing server security measures such as firewalls, encryption, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and VPNs. Familiarity with security compliance standards (e.g., SOC 2, PCI-DSS, GDPR).
• Hands-on experience with firewall technologies such as Palo Alto, Fortinet, Cisco ASA, or similar devices. Strong knowledge of VPNs, IDS/IPS, and network security best practices.
• n-depth understanding of AD security principles, including role-based access control, MFA, auditing, and secure delegation of admin rights.
• Disaster recovery expertise: Proven track record of implementing and managing backup systems and disaster recovery plans, with extensive experience in real-world recovery scenarios.
• Ability to lift and carry server and network hardware as needed for physical installations or maintenance.
• Occasional travel may be required for data center management or remote office support