Senior System Engineer-Houston, TX (Onsite - Locals)

Title: Senior System Engineer

Location: Houston, TX (Onsite)
Duration: Long-Term Contract

This is a hands-on operational role requiring sound technical judgment, disciplined task management, clear communication, and effective coordination with internal teams, managed service providers (MSPs), and technology vendors.

Key Responsibilities

Identity, Access & Active Directory

• Administer Active Directory objects and core services, including organizational units (OUs), Group Policy Objects (GPOs), DNS, DHCP, LDAP integrations, service accounts, and privileged accounts.
• Process infrastructure access requests in accordance with established security controls and least-privilege principles.
• Generate operational, audit, and inventory reports using PowerShell.

Windows Server, Virtualization & Platform Operations

• Build, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Windows Server 2016 and later.
• Monitor server availability, health, capacity, and performance; investigate alerts and coordinate root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective actions.
• Maintain appropriate administrative access to VMware vCenter environments and support day-to-day virtualization activities.
• Support enterprise storage services, including SAN, NAS, object storage, archiving, and cloud storage.

Patching, Software Deployment & Backup

• Coordinate with the MSP on Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM/SCCM) application packaging, software deployment, and Windows patching activities.
• Validate patching results, track exceptions, and follow up on failed or incomplete deployments.
• Monitor enterprise backup jobs, investigate failures, and coordinate remediation and recovery activities using platforms such as Commvault.

Microsoft 365 & Azure Support

• Resolve operational requests and incidents involving Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Power Platform, and other Microsoft 365 services.
• Support Azure infrastructure and related cloud services within established architecture, security, and governance standards.
• Assist with hybrid service issues that span on-premises infrastructure and Microsoft cloud platforms.

Operational Support & Coordination

• Own and resolve infrastructure incidents, service requests, and operational tasks received through tickets, email, or in person.
• Prioritize work based on business impact, urgency, dependencies, and service commitments.
• Work effectively with internal IT teams, MSPs, and vendors; provide clear status updates, document actions taken, and escalate risks or blockers when required.
• Maintain accurate technical and operational documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of three years of focused experience administering Active Directory and related core services in an enterprise environment.
• Strong hands-on experience with on-premises enterprise IT infrastructure and Windows Server 2016 or later.
• Hands-on experience with VMware or a comparable enterprise virtualization platform.
• Practical experience with enterprise storage technologies, including SAN, NAS, object storage, backup, archiving, and cloud storage services.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft 365 services and Azure cloud architecture, with hands-on administration or support experience.
• Working knowledge of on-premises messaging environments and hybrid messaging concepts.
• Working knowledge of networking concepts related to hosted services, application connectivity, resiliency, and performance.
• Working knowledge of MECM/SCCM, including application packaging and deployment.
• Strong understanding of Windows patching processes and enterprise patching cycles.
• Working knowledge of enterprise backup solutions such as Commvault.
• Working knowledge of infrastructure monitoring platforms such as SolarWinds.
• Proficiency with PowerShell for administration, troubleshooting, and reporting.
• Excellent time-management, task-management, documentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage vendor and MSP relationships effectively and work independently in a fast-paced support environment.