Own the enterprise Windows Server platform roadmap, lifecycle, and technical standards as part of the Core Engineering Team. Design and govern standardized server images, automated provisioning, security and patching, and infrastructure integrations using PowerShell DSC, Terraform, MECM/SCCM, and VMware.
Nice to have:
Deep knowledge of Windows Server internals, including Registry architecture, LSASS, and WMI/CIM providers; PerfMon analysis; advanced crash dump analysis; and system initialization and boot troubleshooting.
Experience hosting Windows Server workloads on enterprise hypervisors (VMware, Hyper-V, Azure Stack HCI) and managing physical server hardware lifecycle interfaces (HPE iLO, Dell iDRAC).
Proficiency writing, auditing, and scaling advanced PowerShell modules, PowerShell DSC, Terraform templates, and enterprise configuration deployments via MECM/SCCM or Intune.
Experience architecting and integrating infrastructure components with Active Directory (AD), Azure AD/Entra ID, Group Policy Object (GPO) frameworks, and Windows storage using SMB/CIFS protocols and Fibre Channel SAN/NAS arrays.
Ability to treat infrastructure as a scalable internal product, prioritizing features, upgrades, and technical debt based on business value.
Experience calculating, optimizing, and justifying TCO for hardware, Microsoft Enterprise Agreements (EA), core-based licensing models, and Software Assurance contracts.
Strong communication skills to connect technical execution with leadership priorities and collaborate across InfoSec, Network, and Applications teams.
Experience acting as the primary technical point of contact for enterprise vendors (Microsoft), managing Microsoft Premier/Unified Support contracts, escalations, and technical alignment.
Ability to manage an infrastructure backlog and prioritize technical debt, such as OS version upgrades and security baselines, against other work.
Platform Lifecycle & Roadmap Strategy:
Define, publish, and execute the multi-year technical roadmap for enterprise Windows Server platforms.
Manage version lifecycles, core baseline configurations, and long-term servicing channel (LTSC) migration paths to eliminate technical debt before End-of-Life (EOL) or End-of-Support (EOS) dates.
On-Premise Architecture & Standardization:
Design, build, and govern enterprise Windows “Gold Image” blueprints (WIM/ISO) for bare-metal deployments and hypervisors (VMware, OpenShift).
Establish standardized OS profiles, registry baselines, and core subsystem configurations across the corporate data center footprint.
Infrastructure Automation & Orchestration:
Own the design and implementation of automated Windows provisioning pipelines and configuration management frameworks.
Enforce Infrastructure as Code principles using PowerShell DSC, Terraform, and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM/SCCM) to ensure configuration consistency and eliminate manual drift.
Security, Compliance & Patch Governance:
Define platform hardening baselines aligned with Microsoft Security Baselines, CIS Benchmarks, NIST, and internal InfoSec policies via Group Policy Objects (GPOs) and Intune.
Architect and oversee the automated patch deployment pipeline, ensuring vulnerabilities are remediated within corporate SLAs without disrupting application availability.
Capacity, Performance & Compute Planning:
Monitor and analyze enterprise-wide Windows infrastructure telemetry to forecast compute, memory, and storage requirements.
Partner with the hardware engineering team to evaluate server technology and guide hardware refresh cycles based on platform demands.
Identity, Networking & Storage Integration:
Govern integration standards between the Windows Server platform and centralized enterprise infrastructure.
Oversee integration with Active Directory / Entra ID, Microsoft DNS, DHCP, and enterprise storage protocols.
Vendor & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Management:
Act as the primary technical interface for the Microsoft vendor.
Manage Microsoft Enterprise Agreements, software assurance benefits, and core-based licensing models.
Handle high-severity technical Microsoft Premier/Unified Support escalations.
Recruitment process: preliminary CV selection, an online interview with the hiring leader, and a background check.
