Systems Engineer

Description

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

Auxiom’s Systems Engineer supports all managed services clients across four connected areas: designing solutions, delivering the projects that implement them, keeping infrastructure healthy through preventative work, and handling the complex issues the Service Desk periodically escalates. The Systems Engineer works in a client-facing capacity to analyze, diagnose, implement, troubleshoot, and maintain critical IT infrastructure, specializing in server infrastructure and cloud applications. As a senior member of the team, the role carries a solution-architect dimension — assessing client environments, shaping proposals and technology roadmaps, and then implementing what was scoped. Auxiom’s engineering team is small and its members are versatile, so the balance among design, delivery, and escalation shifts with what clients need. Success in this role is directly correlated to preventing major negative client incidents and reducing service desk support requests overall.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

Client Service & Delivery

• Serve as the escalation point for complex Service Desk and Managed Services incidents, service requests, and changes involving servers, applications, and SaaS.
• Provide hands-on technical support for complex client environments as a member of the Service Delivery team.
• Perform root-cause analysis, including writing reports on cause and remediation.
• Participate in a weekly after-hours on-call rotation for escalation support, every 4–6 weeks.

Project Delivery & Execution

• Deploy new systems and applications, including server hardware and virtual machines.
• Implement client security applications, including Duo, BullPhish, Avanan, SentinelOne, and Datto backup system deployments.
• Configure backup systems for new deployments of server systems.
• Configure monitoring for implementation and removal of server and network infrastructure.
• Facilitate the addition of new systems, and removal of old systems, from the Auxiom Orion monitoring system.
• Create reports on the status of client infrastructure.

Technical Standards & Architecture

• Assess client environments and design solutions that fit their business needs, budget, and risk profile.
• Develop proposals and scopes of work for new solutions, including the technical detail that accurate estimating and pricing depend on.
• Build and maintain multi-year technology roadmaps that sequence upgrades, replacements, and security improvements for each client.
• Collaborate in the design and standardization of system configurations.
• Create SOP documentation for professional services project deployments.
• Update documentation related to new system deployment and removal of old systems.

Team Collaboration & Mentorship

• Mentor technicians and associate engineers, continuously expanding technical knowledge across the team.
• Work flexibly across design, delivery, and escalation as a member of a small team, taking on whichever of those a client engagement calls for.

Internal IT Operations

• Provide technical management of Auxiom internal systems, including servers and workstations.
• Complete system maintenance and updates for all Auxiom systems, including servers, cloud applications, networking, and firewalls.
• Manage the Orion monitoring system, acting as the application champion and owner.
• Onboard and offboard employees into and from Auxiom systems.
• Manage the internal Auxiom inventory for computers and systems.
• Deploy workstations for employees.

KEY METRICS OF SUCCESS:

• Project deliverables are completed on time, at a rate of 95% or better.
• Post-implementation rework stays at or below 5% of deployments.
• High-complexity escalations are resolved within SLA.
• Major negative client incidents are prevented rather than remediated after the fact.
• Service desk support request volume decreases as recurring root causes are eliminated.
• Proposals and roadmaps translate into scoped work that clients approve and adopt.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

General

• 5+ years of helpdesk engineering or systems administration experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Windows Servers, Microsoft 365, and Azure AD.
• 5+ years of experience deploying and supporting enterprise-level environments, including servers, networking, virtualization, and cloud services.
• Superior fault analysis, strong troubleshooting, diagnosis, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment on multiple issues simultaneously.
• Strong work ethic, adherence to deadlines, and ability to work independently and as a member of a team.
• Excellent customer service skills and a desire to increase knowledge of cloud technology, virtualization, and networks for enterprise-class solutions.
• Ability to translate a client’s business requirements, budget, and risk tolerance into a technical solution, and to explain the trade-offs to a non-technical audience.
• Strong technical writing skills — proposals, scopes of work, and roadmap documents a client can act on and a delivery team can build from.

Technical

• Understanding of routing, switching, firewall, and other enterprise network equipment and systems.
• Knowledge of VMware vSphere, VMware vCenter, APC, and enterprise server and storage hardware.
• Microsoft Windows Server 2016–2022 administration experience.
• Microsoft 365 administration, including Azure AD synchronization.
• Microsoft Active Directory and Group Policy creation.
• Microsoft PowerShell experience.
• Duo Security experience, including setup and configuration of MFA and single sign-on.
• Cloud-based spam filtering experience; ability to set up and troubleshoot DMARC, DKIM, and SPF.
• Working knowledge of network security technologies such as EDR products, Duo Security, spam filters, and SIEM.
• Ticketing and remote management tools experience (AutoTask, IT Glue, Datto).
• Experience designing server, virtualization, and cloud infrastructure solutions, including sizing, capacity planning, and licensing implications.
• Ability to estimate effort and materials for a proposed solution accurately enough to support scoping and pricing.
• Network+, Server+, or similar certification required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• VMware, Microsoft server environment, and MS365/Azure AD certifications, or the ability to complete them within 6 months.
• Basic Linux server administration skills; Ubuntu/Debian experience.
• SolarWinds Orion Network Performance Monitor platform experience.
• Experience with AutoTask, Kaseya, and IT Glue with a managed service provider.

WORKING CONDITIONS & COMPENSATION:

• Primary work area is a controlled office environment or remote work from home. This position works in the Rochester office with some flexibility to work from home at times.
• Requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time.
• Requires the ability to read, write, and speak English.
• This is a full-time, salaried, exempt position.
• The salary range varies depending on experience, skills, abilities, and length of service with the company.
• Other duties as required.

THIS LIST OF ESSENTIAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE AND MAY BE SUPPLEMENTED AS NECESSARY.