Senior Systems Engineer (Windows)

About the role

• Aubrant Digital is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer, Windows, to own the Windows Server platform in a large US-based client data center supporting a 2,000+ virtual server environment (Windows and Linux). You will own patch content and standards in Tanium and run the monthly OS patch cycle with the Infrastructure Administrators; harden Windows servers; build VMs and maintain golden images, moving build templates and post-build configuration into code; plan and run the Windows Server 2025 upgrade with application owners; lead complex work in US overnight change windows such as upgrade steps and migration cutovers; and script patch pre-checks, post-patch validation, and reporting in PowerShell. Windows carries most of the manual work in this estate, so automation is a large part of the role. You will join Aubrant's cloud and infrastructure engineering group (we call it a studio), which gives you a technical leader to escalate to, peers on other engagements to call on, and a shared catalog of scripts and hardened builds to start from.

Must-Have Requirements

• 7+ years administering Windows Server in enterprise data centers.

• Enterprise patch management for Windows servers, including pre-checks, validation, and rollback.

• Windows Server security is hardening.

• Active Directory and Group Policy as they apply to server builds and hardening (the client's identity team owns the directory).

• VM builds VMware vSphere, golden images, and templates.

• Windows Server OS upgrades or migrations with application owners.

• PowerShell scripting, with changes kept in a Git repository (the client uses GitHub).

• Networking fundamentals (server IP addressing, subnets, firewall rules) and the ability to explain a needed network change to the network team.

• Ability to triage and resolve tickets and alerts independently through incident, change, and problem management, escalating only when needed.

• Willingness to work a shift that covers US overnight maintenance windows (shift hours and on-call participation to be confirmed).

• Professional written and spoken English; clear written handoffs and regular calls with a US-based client team.

Should-Have Requirements

• Tanium patch management.

• Azure IaaS (the client uses Azure for off-site backup and expects to move more workloads there).

• Working knowledge of storage and backup (Pure Storage, Rubrik).

• Familiarity with ServiceNow, Datadog, or Prometheus.

• Experience covering US overnight change windows with written handoffs to a US team.

Could-Have / Nice-to-Have Requirements

• Chef or Ansible for Windows configuration.

• Relevant vendor certifications (not required; hands-on experience is valued over certificates).

Ideal Candidate Traits:

• Curious, proactive, and collaborative.

• Strong communication and teamwork skills.

• Committed to delivering solutions together, not in competition.

• Works comfortably inside the client's incident, change, and problem management, keeps looking for the next thing to automate, and promotes a one-team culture.