The Senior System Engineer II focuses on designing deploying and managing enterprise virtualization platforms including hypervisors and operating systems while leading projects and mentoring teams.

Description
At CDW we make it happen together. Trust connection and commitment are at the heart of how we work together to deliver for our customers. It's why we're coworkers not just employees. Coworkers who genuinely believe in supporting our customers and one another. We collectively forge our path forward with a level of commitment that speaks to who we are and where we're headed. We're proud to share our story and Make Amazing Happen at CDW.
* Strong Preference for Prospects in the Vernon Hills IL Area
Job Summary
The Senior System Engineer II is a technical leader specializing in the design deployment and operations of enterprise systems platforms. This role centers on deep expertise across multiple hypervisors- including Red Hat OpenShift Azure Local (Azure Stack HCI) and VMware ESXi- to support scalable secure and resilient compute environments. The engineer will also manage HPE server hardware administer Windows and Red Hat operating systems and lead vulnerability remediation efforts across the infrastructure stack. As a senior contributor this role provides project leadership mentors engineering teams and drives strategic initiatives to enhance performance security and operational excellence across hybrid on-prem and cloud platforms.
What you will do:
Key Responsibilities:
Virtualization & Hypervisor Engineering
* Engineer deploy and manage enterprise hypervisor platforms (VMware ESXi/vCenter Azure Local OpenShift/KVM) across CDW data centers and hybrid cloud.
* Own cluster design standards lifecycle management capacity planning and performance optimization.
* Troubleshoot complex virtualization issues spanning compute storage and network layers.
* Lead modernization assessments and recommend platform enhancements aligned to CDW's infrastructure strategy. Compute & Operating System Engineering
* Support and maintain HPE ProLiant servers iLO firmware/driver baselines and hardware health.
* Administer Windows Server and Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems running on virtual platforms.
* Implement automation for provisioning configuration and lifecycle operations (PowerShell Ansible Terraform). Security Vulnerability & Compliance
* Lead remediation for hypervisor OS and compute vulnerabilities.
* Evaluate CVEs impacting virtualization platforms and prioritize risk-based remediation plans.
* Apply hardening standards across ESXi Azure Local and OpenShift clusters.
* Partner with Security to ensure compliance with CDW policies and audit requirements. Hybrid Cloud & Platform Integration
* Support Azure Local/Azure hybrid deployments including VM provisioning workload placement and cluster connectivity.
* Contribute to virtualization initiatives within OpenShift platforms with Ansible automation skills Leadership & Project Delivery
* Serve as technical lead for virtualization upgrades platform expansions migrations and DR initiatives.
* Mentor junior engineers and operational support teams.
* Develop design documents SOPs runbooks and knowledge transfer materials.
* Collaborate with stakeholders across Security Networking Storage Applications and PMO. Operational Excellence
* Drive RCA and corrective actions for virtualization-related incidents.
* Maintain monitoring alerting and performance baselines for all compute and hypervisor platforms.
* Participate in on-call rotation to ensure enterprise availability.
What we expect of you:
* Bachelor's Degree and 7 years in systems engineering with a strong emphasis on virtualization technologies; OR 11 years in systems engineering with strong emphasis on virtualization technologies.
* Expert experience with VMware ESXi Azure Local/Azure Stack HCI and OpenShift/KVM virtualization.
* Strong competency in HPE server platforms Windows Server and RHEL.
* Proven experience leading vulnerability remediation and platform hardening efforts.
* Demonstrated success leading complex technical projects and mentoring engineering teams.
* Excellent communication and documentation skills.
* Certifications such as Azure Administrator/Architect RHCSA/RHCE VCP a plus.
* Experience with PowerShell Ansible or Terraform automation a plus.
* Experience with storage data protection and disaster recovery practices a plus.
* Understanding of enterprise networking storage (FC iSCSI vSAN) and monitoring tools a plus.
* Proven experience as a key technical resource leading the implementation and cross-functional solutions a plus.
* Experience with SAFE Agile a plus.
* ServiceNow experience a plus.
* Patch Management experience a plus. Pay range: $123000 - $190600 depending on experience and skill set Annual bonus target of 10% subject to terms and conditions of plan Benefits overview: [https://cdw.benefit-info.com/](https://cdw.benefit-info.com/) Salary ranges may be subject to geographic differentials
* We make technology work so people can do great things.
* CDW is a leading multi-brand provider of information technology solutions to business government education and healthcare customers in the United States the United Kingdom and Canada. A Fortune 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Index CDW helps its customers to navigate an increasingly complex IT market and maximize return on their technology investments. Together we unite. Together we win. Together we thrive. CDW is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability status protected veteran status or any other basis prohibited by state and local law. CDW is committed to fostering an equitable transparent and respectful hiring process for all applicants. During our application process CDW's goal is to get to know you as an applicant and understand your experience strengths skills and qualifications. While AI can help you present yourself more clearly and effectively the essence of your application should be authentically yours. To learn more please review [CDW's AI Applicant Notice](https://www.cdwjobs.com/pages/ai-applicant-notice).