



Job Information
Dairy Farmers of America Senior Systems Engineer in Kansas City, Kansas
Position : Senior Systems Engineer
Location : Kansas City, Kansas
Requisition ID: : 15066
Provide system administration support functions predominantly of Cloud and on-premise Microsoft Windows, Active Directory, and Hyper-V. This includes planning, analysis, troubleshooting, integration, installation, configuration, operations, and maintenance of operating system on servers. Is responsible for all activities related to system administration. Ensure the long-term requirements of systems operations and administration are included in the overall information systems planning of the organization. Responsible for the installation, maintenance, configuration, and integrity of computer software. Implement operating system enhancements that will improve the reliability and performance of the system. Regularly provide advice and recommend actions involving rather complex issues. Apply specialized depth and breadth of systems administration functions. Work independently with guidance only in the most complex situations. Resolve highly complex issues in creative and effective ways and perform analysis of situation or data that requires evaluation of variable factors. Recommend best practices. Provide guidance to less experienced system administrators. Lead functional teams and/or projects.
Note: This role offers a remote working arrangement, based on candidate eligibility
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
Work closely with management on the approach for transforming DFA from on-premises solutions to pure cloud IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS environment. Communicate changes and impact, including end-user impact, and lead the team in this effort
Manage the rollout of various virtualization technologies and multi-tenant, private, and hybrid cloud environments
Determine tooling, tool identification, and approaches for scripting and automation. Tools include Power Shell, Terraform and others
Lead integration efforts with third-party SaaS and development partners
Understanding new infrastructure costs, present the difference in costs between options for deployment of infrastructure
Determine the proper storage solutions for each initiative at DFA. Monitor space utilization. Define thresholds for expansion or shrink and well as SOPs or change
Provide oversite and roll up of daily system monitoring to include verifying the integrity and availability of all hardware, server resources, systems, and key processes; reviewing system and application logs; and verifying completion of scheduled jobs, such as backups
Oversee the installation of new and/or rebuild of existing servers and configure hardware, peripherals, services, settings, directories, storage, etc., in accordance with standards and project/operational requirements
Provide oversite for the installation and configuration of systems such as Active Directory, DFS, and File and Print services
Set direction for standards in the installation and configuring of all software running within DFA controlled environments. Ensure maintenance of documentation for all configurations for IT utilities and business applications
Provide expert guidance on virtual technologies including but not limited to VMWare and Hyper-V
Provide guidance on Citrix and other virtual desktop technologies. Advise the Desktop Support team with options for this technology and assist in how it should be deployed
Set direction for the development and maintenance of installation and configuration procedures
Set direction for maintaining system standards and ensure the accuracy of this documentation
Work with the Operations team in implementing automation and orchestration of infrastructure tasks
Work with the Assurance team to help set direction for security monitoring to identify any possible intrusions
Set direction in the design and management of Active directory including Organizational Unit (OU), Group, and User related tasks
Provide systems administration related solutions for various project and operational needs
Participate in technical research and development to enable continuing innovation within the infrastructure
Study existing information processing systems to evaluate effectiveness and supply information to the senior team for improvement roadmap
Set direction for daily backup operations, ensuring all required file systems and system data are successfully backed up to the appropriate media, recovery tapes or disks are created, and media is recycled and sent off site as necessary
Provide Tier I/advanced support. Investigate and troubleshoot issues
Repair and recover from hardware or software failures. Coordinate and communicate with impacted business group(s)
Set direction to ensure the following tasks are properly handled:
apply operating system (OS) patches and upgrades on a regular basis
upgrade administrative tools and utilities
configure / add new services as necessary
Audit hardware/software to ensure compliance with organization guidelines
Maintain a database/library of all supporting documentation for hardware and software, including all operational SOPs, configuration, or other procedures
Supply periodic performance reporting to support capacity planning
Set direction for ongoing performance tuning, hardware upgrades, and resource optimization as required. Configure CPU, memory, and disk partitions as required
Maintain data center environmental and monitoring equipment
Work directly with management to set direction for the install and support of cloud infrastructure (e.g., Azure, AWS)
The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required.
Minimum Requirements:
Education and Experience
Bachelor’s degree, with a technical major, such as computer science with 5+ years’ system administration or transferable technical experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
Experience with various virtualization technologies and multi-tenant, private, and hybrid cloud environments
Experience with scripting and automation tools such as Power Shell
Knowledge of the following technologies: Windows OS, Active Directory, File and Print services, VMWare, Server Networking, Azure
Working knowledge of the following protocols: TCP/IP, UDP, SMTP, HTTP, FTP, SMB and CIFS
Work with migration from on-premises to cloud services such as Azure or AWS
Certification and/or License – N/A
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
In-depth knowledge of virtual technology including VMWare and Hyper-V environments
In-depth knowledge virtual desktop technologies
Able to communicate and translate complex technical topics into easy-to-understand concepts
Able to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing
Skill in analytical thinking and problem solving
Able to identify and troubleshoot problems, take appropriate steps to find solutions to problems, and implement recommended solutions
Able to learn changing technologies and determine appropriate application within the infrastructure
Able to adapt and manage to change effectively
Able to multi-task and problem solve
Able to react calmly and effectively in stressful situations
Able to work independently and as part of a team
Able to interact positively and work effectively with others (interpersonal skills)
Able to work with accuracy and attention to detail
Able to work effectively in a remote working capacity
Must be able to read, write and speak English
An Equal Opportunity Employer