Principal Systems Engineer

About Foundever ™

Foundever™ is a global leader in the customer experience (CX) industry. With 170,000 associates across the globe, we’re the team behind the best experiences for +750 of the world’s leading and digital-first brands. Our innovative CX solutions, technology and expertise are designed to support operational needs for our clients and deliver a seamless experience to customers in the moments that matter

Summary:

The Principal Systems Engineer is a critical technical resource responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle management, optimization, and strategic evolution of our global enterprise server and infrastructure environment. The Senior Systems Engineer acts as a subject matter expert, driving continuous innovation and server infrastructure improvements to ensure our systems consistently meet current demands and anticipate future business needs.

Responsibilities:

• Advanced Infrastructure Management & Optimization: Lead the comprehensive administration, maintenance, and optimization of complex Microsoft Windows Server environments (including Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, IIS, etc.). Manage the full lifecycle of physical and virtual servers across production, development, and training environments, optimizing system performance, scalability, and reliability through capacity planning, load balancing, and resource optimization. Works closely with the Principal Architects to make sure the teams are building cohesive strategies. Collaborates and makes proposals for regional systems engineering teams. Introduces technology across the systems engineering discipline.
• Virtualization Expertise: Design, implement, and maintain highly available and performant virtualized server infrastructures, primarily utilizing VMware vSphere (ESXi, vCenter, vSAN, vMotion, HA/DRS) technologies.
• Strategic System Design & Architecture: Drive the planning, evaluation, and evolution of infrastructure solutions. Evaluate and recommend hardware, software, and services based on business requirements and technical considerations. Identify opportunities for infrastructure consolidation, virtualization, and/or migration to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Ensure that system designs adhere to industry best practices, security standards, and regulatory requirements. Develop detailed design specifications, solution proposals, and architectural recommendations for mission-critical systems.
• Project Leadership & Management: Lead IT projects from inception to completion, including planning, resource allocation, scheduling, and coordination. Manage project budgets, timelines, and risks, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
• Complex Incident & Problem Management (Level 2/3): Provide expert-level (Level 2/3) support for complex server and application incidents, performing in-depth root cause analysis, implementing resolutions, and executing re-engineering efforts to prevent recurrence. Troubleshoot complex technical issues, identify root causes, and implement solutions to resolve them.
• Monitoring & Proactive Management: Implement monitoring and alerting areas and thresholds to proactively identify and address potential issues before they impact operations.
• Change & Release Management: Serve as a key contributor and sometimes lead in Foundever's Change Implementation Management (CIM) processes, ensuring all infrastructure changes are meticulously planned, documented, and executed in accordance with established standards.
• Documentation & Knowledge Management: Create and maintain detailed, high-quality documentation including architectural diagrams, system configurations, standard operating procedures (SOPs), application dependencies, and security baselines. Facilitate knowledge transfer within the team.
•  Cross-Functional Collaboration & Consultation: Partner effectively with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and vendors to define project goals, scope, and deliverables. Provide expert technical consultation, guidance, and leadership on all infrastructure-related services and projects.
• Mentorship & Technical Leadership: Take on additional leadership responsibilities, mentor and coach team members, sharing knowledge, best practices, and troubleshooting techniques. Lead projects and initiatives to improve system performance and efficiency.
• Security & Compliance Support: Contribute to security assessments and audits to identify security gaps and recommend remediation measures, ensuring the security posture of our systems.
• Other relevant work as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 7+ years of progressive experience in server administration, systems engineering, or a related infrastructure role, with at least 3 years in a senior or lead capacity.
• Experience in solutioning and design
• Thorough knowledge of systems operations, security and disaster recovery principles.
• In depth knowledge of IT regulatory compliance, i.e. HIPPA, PCI, GDPR, etc.
• A commitment to quality work and the motivation to deliver that work in a fast-paced environment.
• Merger and Acquisition experience is a plus.
• Project Management a plus.
• Demonstrable expert-level proficiency in designing, implementing, and managing Microsoft Windows Server Infrastructure and Architecture (e.g., Active Directory, DNS, Group Policy, PowerShell scripting, IIS, Windows clustering).
• Mandatory, in-depth hands-on experience with VMware vSphere (ESXi, vCenter, vSAN, vMotion, HA/DRS, VUM) in large-scale enterprise environments.
• Proven ability to oversee and maintain highly available and reliable server infrastructures, consistently achieving 99.99% uptime objectives or higher.
• Track record of successfully recommending, designing, and implementing significant architectural improvements focused on compatibility, scalability, performance, security, and automation.
• Extensive experience leading and managing medium to complex, multi-disciplinary IT projects within server infrastructure, often spanning various technical domains and functional groups.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills with the ability to lead complex incident and problem resolution, drive root cause analysis, and implement effective preventative measures.
• Strong ability to articulate complex technical issues and solutions clearly and concisely to diverse audiences (technical and non-technical), both orally and in writing.
• Highly Desired: Practical experience with Linux server administration (e.g., Red Hat, Ubuntu) and enterprise-grade backup and recovery solutions (e.g., Veeam, Commvault, Rubrik).
• Advantages: Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP) and experience in hybrid cloud environments, IaaS, STaaS, PaaS, SaaS.
• Experience with scripting and automation tools beyond PowerShell (e.g., Python, Ansible) is a plus.

Qualification - Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology, or a closely related technical field is required.

• Required Certifications (or demonstrable equivalent knowledge):
  • Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (or relevant newer Microsoft Server certification replacing MCSA).
  • VMware Certified Professional (VCP-DCV) in Data Center Virtualization.

• Preferred Certifications (a strong advantage):
  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, or relevant AWS/GCP cloud certifications.
  • ITIL Foundation certification.
  • CompTIA Linux+, Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA), or other Linux-related certifications.
  • Certifications in enterprise storage or backup solutions.

What We Offer

• Impactful work. Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI technologies that will be game-changers for our business.
• Professional growth. Continuous learning and development opportunities in a dynamic, remote work environment.
• Competitive compensation. Attractive salary and benefits package.
• Collaborative environment. A supportive team culture with opportunities for occasional travel for training and industry events.