Compute Engineer – VMware & Cisco

Location: Secaucus, NJ (Local Candidates Only)
Duration: 6-Month Contract
Work Arrangement: Hybrid / Onsite as Needed
Employment Type: W-2 Only

Pay Rate:$40-44/hr

Overview

We are seeking a Compute Engineer with strong VMware and Cisco infrastructure experience to support the logical build and configuration of data center servers following physical installation by the data center operations team.

This role focuses on server provisioning, virtualization, network connectivity configuration, and operational support. The engineer will perform base server builds, validate configurations, and prepare systems for handoff to application teams.

This position does not involve rack-and-stack activities, cabling, or physical data center floor work.

Key Responsibilities

Server Build & Configuration

• Perform base builds and logical configuration of servers following hardware installation.
• Configure IP addressing, VLANs, NIC bonding, and connectivity within Cisco-based environments.
• Validate server configuration, hardware visibility, and network connectivity.
• Apply standardized build templates and configuration standards.
• Prepare servers for application deployment and testing by downstream teams.

VMware Administration

• Deploy, manage, and troubleshoot VMware vSphere environments (ESXi and vCenter).
• Provision and maintain virtual machines.
• Monitor and optimize compute capacity, performance, and availability.
• Support VMware High Availability (HA), Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), backup, and disaster recovery processes.

Operations & Automation

• Coordinate firmware and BIOS updates.
• Support server lifecycle management and vendor hardware remediation activities.
• Automate routine operational tasks using scripting and version-controlled tools.
• Monitor compute and virtualization platforms and participate in incident response and root cause analysis.
• Maintain technical documentation and follow established change management procedures.

Platform Support

• Support Windows and Linux server environments.
• Assist with ongoing infrastructure maintenance and operational improvements.

Required Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience supporting data center compute infrastructure.
• Hands-on experience with VMware vSphere, ESXi, and vCenter.
• Experience working within Cisco networking environments, including VLANs, IP configuration, and NIC teaming/bonding.
• Strong understanding of server hardware, firmware, and lifecycle management.
• Experience with Git or other version control platforms.
• Scripting or automation experience using PowerShell, Bash, Python, or similar technologies.
• Windows and/or Linux server administration experience.
• Knowledge of high availability, backup, and disaster recovery concepts.

Additional Information

• Occasional onsite presence may be required.
• Primary focus is logical server build, virtualization, and infrastructure operations.
• Interview process consists of 2 video interviews.