Infrastructure Architect

Job Title: Senior Infrastructure Architect/Engineer
JOB PURPOSE
The Senior Compute Platform Administrator is accountable for the reliable operation, lifecycle management, security, resilience, and continuous improvement of server, virtualization, virtual desktop infrastructure, cloud-workload, and disaster-recovery platforms supporting the HACI environment. The role provides hands-on engineering leadership across Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, VMware, Nutanix, Cisco UCS, Lenovo/IBM xServers, Nvidia agents/licensing for VDI and applicable Windows workloads and AWS compute workloads. The position owns infrastructure recovery planning and testing, leads complex incident resolution, and provides secondary coverage for storage connectivity and recovery operations. The role operates within global standards, ITSM controls, vulnerability and patch programs, and governance expectations.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Own OS, virtualization, compute-platform, VDI-infrastructure, and DR operations, lifecycle, availability, patching, and technical standards.
• Lead incident response, troubleshooting, RCA, vulnerability remediation, and service-restoration activities for assigned platforms.
• Perform and coordinate hands-on data-center infrastructure work for assigned platforms, including hardware installation and removal, rack/stack, cabling, diagnostics, parts replacement, RMA activity, remote hands, vendor coordination, and technical decommissioning. Plan and execute platform upgrades, capacity reviews, recovery runbooks, DR exercises, and corrective actions.
• Coordinate compute workload administration, platform integrations, and changes with global, regional, application, network, security/IAM, and data-platform teams. Administer and maintain platform-specific access controls for assigned infrastructure in accordance with security and access-management processes.
• Provide technical oversight of vendor/MSP support concerns and project delivery, including case initiation, troubleshooting coordination, escalation, resolution validation, validation of changes and operational deliverables, and communication of service concerns to management.
• Maintain runbooks, architecture documentation, monitoring requirements, cross-training, and secondary coverage for storage-related recovery.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, & SKILLS.

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; or an associate degree, military/industry training, and equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years of progressive enterprise infrastructure or systems-administration experience.
• 5+ years administering enterprise server and virtualization platforms
• 3+ years supporting DR planning, exercises, failover, or infrastructure recovery.
• Advanced VMware vSphere experience, including installation/upgrade of ESXi hosts, host and datastore cluster configuration, virtual switch VLAN configuration, performance and capacity management, and end-to-end operational support.
• Advanced Windows Server (2016 and higher) and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (7.x and higher) administration experience.
• Advanced Cisco UCS platform experience, including configuration and ongoing management of server profiles/templates and Fabric Interconnect network/storage connectivity.
• Experience with Nutanix AOS platform and other x86 server hardware.
• Experience supporting AWS EC2 workloads and related platform integrations.
• Experience with operational automation using tools such as Ansible or comparable scripting and configuration-management tools.
• Working knowledge of NAS, SAN, and backup platforms; experience with Dell PowerStore, Isilon/OneFS, Avamar, Data Domain, and Cisco SAN switching preferred.
• Experience with ITSM, 24x7 operations, change control, patching, vulnerability remediation, major incidents, and RCA. Strong preparation and presentation skills for upper Management Levels as well as stakeholder’s status reports.
• Preferred: Experience with Red Hat Satellite; SCM platforms such as GitHub or GitLab; Horizon VDI; NVIDIA vGPU; Windows Group Policy and DHCP; HPC Hardware, and infrastructure monitoring platforms.
• Works independently on complex issues and leads major incident and recovery activities.
• Creates standards, runbooks, technical diagrams, lifecycle plans, and management-ready risk/status communications.
• Translates architecture and security requirements into operationally supportable solutions.
• Mentors others, supports cross-training, and demonstrates secondary coverage for data-platform recovery.
• Preferred training/certifications: VMware VCP, RHCSA/RHCE, Microsoft, and/or ITIL Foundation.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills & Strong presentation skills and ability to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization
• Provide service-oriented skills with the ability to measure, monitor, and reports on project management, service delivery management, and with our vendor / suppliers
• Develop & manage technical documentation topology and process flow swim-lanes
• Support of performance and capacity management tools, techniques, and methodologies
• Effectively manage daily operational tasks and rotate PDCA for continuous improvement of infrastructure support services
• Provide excellent analytical and problem-solving skills leveraging Problem & Root Cause Analysis (PDCA, SA, PA, DA, & PPA)
• Provide support to multiple systems or application of mediums to highly complex (size, technology used and system feeds and interfaces).
• Ability to work on one or more business plan initiatives
• Availability, incident restoration, patch compliance, vulnerability remediation, and lifecycle commitments for compute and VDI-infrastructure platforms; reliable HPC hardware remote-hands support.
• DR runbooks remain current; exercises are completed and corrective actions tracked.
• Capacity, performance, monitoring, technical documentation, and cross-coverage remain current and actionable
• Major incidents include effective stakeholder communication, RCA, and sustained corrective action.
• Technical vendor engagements and operational deliverables meet approved quality, delivery, security, and service-restoration expectations.

COMMUNICATIONS & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal Contacts            

• Project Team: Provide project updates, status, problem escalation and QCD.
• Global Team / Group Manager: provide operational status, risk, QCD, escalation, approvals, and roadmap input.
• Global and North America Platform Teams: coordinate architecture, delivery, standards, lifecycle, and service readiness.
• Storage, Backup & Infrastructure Services Administrator: coordinate primary/secondary ownership, recovery procedures, changes, incidents, and cross-training.
• Application, Database, Cybersecurity, Network, Facilities, and Compliance Teams: coordinate integrated delivery, vulnerability remediation, recovery, and audit support.

External Contacts           

• External Supplier and Partner:  Review roadmap, services and project execution and deliverable.   Working with partner to ensure resource, problem escalation to meet project delivery.
• IT Service Operations & Delivery Management Suppliers: (i.e. Kyndryl, L&T, etc) develop a teaming culture, exchange of ideas, discuss areas for opportunity for improvement, and provide service needs and schedule for Infrastructure and Application service delivery teams.
• Global IT Management: develop a teaming culture, exchange of ideas, discuss areas for opportunity for improvement, provide service needs and schedule.

Financial Dimensions    

• No direct budget, supplier-contract, or commercial service-governance authority.
• Prepare situation & decision analysis reports, technical evidence and recommendations to management for vendor support and platform lifecycle decisions.
• Ensure effective management of systems and services to meet  financial requirements, performance expectations, and business objectives.SIONS

DECISIONS EXPECTED

• Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; compares data from different sources to draw conclusions; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.
• Determines technical vendor-escalation requirements and provides evidence and recommendations to management.
• To specify systems, processes, and methodologies, to ensure effective monitoring, control, and support of service delivery.
• Identifies issues, problems, and opportunities; collects information from a variety of sources, to understand issues, problems, and opportunities.
• Creates relevant options for addressing problems/opportunities & determines problem resolution in a timely manner.
• Evaluates decision options by considering implications and consequences & includes key individuals in a decision-making process.
• Applies sound business logic when making decisions (considers financial impact, customer impact, etc.)
• Determines technical recovery and service-restoration approaches for complex compute, VDI, HPC, and DR incidents within approved standards.
• Recommends platform lifecycle, capacity, resilience, automation, and replacement priorities based on risk and business impact.
• Validates technical readiness of vendor-led changes and projects and escalates noncompliance with architecture, security, QCD, or operational requirements.

AHM COMPETENCIES

• Leading with Vision:  Sets, communicates and clarifies the vision for others, align others to the vision, and generate enthusiasm and excitement for it.
• Planning: Pictures the ideal state, establishes detailed steps and timetables for achieving needed results and determines required resources. Monitors progress of plan, identifying deviations and resolves problems and/or adapts plan to achieve goal. Considers impact of the plan on others beyond one’s area.
• Fostering Accountability: Holds self and others accountable in all aspects of work (goal attainment, performance, Core Values) as well as recognizing the performance, contributions and successes of others. Continually addresses gaps between current and ideal states of performance.
• Innovation: Develops, encourages, sponsors and/or supports the introduction of entirely new methods, procedures and/or technologies and creates and environment where such ideas are developed, shared and implemented.
• Focus on Improvement: Consistently pursues the highest quality standards and strives for continuous improvement through leveraging and improving systems and processes.
• Collaboration and Cooperation: Proactively looks for new opportunities to work together and contributes to a cooperative environment within the team and between teams, regardless of formal structure.  (e.g. cross-functionality)
• Customer Focus: Focuses on discovering and meeting the needs of internal and external customers and ensures the needs of the customer are embedded in all activities.    

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This position will require travel, specifically to our key locations in North America, frequency of North America business travel 5% to 10% per year.
• Average overtime estimate: 5-10 hours per week.
• Hybrid remote/on-site at Aircraft Company in Greensboro, NC.   Current requirement is 80% on-site. Subject to change as needed/defined 
• Participates in an after-hours on-call and escalation and may be required to support critical incidents outside normal business hours.
• Must be capable of on-site work for physical infrastructure, recovery testing, hardware replacement, and incident support, including lifting and racking/unracking of equipment.
• Must meet the organization’s US Person requirement for this supported environment.