Sr Citrix XenServer & VDI Engineer

Job Purpose

We are seeking an experienced Senior Citrix XenServer & VDI Engineer to build the target Citrix XenServer platform and migrate our clients VDI estate off VMware safely and on schedule. The clients VMware licences expire, so this is a time-critical, hands-on delivery role. The successful candidate will act as the senior technical authority for the VDI migration across 10 HPE ProLiant hosts: ~400 VDI desktops moving from VMware vSphere 8.0 to Citrix XenServer. He/She will plan and run a rolling host-by-host migration, protect the end-user experience throughout, work closely with the clients Citrix team and the Hyper-V workstream, and leave behind documentation the clients operations team can run with.

Key Responsibilities

• Citrix XenServer Platform Build & Management
  • Build and configure Citrix XenServer / Citrix Hypervisor hosts and resource pools on HPE ProLiant hardware (10 hosts), including iLO, firmware/SPP, and hardware compatibility compliance.
  • Configure storage repositories (iSCSI/FC/NFS with multipathing), NIC bonding, networks/VLANs, and pool HA to match the existing VMware design.
  • Manage the estate via XenCenter and the xe CLI, including pool master design, Active Directory integration, role-based access, and host update/hotfix lifecycle.
  • Size and tune pool capacity (CPU, memory, storage IOPS, read caching) for ~400 concurrent desktops.
  • Integrate the new hosts with Active Directory, DNS, monitoring, and patching tooling.
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops Integration
  • Work with the clients Citrix team to create hosting connections and resources from the Delivery Controllers to the new XenServer pools.
  • Prepare and optimise golden images for XenServer (XenServer VM Tools, Citrix VDA, Citrix Optimizer) and rebuild machine catalogs using MCS/PVS.
  • Validate machine catalog and delivery group configuration, power management, and provisioning behaviour after each stage.
  • Validate VDI performance, user logon experience, profile management (FSLogix / Citrix Profile Management), and capacity after each stage of the migration.
• VDI Migration Planning & Execution (VMware Exit)
  • Assess the VMware vSphere 8.0 VDI estate (hosts, catalogs, golden images, persistent vs non-persistent desktops, networks, datastores) and produce the migration plan and schedule against the deadline.
  • Run a rolling migration: evacuate a host, rebuild it as XenServer, move desktop capacity in phases by delivery group/user population, and repeat, avoiding disruption to users.
  • Rebuild non-persistent catalogs from new XenServer golden images and convert persistent desktops using Citrix XenServer Conversion Manager or other V2V tooling, including VMware Tools removal and XenServer VM Tools installation.
  • Define pilot, UAT, validation, and rollback procedures for each stage, and coordinate change windows, out-of-hours activity, and user communications with the client.
  • Decommission VMware hosts once desktops are verified and signed off.
• Security, Automation & Handover
  • Apply security hardening to XenServer hosts and golden images aligned to CIS Benchmarks, Microsoft Security Baselines, and vendor guidance.
  • Establish patching and lifecycle processes for XenServer hosts, VDAs, and golden images.
  • Automate repetitive build, image, and migration tasks using PowerShell (Citrix PowerShell SDK, XenServer SDK) and the xe CLI.
  • Produce build documentation, runbooks, and operational handover for the clients infrastructure and Citrix teams, and brief them on day-to-day management.
  • Coordinate with the Hyper-V server workstream on shared hardware, networks, storage, and the overall migration schedule.

Qualification, Skills and Experience

• 10+ years of relevant experience in virtualisation and end-user computing / VDI infrastructure, with deep hands-on expertise in Citrix XenServer / Citrix Hypervisor.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, Information Technology or Engineering.
• Strong hands-on experience with Citrix XenServer / Citrix Hypervisor, including host builds, resource pools, storage repositories, multipathing, NIC bonding, pool HA, XenCenter, and the xe CLI.
• Strong experience with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, including Delivery Controllers, hosting connections, machine catalogs, delivery groups, and MCS/PVS.
• Proven experience running VDI at scale (400+ desktops), including golden image build, optimisation, and VDA lifecycle management.
• Proven experience migrating VDI workloads between hypervisors with minimal user disruption, using Citrix XenServer Conversion Manager or image-rebuild approaches.
• Good understanding of VMware vSphere/ESXi 7.x/8.x, including vCenter, VMware Tools removal, and host decommissioning.
• Hands-on experience with HPE ProLiant servers, including iLO, firmware/SPP compliance, and Smart Array configuration.
• Good understanding of storage and SAN technologies, including Fibre Channel, iSCSI, NFS, and multipathing, and storage performance/IOPS sizing for VDI.
• Understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, VLANs, LACP/NIC bonding, switching, firewalls, and Citrix HDX/ICA traffic.
• Strong experience with Windows 10/11 desktop and Windows Server administration, including Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and Group Policy management.
• Experience with user profile management (FSLogix / Citrix Profile Management) and VDI performance and logon troubleshooting using Citrix Director or similar tools.
• Hands-on experience with PowerShell scripting (including the Citrix PowerShell SDK) for automation, administration, and migration tasks.
• Experience implementing security baselines and hardening standards for hosts and golden images, and managing patching across hypervisors and desktops.

Disclaimer: This job posting has been aggregated from external source. Role details, content, and availability are subject to change. Applicants are advised to confirm the latest information directly on the company website before applying.