System Administrator

1. Job Purpose

The Senior System Administrator will be responsible for the design, administration, maintenance, security, availability, and continuous improvement of enterprise IT infrastructure. The role will provide technical support across on-premises infrastructure, virtualization, hybrid cloud environments, networking, enterprise storage, backup and disaster recovery, system deployment, monitoring.

The position requires strong hands-on expertise in infrastructure technologies along with the ability to independently troubleshoot complex technical issues, drive root-cause analysis, ensure infrastructure resilience, and support critical business operations.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Server Infrastructure & Virtualization

• Design, configure, administer, and maintain enterprise server infrastructure.
• Manage Microsoft Hyper-V environments, including multi-host clusters and high-availability configurations.
• Administer System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) for centralized virtualization management.
• Perform VM provisioning, live migration, storage migration, resource allocation, dynamic memory management, and capacity optimization.
• Manage Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 and Linux environments including RHEL, Ubuntu, and CentOS.
• Ensure server availability, performance, security, and capacity meet business requirements.
• Participate in infrastructure architecture and technology refresh initiatives.
• VMware vSphere administration will be an added advantage.

B. Active Directory & Core Infrastructure Services

• Administer and maintain Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS).
• Manage Group Policy Objects (GPO), DNS, DHCP, PKI, and Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS).
• Manage user, computer, group, and access policies in line with organizational security requirements.
• Ensure availability and security of identity and authentication services.
• Support identity integration between on-premises and cloud environments.

C. Cloud & Hybrid Infrastructure

• Manage and support infrastructure hosted on Microsoft Azure, AWS, or GCP.
• Implement and maintain hybrid infrastructure connectivity between on-premises and cloud environments.
• Manage Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD Connect and hybrid identity solutions.
• Support technologies such as ExpressRoute or AWS Direct Connect.
• Monitor cloud infrastructure utilization, performance, and availability.
• Optimize cloud resource utilization through right-sizing and effective capacity management.
• Support cloud cost optimization and governance initiatives.

D. Cybersecurity & Compliance - Nice to have:

• Support implementation and maintenance of infrastructure security controls.
• Ensure timely patching and remediation of identified vulnerabilities.
• Coordinate vulnerability assessments using tools such as Nessus or Qualys.
• Participate in security incident investigation and response.
• Lead or support Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for infrastructure and security incidents.
• Maintain required infrastructure documentation and security records.
• Support internal and external audits, including ISO 27001, SOC 2, and other applicable compliance requirements.
• Ensure IT and OT infrastructure follows defined security and access-control standards.

E. Enterprise Storage & Capacity Management

• Administer enterprise SAN, NAS, and unified storage platforms.
• Manage storage technologies including iSCSI, Fibre Channel, NFS, and SMB.
• Work with enterprise storage platforms such as Dell EMC / PowerProtect and Pure Storage.
• Monitor storage capacity, performance, IOPS, utilization, and availability.
• Perform storage allocation, optimization, tiering, and capacity planning.
• Forecast future storage requirements based on business and infrastructure growth.
• Ensure appropriate access controls and security for enterprise storage environments.

F. Backup & Disaster Recovery

• Administer enterprise backup and recovery platforms such as Veeam, Commvault, and Zerto.
• Manage backup of physical servers, virtual machines, applications, and cloud workloads.
• Define and maintain appropriate backup schedules, retention policies, and recovery procedures.
• Monitor backup jobs and ensure successful completion within defined SLAs.
• Perform periodic restore and recovery testing to validate backup integrity.
• Develop, maintain, and periodically test Disaster Recovery (DR) plans.
• Ensure infrastructure recovery capabilities meet defined RPO and RTO requirements.
• Coordinate DR drills and document test results, gaps, and corrective actions.

G. System Deployment & Automation Nice to have:

• Manage operating system and application deployment using SCCM, Microsoft Intune, WDS, or equivalent solutions.
• Standardize and automate system provisioning and configuration activities.
• Develop scripts and automation for routine infrastructure administration.
• Use PowerShell, Bash, or Python to automate repetitive tasks and improve operational efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to reduce manual intervention through automation.

H. Infrastructure Monitoring & Incident Management

• Monitor the health, availability, performance, and capacity of critical IT infrastructure.
• Manage infrastructure monitoring and alerting platforms such as PRTG, Nagios, SolarWinds, or Datadog.
• Proactively identify and resolve infrastructure performance issues.
• Handle Tier-3 technical escalations and complex infrastructure incidents.
• Lead troubleshooting and RCA for recurring infrastructure issues.
• Ensure timely resolution of incidents in line with defined SLAs.
• Maintain incident, problem, change, and infrastructure documentation.

I. Infrastructure Governance & Documentation

• Maintain accurate documentation of infrastructure architecture, configurations, network diagrams, systems, and operating procedures.
• Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Work Instructions, and Disaster Recovery documentation.
• Follow IT change-management and configuration-management processes.
• Evaluate new technologies and recommend infrastructure improvements.
• Coordinate with internal stakeholders, vendors, and technology partners for infrastructure-related activities.
• Support infrastructure projects, technology upgrades, migrations, and expansion initiatives.

3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

KPI

Performance Measure

Infrastructure Availability

Maintain 99.9% or higher availability of critical infrastructure

Backup Success Rate

Maintain agreed backup success rate within defined SLA

Disaster Recovery Readiness

Ensure compliance with defined RPO/RTO targets and successful DR drills

Patch Compliance

Maintain 95%+ patch compliance within defined timelines

Incident Resolution

Achieve agreed MTTR for infrastructure and Tier-3 incidents

Security Compliance

Timely closure of identified vulnerabilities and audit observations

Infrastructure Performance

Proactive identification and resolution of performance/capacity issues

Documentation

Ensure infrastructure documentation and SOPs are current and accurate

Automation

Identify and implement opportunities for infrastructure automation

4. Technical Competencies

Infrastructure: Windows Server 2016/2019/2022; Linux – RHEL, Ubuntu, CentOS; Microsoft Hyper-V; Failover Clustering; SCVMM; VMware vSphere – desirable

Identity & Directory Services: Active Directory; Group Policy; DNS; DHCP; PKI; ADFS; Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD Connect

Cloud: Microsoft Azure and/or AWS; Hybrid Cloud Architecture; ExpressRoute / AWS Direct Connect; Cloud Resource & Cost Optimization

Networking: TCP/IP; Subnetting; VLAN; Routing; BGP / OSPF; VPN – IPsec / SSL; Firewall Administration; Network Segmentation; Load Balancers; Cisco / Palo Alto / Fortinet

Storage & Backup: SAN / NAS; iSCSI; Fibre Channel; NFS / SMB; Dell EMC / Pure Storage; Veeam; Commvault; Zerto

Security: EDR / MDR; Vulnerability Management; Nessus / Qualys; Patch Management; Security Incident Response; IT-OT Security; ISO 27001 / SOC 2

Automation & Monitoring: PowerShell; Bash; Python; SCCM; Microsoft Intune; WDS; PRTG / Nagios / SolarWinds / Datadog

5. Educational Qualification

• B.Tech \B. E qualification from a recognized institution.
• Relevant technical certifications in infrastructure, cloud, networking, virtualization, or cybersecurity will be preferred.

6. Experience

• 8+ years of progressive experience in System Administration, System Engineering, IT Infrastructure, IT Operations, or IT/OT Infrastructure.
• Proven hands-on experience in managing enterprise-scale on-premises and hybrid cloud infrastructure.
• Experience in managing critical infrastructure in a 247 or business-critical environment will be an advantage.
• Experience in manufacturing/industrial environments and OT-IT infrastructure will be preferred.

7. Preferred Certifications

Microsoft / Cloud: Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate; Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert; relevant Microsoft Azure certifications

Virtualization: VMware VCP-DCV; relevant Microsoft Hyper-V / virtualization certifications

Networking & Security: Cisco CCNP; Palo Alto PCNSA / PCNSE; relevant network/security certifications

Backup & Storage: Veeam Certified Engineer (VMCE); relevant storage or backup certifications

8. Behavioral & Leadership Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Excellent troubleshooting skills with the ability to handle critical incidents under pressure.
• Strong ownership and accountability for infrastructure availability and performance.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and business stakeholders.
• Strong technical documentation and knowledge-sharing capability.
• Ability to lead infrastructure projects and coordinate with external vendors.
• Continuous learning mindset with the ability to evaluate and adopt new technologies.
• Strong focus on security, reliability, process compliance, and operational excellence.

9. Overall Role Expectation

The Senior System Administrator is expected to act as a technical owner for enterprise infrastructure, ensuring high availability, security, scalability, and resilience of critical IT systems. The role will combine hands-on technical administration with infrastructure planning, incident leadership, automation, cybersecurity, disaster recovery, and continuous improvement.