Windows System Administrator

We have been retained by a leading enterprise-level mobile strategy software service provider to hire someone with expertise in Windows Server & Virtualization with 13+ years of experience on on-premises and cloud support or consulting with customer facing roles in systems architecture, administration, operations, software support, IT consulting, for enterprise and/or government customer base, and advanced troubleshooting. The role requires expertise in Windows Failover Clustering, Hyper‑V, Virtualization, Windows Platform, Performance Troubleshooting and Azure. Understanding of Microsoft's Modern IT Architecture and Strategy and Proven track record in successfully planning, deploying, operating, and optimizing on-premises and cloud environments. Relevant Windows Hybrid and Azure certifications would be preferred.

Role: Windows Server & Virtualization – Customer Engineering

Location: Mumbai

Role type: Advisory - architecture, consulting, and support to help customers drive solutions and resolutions

Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled candidate with 13+ years of experience on on-premises and cloud support or consulting with customer facing roles in systems architecture, administration, operations, software support, IT consulting, for enterprise and/or government customer base, and advanced troubleshooting

The role requires expertise in Windows Failover Clustering, Hyper‑V, Virtualization, Windows Platform, Performance Troubleshooting and Azure. Understanding of Microsoft's Modern IT Architecture and Strategy and Proven track record in successfully planning, deploying, operating, and optimizing on-premises and cloud environments. Relevant Windows Hybrid and Azure certifications would be preferred.

The ideal candidate will be responsible for managing and optimizing enterprise infrastructure platforms, ensuring high availability, resilience, security, and compliance, and delivering robust solutions to meet business and regulatory requirements backed with customer‑facing technical leadership.

Primary Skills Required

Windows Server (2012 R2 – 2025 advanced to expert level))

Windows Performance & Advanced Troubleshooting

Windows Failover Clustering

Hyper‑V

Virtualization (migration from VMWare to the following, Hyper-V, Azure VMWare Solutions, Azure Stack HCI, Azure VMs)

Azure Infrastructure (Azure Arc, Azure Monitor, Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, Defender for Cloud, Azure Local / hybrid infrastructure scenarios)

Windows Defender (incl. Defender for Endpoint on servers)

Systems Center Virtual Machine Manager

Windows Firewall

Windows Server Security (Defender, Firewall, Device Guard, Credential Guard, and BitLocker)

Key Responsibilities

1. Windows Failover Cluster & Virtualization Management

Creation, decommissioning, migration, and troubleshooting of Windows Failover Clusters.

Design and support of Hyper‑V clusters, Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV), quorum models, and live migration.

Planning and execution of failover cluster migrations with minimal downtime.

Design and validation of disaster recovery solutions using Hyper‑V Replica, including cluster‑to‑cluster and S2D‑backed scenarios.

2. Operating System & Platform Troubleshooting

Addressing issues related to OS in‑place upgrades and platform lifecycle management.

Troubleshooting high CPU, memory, disk latency, storage, and networking performance issues.

Deep‑dive analysis of unexpected restarts, VM crashes, cluster instability, and file‑system anomalies.

Proactively improving server reliability and performance through design and configuration recommendations.

3. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) & Critical Incident Handling

End‑to‑end ownership of RCA activities, including log collection, dump analysis coordination, hypothesis validation, and corrective actions.

Providing clear, evidence‑based RCA reports for reactive and critical incidents (CritSits).

Working closely with internal engineering teams, vendors, and customers during high‑severity incidents.

4. Security, Vulnerability & Compliance Mitigations

Implementing strategies to mitigate vulnerabilities and meet security and audit compliance requirements, especially in regulated environments.

Configuring and managing:

Windows Defender (including performance‑safe exclusions for Hyper‑V)

Windows Defender (including performance‑safe exclusions for Hyper‑V)

Windows Firewall

Device Guard and Credential Guard

BitLocker, including cluster‑aware and CSV scenarios

Supporting regular audits, compliance reviews, and security assessments with audit‑safe documentation and explanations.

5. Storage & High Availability

Design, deployment, and support of Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) clusters, including resiliency selection (mirror / dual parity), capacity planning, and failure handling.

Advising on storage architecture, firmware alignment, and operational best practices for clustered environments.

6. Workshops, Enablement & Knowledge Sharing

Conducting customer enablement activities and internal workshops on:

Hyper‑V and Failover Clustering best practices

Common failure patterns and troubleshooting

Performance tuning and observability

Sharing knowledge on new technologies and adoptions like Windows Server 2025, security advancements, and Windows Admin Center (WAC)

7. Lead Responsibilities

Act as technical authority for Windows Server, Hyper‑V, clustering, and Storage Spaces Direct platforms.

Lead architecture discussions, provide solutions and design‑level guidance, not just reactive fixes.

Handle complex customer scenarios with confidence and authority, including governance and escalation calls.

Mentor junior engineers and guide teams during complex troubleshooting and review RCA.

Proactively identify risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities, and propose delivery roadmaps aligned with customer needs.

Qualifications

Windows Hybrid and Azure certifications (advanced Microsoft certifications preferred).

MSc / BE / BA / BS (or equivalent practical experience) in Information Technology or related fields.

Continuous learning aligned with Microsoft's hybrid cloud and infrastructure roadmap.

Experience handling mission‑critical, enterprise‑scale environments.

Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.

Excellent communication and presentation skills.

Ability to conduct technical workshops and enablement sessions.

Experience in vulnerability remediation and compliance‑driven environments.

Key Skills

Experience with Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) and Hyper‑V Replica–based DR.

Familiarity with Azure Arc, Azure Monitor, Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, Defender for Cloud, and Azure Local / hybrid scenarios.

Understanding of Network Traffic Control (NTC), RDMA, and modern high‑performance networking for clusters.

Ability to drive modern observability, automation, and platform‑level hardening initiatives.

Non‑Technical / Soft Skills

Strong customer service orientation.

Analytical thinking and structured problem‑solving skills.

Clear and confident communication and presentation abilities.

Ability to interpret and address the needs of customer executives and technical leadership.

Ability to handle high‑pressure and critical situations.

High ownership, accountability, and commitment.

Confident and authoritative in customer interactions.

Ability to propose delivery roadmaps based on identified opportunities and gaps.

Strong inclination to learn, adapt, and evolve continuously.