Systems Engineer

Description

Sargent & Lundy is a leading consulting engineering firm specializing in the power and energy sectors. Since 1891, we have provided comprehensive engineering, design, and consulting services for both traditional and renewable power generation, grid modernization, nuclear power, and beyond. Our mission is to help clients achieve their energy goals effectively by leveraging advanced technologies and adopting sustainable practices. 

We are seeking a Systems Engineer to design, implement, and support our core infrastructure services across on‑premises and cloud environments. This role is responsible for ensuring the reliability, performance, security, and scalability of compute, storage, and core platform services that support business-critical applications and users. 

The Systems Engineer will work closely with IT operations, security, networking, and application teams to deliver resilient solutions, drive standardization, and continuously improve infrastructure services and processes. 

Key Responsibilities 

Infrastructure Design & Implementation 

• Design, build, and maintain Windows server environments (physical, virtual, and cloud). 

• Implement and support virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware, Hyper‑V) and related resource management. 

• Deploy and manage cloud infrastructure (e.g., Azure IaaS/PaaS) in alignment with architecture and security standards. 

• Implement and maintain backup, recovery, and DR solutions for servers and critical applications. 

• Participate in capacity planning, performance tuning, and lifecycle management (build, upgrade, retire). 

Operations & Administration 

• Administer core infrastructure services such as DNS, DHCP, file/print, certificate services, Azure infrastructure resources, and VMware/ESXi hosts. 

• Monitor system health, performance, and availability using standard tools and dashboards. 

• Troubleshoot and resolve complex infrastructure issues, including OS, middleware, and integration problems. 

• Maintain and optimize patching and configuration management for servers and core services. 

• Create and maintain standard operating procedures, runbooks, and configuration documentation. 

Automation & Continuous Improvement 

• Develop and maintain PowerShell or other scripting/automation to streamline provisioning, patching, and maintenance. 

• Contribute to infrastructure-as-code and standardized build patterns where applicable. 

• Identify opportunities to improve stability, security, and efficiency of infrastructure platforms. 

• Participate in infrastructure roadmap and standards development. 

Security & Compliance 

• Implement and support security hardening of servers and platforms in line with corporate and regulatory requirements. 

• Collaborate with security teams on vulnerability remediation, access controls, and audit responses. 

• Support identity, access, and logging requirements for infrastructure components. 

• Maintain compliance with change management and documentation standards. 

Collaboration & Support 

• Work with service desk and application teams as an escalation point for infrastructure-related incidents. 

• Participate in on‑call rotation and after‑hours maintenance windows as required. 

• Provide infrastructure input to projects, upgrades, and new solution designs. 

• Communicate clearly with technical and non‑technical stakeholders regarding changes, risks, and impacts.

 

This position offers the flexibility of a hybrid schedule with the expectation of 3 days per week in our downtown Chicago office, and 2 days remote from home.

Qualifications

Required Skills & Experience 

• 3–5+ years of experience in systems engineering, infrastructure engineering, or a similar role. 

• Strong experience with Windows Server installation, configuration, and administration. 

• Hands‑on experience with virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware vSphere, Hyper‑V). 

• Experience administering Azure infrastructure (compute, storage, networking