Systems Engineering Lead
1 month ago
New York
Job DescriptionWe are seeking a seasoned Sr. Systems Engineer - Onsite to serve as the primary technical presence at a high-profile financial services client. This is not a traditional support role - you will be the trusted technical lead and day-to-day partner to the client's leadership, owning the reliability, security, and continuous improvement of their entire technology environment. You will bring deep cloud and infrastructure expertise, a strong automation mindset, and the client-facing maturity to translate technical complexity into business outcomes. You will serve as the escalation anchor for all Level 1 and Level 2 issues, partner with our engineering teams on complex initiatives, and ensure the client's environment evolves alongside their business. Client Partnership & Onsite Leadership: • Serve as the senior onsite technical lead and trusted advisor to the client's CTO and senior stakeholders, • Build and maintain a strong client relationship grounded in technical credibility, proactive communication, and follow-through, • Translate business requirements into technical solutions, providing guidance on infrastructure decisions, vendor evaluations, and technology roadmap considerations, • Represent Portfolio BI's standards and quality of service in every client interaction, • Coordinate with internal engineering and delivery teams to align onsite operations with broader platform initiatives Infrastructure Operations & System Health: • Own the day-to-day health, performance, and availability of the client's cloud and hybrid infrastructure, • Provide hands-on support across end-user systems, server infrastructure, networking, storage, identity, and security layers, • Proactively monitor systems using cloud-native and third-party tools, identifying and resolving risks before they affect operations, • Execute and oversee operational activities, including patching cycles, backup validation, disaster recovery readiness, and scheduled maintenance, • Support and administer the full Microsoft 365 ecosystem, including Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Intune, Entra ID, and Teams Calling Incident & Problem Management: • Serve as the primary escalation point for critical incidents, ensuring timely resolution within defined SLA commitments, • Lead root cause analysis (RCA) efforts and implement durable corrective actions to prevent recurrence, • Coordinate with Level 3 engineers and product teams on high-impact or systemic issues, • Drive continuous improvement of incident response processes, runbooks, and escalation paths, • Maintain clear and timely communication with clients during active incidents, providing status updates and post-incident summaries Automation, IaC & Cloud Engineering: • Design and maintain infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, ARM templates, Bicep) to ensure consistent, repeatable deployments, • Develop and enhance automation scripts (PowerShell, Python, Bash) to reduce manual operational overhead and improve reliability, • Contribute to and maintain CI/CD pipelines, supporting controlled deployment of infrastructure changes and configuration updates, • Support cloud deployments, configuration changes, and infrastructure updates under strict change control procedures, • Identify automation opportunities across operational workflows and lead implementation through to production Experience & Technical Skills: • 4 to 8 years of experience in systems engineering, cloud operations, or a closely related role, • Proven track record as a senior technical resource in a dedicated or client-facing environment, ideally within an MSP or financial services firm, • Strong hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure (IaaS, PaaS, hybrid architectures) - Azure Administrator Associate certification preferred, • Deep expertise across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem: Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Intune, Entra ID, Teams Calling, • Solid command of cloud networking: VNets, VPNs, load balancing, DNS, NSGs, ExpressRoute, and hybrid connectivity, • Windows Server administration, including Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, and DFS, • Scripting and automation proficiency in PowerShell, Python, and Bash - you write code to solve operational problems, not just for documentation, • Hands-on experience with infrastructure-as-code tools: Terraform, ARM templates, or Bicep, • Working knowledge of CI/CD practices and version control (Git, Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions), • Proficiency with monitoring and observability platforms (Azure Monitor, Datadog, Microsoft Sentinel, or equivalent), • Solid networking fundamentals: LAN/WAN/DMZ architecture, routing, switching, firewalls, DHCP, and DNS, • Experience supporting market data platforms and vendor integrations common in financial services environments (Bloomberg, Refinitiv/LSEG, CapIQ, Advent, or similar), • Excellent client-facing communication skills - able to engage confidently with both technical teams and business leadership Preferred Qualifications:, • Prior experience in the alternative investment industry (hedge funds, private equity, asset management), • Microsoft certifications such as Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) or Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert, • Experience with cybersecurity tools: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Sentinel, CrowdStrike, or Darktrace, • Familiarity with Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops (XenApp) or similar application delivery platforms, • Exposure to containerization and orchestration: Docker and Kubernetes, • Experience supporting hybrid cloud and on-premises integrations, including VMware or Hyper-V environments, • Working knowledge of Linux server administration, • Familiarity with ITIL practices and ITSM tools such as ServiceNow or Jira Service Management, • Experience with storage and virtualization platforms: Pure Storage, NetApp, EMC, Nimble, or equivalent Core Technology Stack: Category | Technologies Cloud | Microsoft Azure (IaaS/PaaS), Azure Virtual Desktop, ExpressRoute, Entra ID, Azure Policy Productivity | Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams Calling, Intune Servers | Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, Active Directory, VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, Citrix XenApp Networking | Fortinet FortiGate, Palo Alto, Cisco Meraki, VLANs, VPN (SSL/IPsec), SD-WAN (Bigleaf) Cybersecurity | Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Sentinel, CrowdStrike, Mimecast, Horizon AI, MFA/Zero Trust Monitoring | Datadog, PRTG, Azure Monitor, Jira Service Management, PagerDuty