Systems Administrator

***NO THIRDS PLEASE***

This is a great opportunity to work for a really good company in the O & G industry.

Contract to Hire hybrid work schedule working out of a beautiful office setting in the downtown Houston area. Must be an SME with strong Microsoft Azure IT Support experience; Any Azure Certifications is a plus. Strong experience with VMware/vCenter/ESXi

Summary:

The Systems / Azure Administrator is responsible for managing and supporting on-premises and cloud-based Azure server infrastructure services. Will implement, manage, and monitor identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual network environments. It will require your expertise to develop the best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and drive improvements in cloud and Windows Server infrastructure operations. This role also includes managing data center operations and transitioning infrastructure to cloud environments where appropriate

Duties:

- Strong analytical, organizational and documentation skills required.

- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and verbal required.

- Ability to work independently and in a small team environment as the job requires.

- A positive service-oriented organization attitude is required.

- Ability to establish priorities, prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and concentrate on detailed information in a fast-paced and demanding work environment.

- Ability to perform effectively in high-pressure situations while maintaining focus and calmness with a high degree of accuracy.

- Ability to follow defined procedures.

- Have a strong personal initiative and desire for continuous improvement.

- Understand and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

- Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with clients, vendors, and internal operations staff across business units when troubleshooting complex issues.

- Strong working knowledge of change management processes.

- Strong knowledge of business practices and processes in Oil & Gas industry

- Willingness to step outside “comfort zone” and learn and participate in other areas of the department when needed.

- Willingness and ability to support systems during non-business hours as needed.

- Willingness to work irregular hours and both planned and unplanned as the job requires.

- Understanding of on-premises and cloud infrastructure virtualization technologies, including, virtual machines, virtual networking, and virtual hard disks.

- Understanding of identity management (Entra ID, Active Directory) concepts, including users, groups, and role-based access control.

- Understanding of resilience and disaster recovery, including backup and restore operations.

- Provide subject matter knowledge and expertise on Microsoft Azure and Azure Entra ID services

- Must be familiar with the core concepts of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS). Additionally, comprehensive knowledge of Azure services, including virtual machines, storage options, and networking components, forms the bedrock of all subsequent skills.

- Should be adept at managing Azure resources through the Azure portal, Azure CLI, and PowerShell. This includes tasks such as provisioning and scaling virtual machines, configuring virtual networks, and managing storage accounts.

- Monitoring and Performance Tuning, Ensuring the optimal performance of cloud resources requires a strong grasp of monitoring tools and performance tuning techniques. Sysadmins should be skilled in using Azure Monitor, Azure Log Analytics, and Application Insights to track the health and performance of applications and infrastructure. Should also be able to analyze data and implement changes to enhance performance and efficiency.

- Backup and Disaster Recovery, Robust backup and disaster recovery strategies are essential. Sysadmins need to be familiar with Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery, and other related tools to ensure data integrity and business continuity in the event of disruptions.

- Security best practiced understanding and apply security best practices including server hardening, monitoring, virus protection, and access control.

- Should have strong scripting skills in languages such as PowerShell, Python, or Bash. Proficiency in using Azure Automation, Azure Functions, and Azure DevOps to automate routine tasks.

- Demonstrate experience with upgrading, enhancing and migrating Microsoft platform systems and services

- Serve as Tier 3 support for the Service Desk for Server and Cloud issues/operations.

Job Requirements:

- 5+ years’ experience directly supporting IT and OT networking environments.

- Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104).

- Proficient with Microsoft application suite is required.

- General cloud PaaS/IaaS integrations spanning multiple projects and timelines

- Design solutions on VMware vCenter/ESXi based on business requirements and VMware best practices

- Migrating privately hosted and on-premises services to Microsoft Azure or VMWare ESXi

- Desire for learning by obtaining relevant training and certifications.

- Design Azure PaaS/IaaS solutions based on business requirements and Microsoft best practices

- Automating and performing Infrastructure tasks using industry standard products