Senior Virtualization Engineer VMware & UCS Architect

Drayan Figueroa

Tucson, AZ 346-***-**** ******.********@*****.***

U.S. Citizen • Active DoD Secret Clearance

Professional Summary

Senior Virtualization Administrator / VMware System Engineer with 10+ years of experience supporting U.S. Army, DoD, and NATO enterprise infrastructures. Proven expertise in vSphere 6.x–8.x, Cisco UCS blade systems, and Windows Server platforms, delivering highly available, secure, and STIG-compliant environments across global operations. Skilled in PowerCLI automation, RMF compliance, IA documentation, and DR planning. Adept at leading cross-functional teams, troubleshooting Tier III issues, and implementing scalable virtualization solutions that improve system resilience and mission readiness.

Core Competencies

VMware vSphere 6.x–8.x vCenter ESXi DRS HA SRM Cisco UCS B/C-Series Fabric Interconnects SAN Storage Windows Server 2016–2019 Active Directory DNS GPO DHCP PowerCLI PowerShell Scripting Task Automation Orchestration RMF DISA STIG Nessus ACAS IA Audit Readiness ITIL Incident Problem Change Management

Veeam Backup & Replication DR Planning COOP Testing Documentation SOPs Root Cause Analysis Technical Mentoring Professional Experience

Senior Virtualization Administrator (UCS / VMware) — Information Systems Solutions (ISS) – Fort Huachuca, AZ Aug 2025 – Present

• Architect, deploy, and administer vSphere 7.x–8.x clusters and Cisco UCS blade infrastructure supporting mission-critical Army systems on NIPR/SIPR networks.

• Lead lifecycle management of ESXi hosts, vCenter servers, and UCS fabric interconnects; perform firmware upgrades, patching, and resource optimization.

• Developed PowerCLI scripts for bulk VM provisioning, template creation, and snapshot management—reducing manual work by over 50%.

• Implement advanced DRS/HA rules, datastore clusters, and vMotion migrations to achieve 99.99% uptime across production workloads.

• Coordinate RMF accreditation and STIG compliance; remediate vulnerabilities identified by ACAS/Nessus and document IA artifacts.

• Conduct system audits, capacity forecasting, and DR simulations; improved recovery time objectives (RTO) by 35%.

• Mentor junior administrators on VMware management and cybersecurity standards. IT Specialist (Windows / Virtualization) — Serco Inc. (NATO Contract) – Romania Nov 2024 – Aug 2025

• Supported secure NATO enterprise networks, managing Windows and VMware systems for multi-nation defense collaboration.

• Implemented host security hardening and Group Policy controls aligned with DISA and NATO IA directives.

• Automated VM deployment pipelines using PowerCLI, decreasing provisioning times from hours to minutes.

• Oversaw storage, vSwitch, and VLAN configuration for improved traffic segmentation and fault isolation.

• Collaborated with cybersecurity teams to remediate IA findings, maintaining 100% inspection readiness.

• Developed technical runbooks, SOPs, and network documentation for knowledge continuity. VMware Windows System Administrator — Insight Global / U.S. Army NETCOM – Fort Huachuca, AZ Feb 2024 – Oct 2024

• Managed 500+ virtual machines within VMware vSphere 7.x environments supporting enterprise DoD applications.

• Performed host patching, datastore maintenance, and capacity balancing; sustained 99.95% service availability.

• Utilized Veeam Backup & Replication for VM backups, verification, and DR testing; validated recovery SLAs quarterly.

• Resolved escalated Tier III incidents impacting networked systems, reducing downtime during outages by 30%.

• Implemented automated monitoring via vROps, providing early alerts to performance degradations.

• Partnered with IA teams to validate system hardening and maintain RMF authorization. System Administrator (Virtualization / Infrastructure) — General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) – Poland (NATO Mission)

Aug 2021 – Feb 2024

• Administered VMware vCenter 6.7 and ESXi environments supporting NATO command-and-control systems.

• Configured and maintained UCS servers, SAN storage, and replication between primary and DR datacenters.

• Automated snapshot, backup, and patch workflows to meet SLA compliance and continuity requirements.

• Participated in RMF documentation, Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M;) updates, and IA compliance reviews.

• Delivered infrastructure status reports to leadership, highlighting capacity, performance, and compliance metrics.

• Supported cross-domain collaboration between NATO and U.S. military networks under strict cybersecurity standards.

Windows System Administrator — Comtech Telecommunications – Qatar Aug 2020 – Aug 2021

• Supported hybrid Windows and VMware infrastructure for global SATCOM and DoD communication systems.

• Administered Active Directory, Exchange, and Group Policy for 1,000+ user accounts across multiple sites.

• Executed patch management, server provisioning, and change requests via PowerShell automation.

• Conducted STIG reviews, vulnerability scanning, and risk mitigation, maintaining IA compliance.

• Provided escalation support for virtualization and network issues affecting mission systems.

• Collaborated with engineering teams to design new redundant systems that improved fault tolerance by 40%. Education

A.S., Information Technology — California Institute of Arts & Technology, 2022 Certifications

CompTIA Security+ CE

CompTIA SecurityX

Cisco CCNA (Routing & Switching)

Microsoft MCSA: Server 2016

Microsoft MCP

Microsoft AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals

CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+)

Security Clearance

Active DoD Secret Clearance

Technical Tools

VMware vCenter / ESXi / SRM / vROps • Cisco UCS Manager • Veeam • Nessus • PowerCLI • PowerShell • Windows Server 2016–2019 • ADCS / PKI • DNS / DHCP • ServiceNow • Remedy • SAN / NAS Storage (NetApp, Dell EMC)

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