Senior Linux Systems Engineer - Automation & Cloud Orchestration

Hamza Mahmood

Linux Systems Engineer

732-***-**** *****************@*****.***

Professional Summary

Accomplished Linux Systems Engineer with 6+ years of experience managing and optimizing both physical and virtual server environments, specializing in RHEL and CentOS platforms. Proficient in automation and scripting, leveraging Ansible to streamline system configurations, enforce security policies, and ensure consistent operational performance. Experienced with virtualization technologies including VMware ESXi, vCenter, and vMotion for efficient resource management and high-availability deployments. Skilled in containerization with Docker and orchestration using Kubernetes, enabling scalable and reliable application delivery. Well-versed in cloud infrastructure, particularly AWS services, designing secure, resilient, and scalable solutions for business-critical workloads. Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and collaboration skills, focused on delivering robust, automated, and cloud-integrated Linux environments.

Education & Certifications

Bachelor of Computer Science 2023

Rutgers University, New Jersey

Red Hat Certified System Administrator - RHCSA

Technical Skills

Automation and scripting:

Ansible Ansible Playbooks Ansible Roles Ansible Tower Shell Scripting

Server Management:

Physical Servers Virtual Servers RHEL CentOS OEL

Cloud Technologies:

AWS Services [EC2 IAM ELB S3 Cloudwatch Clout trail Cloud Front]

Containerization:

Docker Kubernetes

Security and Compliance:

Firewalld iptables ACls Permissions IAM roles Policies MFA patching

Version Control:

Git Gitlab

Monitoring and Logging:

Nagios Solar Wind Splunk

Virtualization Technology:

VMware ESXI vCenter vMotion HA DRS clustering

Storage:

EBS EFS SAN NAS LVM RAID Disk partition (gdisk) Filesystems (EXT3, EXT4, XFS)

Network Configuration:

Network Connectivity IP Configuration network protocols ISO layers

Professional Experience

Linux Systems Engineer

Bank of China, New York Dec 2024 – Present

Managed full lifecycle of RHEL/CentOS physical and virtual servers, including deployment, configuration, tuning, and ongoing maintenance to ensure high system availability.

Developed and optimized Ansible playbooks for automated system configurations, software deployments, and operational standardization.

Implemented security policies via Ansible, automating audits and routine tasks to improve infrastructure reliability and compliance.

Conducted pre-patching testing and validation for RHEL/CentOS systems to minimize downtime and ensure smooth patch rollouts.

Performed post-patching verifications and system integrity checks, confirming kernel updates, security fixes, and optimal service performance.

Maintained Git repositories for configuration and automation scripts, leveraging Git hooks to enforce version control and code quality.

Leveraged Ansible Tower/AWX for workflow orchestration, monitoring automation runs, troubleshooting failures, and optimizing Linux system operations.

Utilized VMware vSphere, vCenter, ESXi, and vMotion to dynamically migrate workloads, balance resources, and maintain high-availability virtual environments.

Deployed and managed AWS EC2 instances, integrated with S3, IAM, CloudWatch, and VPC, ensuring secure, scalable, and highly available cloud infrastructure.

Administered IAM users, roles, and policies to enforce least privilege access and secure cloud-based Linux environments.

Designed and executed cloud migration strategies for on-premises Linux workloads to AWS, ensuring minimal downtime and operational continuity.

Monitored system and application performance using AWS CloudWatch, Nagios, and SolarWinds, providing real-time alerts and proactive incident management.

Performed kernel tuning and system parameter optimization to enhance CPU, memory, and I/O performance on Linux servers.

Configured and maintained SolarWinds monitoring solutions, integrating with Linux services for improved fault detection and capacity planning.

Managed incident tracking and resolution via Jira, supporting SLA adherence and structured IT incident management processes.

Linux Systems Admin

Dow Chemical, Midland, Michigan Nov 2021 – Oct 2024

Installed, configured, and optimized physical servers and virtual machines to ensure high-performance Linux environments.

Led the migration of RHEL 6 to RHEL 7, ensuring compatibility, minimal downtime, and seamless system transitions.

Engineered advanced LVM configurations, including dynamic volume resizing, snapshots, and efficient utilization of physical storage.

Conducted in-depth assessments and tuning of ext3, ext4, and XFS file systems, improving scalability, performance, and data access speed.

Reviewed and optimized Nagios monitoring configurations, enhancing fault detection, service monitoring, and integration with Linux applications.

Performed Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to diagnose and resolve complex Linux infrastructure issues, proactively preventing future incidents.

Coordinated with application and OS vendors, escalating issues efficiently to ensure uninterrupted Linux system operations.

Managed YUM repository servers for effective patch management, ensuring timely updates and consistent system security.

Implemented advanced network configuration and performance tuning, optimizing CPU, memory, and I/O utilization to eliminate bottlenecks.

Collaborated with cross-functional teams using Jira ticketing, documenting incidents and streamlining the resolution process.

Created custom shell scripts for automation of health checks, patching processes, and repetitive administrative tasks.

Troubleshot hardware and system issues including CPU, memory, I/O, boot processes, network connectivity, and DNS, ensuring peak system functionality.

Configured static IPs, SSH access, and DNS settings, aligning with operational requirements for secure and reliable access.

Tuned system performance using monitoring tools such as sar, vmstat, and iostat, optimizing resource usage and system responsiveness.

Linux Technician

Panasonic, Newark, NJ May 2020 – Oct 2021

Managed network connectivity and device configurations, proactively identifying and resolving issues to maintain seamless Linux operations.

Analyzed system logs, authentication processes, and hardware metrics, escalating critical information to senior administrators and engineers to prevent service disruptions.

Troubleshot and maintained core network services including NFS, FTP, TFTP, SSH, DHCP, and SMTP to ensure high availability and performance.

Collaborated effectively with cross-functional teams, consistently meeting project objectives and delivering tasks to quality standards.

Responded to user tickets and system alerts, providing resolutions or escalating issues as needed to maintain operational continuity.

Partitioned disks using tools like fdisk and gdisk, formatted and mounted file systems with persistence to ensure reliable storage management.

Diagnosed and resolved issues across server hardware, desktop systems, OS, and application software, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal system functionality.

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