Senior Microsoft Systems Engineer

Job Title: Senior MS Systems Engineer L3

Primary Location: Chicago IL, near O'Hare / Northwest Suburbs

Position Type: Full-Time Direct Hire or Contract to Hire

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OverviewTalentFish is casting a line for a Senior MS Systems Engineer L3 in Chicago's near west suburbs. This is a hybrid role as needed (approx. 1-2 days per week or less). This position will be primarily focused on managing/maintaining on-premises infrastructure, with some interaction with cloud-based tools such as Azure AD (Entra ID) and Intune.

• In this role, you will be designing, implementing, managing, and maintaining the organization's Information Technology Systems.

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  ou will be working with the architecture team to evaluate and ensure the efficient and secure operation of IT and business systems.

• The ideal candidate will have in-depth skills in Windows System Administration, Active Directory management, a strong understanding and management of FSMO roles, Group Policy Management, Event Viewer and Event Log analysis, and GPO configuration and maintenance.

What You Bring to the Role / Required Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).

• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in systems administration, IT infrastructure management, and

• Experience supporting Microsoft technologies, including MS Windows Server, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), MS Office 0365, MS Intune, Active Directory, and Azure AD (Entra ID).

• Proven experience supporting and managing on-premises infrastructure, including Active Directory, Windows Server, storage systems, and virtualization platforms (e.g., Hyper-V).

• Comfortable operating in on-premises IT environments, while possessing working knowledge/experience in cloud technologies like Azure AD and Intune.

• Strong expertise in Active Directory operations, including FSMO role management, Group Policy Objects (GPO), and Event Viewer/Event Log analysis for system diagnostics and auditing.

• Proven experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining server and storage infrastructures.

• Experience working with complex IT environments, including Active Directory configurations, Azure AD (Entra ID), VMs, and Hyper-V.

• Experience working with multiple operating systems, servers, and storage systems management.

• Experience managing system security, IAM, compliance, and endpoint security using tools like Okta, SentinelOne, or similar.

What You'll Do. (Skills Used in this Position)

Server Management:

• Take ownership of on-premises system infrastructure, ensuring stability, performance, and security across physical and virtual environments.

• Administer and maintain server infrastructure, including installation, configuration, and monitoring.

• Perform proactive monitoring and diagnostics using Event Viewer and other native tools to ensure server health and system integrity.

• Perform regular system updates, backups, and ensure high availability of servers.

• Troubleshoot server-related issues and optimize server performance.

Storage Management:

• Design, implement, and maintain the storage infrastructure ecosystem.

• Design, implement, and maintain data backup environment, including off-site disaster recovery.

• Responsible for applying patches, upgrading software, and making sure that data is secure.

• Maintain the fiber channel switches, cloud storage, and SAN arrangements.

Active Directory:

• Design, implementation, and maintenance of on-premises Active Directory, including group policies, domains, and authentication. Familiarity with Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) in a hybrid capacity is beneficial.

• Responsibilities include managing domains, troubleshooting Active Directory authentication issues, performing FSMO role placement and maintenance, and using Event Logs for diagnostics and security auditing.

• Ensure that the Active Directory environment is secure, efficient, and scalable.

• Manage certificate authority servers, certificate lifecycle, and secure PKI infrastructure.

• Provide management and support of DNS systems.

• Develop strategies for disaster recovery and ensure compliance with regulations and policies.

System Design, Implementation & Configuration:

• Design, implement, and maintain IT systems and infrastructure.

• Ensure the seamless integration of innovative technologies into existing systems.

• Assist in the recommendation of hardware and software solutions to meet organizational requirements.

Security and Compliance:

• Develop, implement, and enforce security policies, procedures, and best practices.

• Assist during regular security audits and vulnerability assessments.

• Ensure compliance with industry regulations and standards.

• Monitor and address issues related to device endpoint security and configuration deployment.

Technical Support:

• Collaborate with the service desk team to resolve escalated technical problems.

• Develop and maintain documentation for troubleshooting and system configurations.

• Provide technical support to end-users, addressing hardware and software issues.

• Perform incident root cause analysis and remediation of system outages.

• Participate in on-call rotation to provide off-hours support and maintenance.

Collaboration and Communication:

• Work closely with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements.

• Collaborate with peers, system architects, and other stakeholders to develop effective IT solutions.

• Communicate technical information to non-technical stakeholders.

• Maintain infrastructure diagrams, configurations, and operating procedures.

Continuous Improvement:

• Stay informed about industry trends and emerging technologies.

• Propose and implement improvements to enhance system performance and efficiency.

• Participate in ongoing professional development to stay current with relevant certifications and skills.