Job Description: L2 Lab Server Operator
(Systems & Infrastructure)
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced L2 Lab Server Operator to manage, maintain, and optimize
our non-production, R&D, and testing laboratory environments. In this role, you will be the
backbone of our lab infrastructure, ensuring high availability, performance, and security across a
diverse technical stack.
The ideal candidate possesses deep technical expertise in Wintel (Windows Server),
Enterprise Storage, VMware, and Hyper-V, alongside a strong engineering mindset to deploy,
troubleshoot, and automate complex lab topologies.
Key Responsibilities
1. Compute & Virtualization Management (VMware & Hyper-V)
- Provision & Maintain: Deploy, configure, and lifecycle-manage virtual machines across
both VMware vSphere/ESXi and Microsoft Hyper-V environments.
- Cluster Administration: Manage host clusters, configure high availability (HA),
Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), and live migrations (vMotion / Live Migration).
- Resource Optimization: Monitor CPU, memory, and provisioned storage allocation to
prevent resource contention and optimize lab utilization.
- Troubleshooting: Diagnose and resolve complex Layer 2 virtualization issues, including
host isolation, snapshot chains, and virtual switch (vSwitch) misconfigurations.
2. Wintel Administration
- OS Lifecycle: Install, configure, and harden Windows Server operating systems (2016
through latest versions) within the lab environment.
- Core Infrastructure Services: Administer and troubleshoot Active Directory (AD), Group
Policy Objects (GPOs), DNS, DHCP, and IIS configurations dedicated to the lab.
- Patch & Compliance: Implement and maintain a rigorous patching cadence for Windows
servers utilizing WSUS or automated configuration management tools without disrupting
active lab testing.
3. Enterprise Storage Operations
- Provisioning: Allocate and present storage blocks/shares (SAN/NAS) to virtualization
hosts and standalone bare-metal servers using protocols like iSCSI, Fibre Channel (FC),
and NFS/SMB.
- Storage Management: Monitor storage array health, capacity, and performance.
Manage storage tiers, deduplication, and snapshots.
- Backup & Recovery: Execute and verify routine backup configurations for critical lab
baselines, configurations, and data repositories to ensure rapid recovery capabilities.
4. Lab Operations & Support
Hardware Lifecycle: Perform physical rack-and-stack, cabling (fiber/ethernet), and bare-
metal provisioning of enterprise servers (e.g., Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant).
- Environment Isolation: Collaborate with networking teams to set up isolated VLANs,
routing, and firewall rules tailored for specific testing scenarios.
- Automation & Scripting: Leverage PowerShell, PowerCLI, or Python to automate
repetitive tasks such as VM provisioning, environment teardowns, and status reporting.
- Incident Management: Serve as the Tier 2 escalation point for all lab-related
infrastructure alerts, performance degradation, and hardware failures.
Qualifications & Skills
Technical Requirements
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or
equivalent hands-on experience.
- Experience: 3–5 years of experience in system administration, infrastructure operations,
or data center environment support.
- Virtualization: Strong proficiency in VMware vSphere (vCenter, ESXi) and Microsoft
Hyper-V / Failover Cluster Manager.
- Operating Systems: Advanced administration of Windows Server ecosystems; familiarity
with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) or Ubuntu is a plus.
- Storage: Hands-on experience with enterprise storage platforms (e.g., NetApp, Dell
EMC, Pure Storage) and fabric switches.
- Scripting: Proficiency in PowerShell for Windows and virtualization management.
Soft Skills & Work Environment
- Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, fluid environment where lab configurations
change frequently based on engineering needs.
- Problem-Solving: Strong analytical mindset with a methodical approach to root-cause
analysis.
- Documentation: Diligent about keeping topology diagrams, asset inventories, and "how-
to" runbooks accurate and up to date.
Preferred Certifications (Any of the following are a plus)
- VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
- Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate
- Enterprise Storage certifications (e.g., NetApp NCA/NCDA, Dell Technologies Associate)
