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VMware System Engineer (Only Local in Illinois)

Tech Tandem IncNaperville, IL🇺🇸United StatesPosted Oct 8, 2026

Quick Overview

Seniority
Mid Senior
Work mode
Hybrid
Location
Naperville, IL, United States
Posted
3 days ago
MFAActive DirectoryAzurePowerShellVMware

Job Description

Job Title: IT Infrastructure & Security Engineer
Location: Naperville, IL (Hybrid 3 days onsite) Type: Direct Hire
Type: Direct hire
If you're interested, please send me a copy of your resume and the following details as soon as possible

Latest update ::

VMware (Required)
Candidate must be able to:
  • Work in vCenter independently
  • Troubleshoot DRS issues
  • Explain vMotion vs Storage vMotion
  • Investigate resource bottlenecks
  • Handle day-to-day VMware administration
does NOT need architecture, upgrades, or storage engineering expertise
Azure (Required but Not Deep)
Need:
  • Resource Groups
  • VNets
  • Regions
  • VM administration
  • Portal navigation
Do NOT need:
  • Azure architect
  • Deep cloud engineering
complete lack of Azure is the disqualifier. Deep expertise is not required
Linux (Preferred)
Environment is roughly 50% Linux and 50% Windows.
Need:
  • SLES/SUSE administration
  • Patching
  • Troubleshooting
Not expected to be a Linux architect
Veeam (Huge Priority)
Interestingly Vince stated Veeam may be even more important than VMware. Candidate needs to:
  • Troubleshoot backup failures
  • Read backup reports
  • Diagnose snapshot issues
  • Investigate failed jobs
wants problem solvers, not ticket escalators
Security Expectations
The candidate MUST know what a CVE is
Required knowledge:
  • CVEs
  • Vulnerability remediation
  • MFA
  • Patch management
  • Risk prioritization
  • Microsoft Defender
  • Tenable
  • Arctic Wolf
  • PDQ Connect
Not required:
  • CISSP
  • Policy writing
  • NIST expert
  • CMMC expert
  • SOC analyst experience
  • Governance specialist
Project Scope:
We are looking for a hands-on Infrastructure & Security Engineer to support, maintain, and modernize a mid-sized enterprise IT environment. This individual will serve as a true infrastructure generalist, responsible for day-to-day administration, troubleshooting, security remediation, cloud support, backup operations, and infrastructure modernization initiatives. The environment supports approximately 135 servers across Windows and Linux, VMware virtualization, Azure cloud services, and a growing Microsoft-centric ecosystem.
Team Size & Breakdown:
  • Approximately 19-person IT organization
  • Reports to Sr. Director of IT Operations
  • Small, highly collaborative IT team with broad responsibilities
  • Works closely with application, development, analytics, and support teams
  • Partners with external MSPs and security vendors for specialized infrastructure and networking support
  • Infrastructure team owns platform administration, identity, access management, governance, and operational security
Development Methodology:
  • Operational Infrastructure & Engineering environment
  • Project-based and operational support responsibilities
  • Hybrid model of infrastructure administration, security remediation, modernization projects, and vendor collaboration
  • Strong emphasis on troubleshooting, ownership, and independent problem-solving
High-Level Individual Duties:
  • Administer and troubleshoot VMware infrastructure and virtual environments
  • Support Windows Server and Linux server administration
  • Manage backup and recovery operations utilizing Veeam
  • Support Azure cloud resources and infrastructure services
  • Administer Active Directory, Entra ID, identity services, and group management
  • Investigate, prioritize, and remediate infrastructure vulnerabilities
  • Support Microsoft security tooling including Defender and vulnerability management platforms
  • Coordinate patching, system upgrades, and operational maintenance activities
  • Partner with MSPs and vendors on networking, SD-WAN, and infrastructure initiatives
  • Support governance and administration across Microsoft technologies including Fabric and Power Platform
  • Troubleshoot infrastructure, security, backup, and performance-related incidents
Must-Haves (Concepts & Tools):
  • 7+ years of Infrastructure Engineering or Systems Engineering experience
  • VMware vSphere / ESXi administration and troubleshooting
  • Windows Server administration
  • Active Directory and Entra ID
  • Veeam backup administration
  • Azure infrastructure fundamentals
  • Linux administration (SUSE / RedHat / Enterprise Linux environments)
  • Vulnerability management and remediation experience
  • Strong understanding of CVEs, patch management, and security fundamentals
  • Experience working in small-to-mid-sized environments with broad technology ownership
  • Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills
  • Networking fundamentals including VLANs, routing, switching, and firewalls
Nice-to-Haves:
  • Microsoft Defender
  • Tenable
  • Arctic Wolf
  • PDQ Connect
  • PowerShell scripting and automation
  • Microsoft Fabric
  • Power Platform governance
  • Dynamics CRM exposure
  • Okta
  • Veeam certifications
  • VMware certifications
  • Security+ or comparable security certifications
  • Experience supporting SAP infrastructure environments
  • Home lab or personal infrastructure projects demonstrating technical curiosity
  • Experience supporting infrastructure modernization or cloud migration initiatives
Ideal Candidate Profile:
A hands-on infrastructure engineer from a small or mid-sized organization who has owned multiple areas of technology rather than operating within a highly specialized enterprise silo. The ideal candidate is a strong troubleshooter with VMware, Windows, Azure, Linux, backup, and security experience who can independently investigate issues, drive remediation efforts, and support a broad technology stack. This is not a dedicated cybersecurity role; it is an infrastructure engineering role with operational security responsibilities.

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