Lead System Engineer - Configuration Management Tools

Job Overview :

We are seeking a highly experienced and technically proficient Lead System Engineer to join our dynamic engineering team. The ideal candidate will possess 10-15 years of progressive experience in designing, implementing, and managing complex enterprise-level systems.

This role requires a strong leader with a deep understanding of system architecture, infrastructure, cloud technologies, and operational best practices. The Lead System Engineer will be responsible for driving technical initiatives, mentoring junior engineers, and ensuring the reliability, scalability, and security of our critical systems.

Key Responsibilities :

System Design & Architecture :

- Lead the design, development, and implementation of highly available, scalable, and secure system architectures.

- Define technical standards, best practices, and guidelines for system development and operations.

- Conduct thorough system analysis to identify requirements, constraints, and potential risks.

- Evaluate and recommend new technologies and solutions to improve system performance, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

Infrastructure Management :

- Oversee the deployment, configuration, and maintenance of server infrastructure (physical and virtual).

- Manage and optimize cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP) including IaaS, PaaS, and FaaS services.

- Implement and manage containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and orchestration platforms.

- Ensure robust network connectivity, security, and performance across all environments.

Operational Excellence :

- Establish and maintain comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alerting systems to ensure proactive issue detection and resolution.

- Develop and implement disaster recovery and business continuity plans.

- Automate operational tasks using scripting and configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet, Chef, Terraform).

- Lead incident response, root cause analysis, and problem resolution efforts for critical system issues.

Security & Compliance :

- Implement and enforce security best practices across all system layers, including network, OS, application, and data.

- Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR).

- Conduct regular security audits, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing.

Leadership & Mentorship :

- Provide technical leadership and guidance to a team of system engineers.

- Mentor and coach junior engineers, fostering their professional growth and technical skills.

- Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams including software development, QA, and product management.

- Drive continuous improvement initiatives within the engineering team.

Documentation & Reporting :

- Create and maintain detailed system documentation, including architecture diagrams, runbooks, and operational procedures.

- Generate regular reports on system performance, availability, and security metrics.

Required Qualifications :

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.

- 10-15 years of progressive experience in system engineering, infrastructure management, or DevOps roles.

- Proven experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineering teams.

- In-depth knowledge of operating systems (Linux/Unix, Windows Server).

- Strong expertise in at least one major public cloud platform (AWS, Azure, or GCP), with relevant certifications highly desirable.

- Extensive experience with virtualization technologies (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM).

- Proficiency in scripting languages (e.g., Python, Bash, PowerShell).

- Solid understanding of networking concepts (TCP/IP, DNS, VPN, Load Balancing, Firewalls).

- Experience with configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, Puppet, Chef) and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation).

- Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps).

- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues.

Preferred Qualifications :

- Master's degree in a relevant technical field.

- Professional certifications in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Google Professional Cloud Architect).

- Experience with container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, OpenShift).

- Knowledge of database systems (SQL and NoSQL) and data warehousing concepts.

- Experience with monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Splunk, Datadog).