It Sr. System Administrator System Engineer

Position Summary

The IT Sr. Systems Administrator / Systems Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, operating, and continuously improving the company's core IT systems supporting manufacturing and enterprise business operations. This role ensures availability, performance, security, and recoverability of systems across plant and corporate environments, working closely with infrastructure, networking, cybersecurity, OT, and application teams to support reliable, production-critical operations.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Engineering & Administration

• Design, deploy, and maintain Windows and Linux server environments (on-prem, virtual, and hybrid cloud).
• Administer Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, certificate services, identity integrations, and role-based access controls.
• Engineer and support virtualization platforms:
• VMware vSphere (ESXi, vCenter, clusters, HA/DRS)
• Microsoft Hyper-V
• Support hybrid cloud infrastructure using Microsoft Azure, including identity integration, virtual machines, storage, and network connectivity.
• Maintain the Domain controllers, Zscaler environment, Active Directory environment, and Entra ID synchronization
• Federating and enabling SSO capabilities for different cloud applications, managing our cloud applications from an administrative function
• Working closely with the other IT departments in serving their needs promptly
• Managing the Databases and data related workflows and gateways between on-prem systems and cloud systems.
• Actively managing the OS and DB images along with any kernel level updates to VMWare, OS, DBs etc.
• Maintain system lifecycle activities including capacity planning, performance tuning, patching, upgrades, and decommissioning.

Endpoint, Deployment & Configuration Management

• Administer and support SCCM/MECM for endpoint lifecycle management including:
• OS deployment and imaging
• Patch management
• Software packaging and distribution
• Hardware and software inventory
• Collaborate with desktop and security teams to ensure consistent, secure endpoint configurations.

Backup, Recovery & Resilience

• Engineer and support enterprise backup and recovery platforms including:
• CommVault
• Perform backup monitoring, recovery testing, ransomware readiness validation, and restore operations.
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery documentation and support regular DR testing.

Monitoring, Stability & Incident Response

• Implement and maintain infrastructure monitoring and alerting solutions covering systems, services, and performance metrics.
• Monitor system health and respond to alerts to prevent unplanned downtime.
• Lead or support incident triage, escalation, and root cause analysis (RCA).
• Participate in on-call rotation and planned after-hours maintenance windows in support of manufacturing uptime.

Manufacturing & IT/OT Support

• Provide systems-level support for manufacturing environments including plant servers, industrial PCs, and production-adjacent systems.
• Work closely with OT, controls, and engineering teams to support secure and reliable integration between IT and manufacturing systems.
• Operate with strict change control and awareness of production schedules to minimize operational impact.

Security & Network Collaboration

• Engineer systems in compliance with cybersecurity standards and secure configuration baselines.
• Maintain all patches and upgrades necessary (of released CVEs) in the entire stack.
• Undertake quarterly and Annual maintenance routines as downtime is provided
• Apply hardening, least-privilege access, and patch compliance best practices.
• Support vulnerability remediation and audit activities in partnership with cybersecurity teams.
• Work closely with Network Team in the strategic technology initiatives the business requires.

Automation & Continuous Improvement

• Automate routine administrative tasks using PowerShell (preferred) or other scripting tools.
• Standardize builds, configurations, and system templates to improve reliability and reduce operational risk.
• Identify opportunities to improve system performance, security posture, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Documentation & Process Discipline

• Maintain accurate technical documentation including architecture diagrams, system configurations, operational runbooks, and recovery procedures.
• Follow ITIL/ITSM practices for incident, problem, change, and configuration mgmt..
• Provide mentorship and knowledge sharing within the IT infrastructure team.
• Help coordinate the on-call routine and also be available for urgent escalations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience in systems administration and engineering of infrastructure.
• Strong hands-on experience with:
• VMware and/or Hyper-V virtualization
• Microsoft Azure hybrid environments
• SCCM/MECM
• CommVault backup platforms
• Windows Server administration (AD, DNS, DHCP, GPO)
• Experience working with infrastructure monitoring tools.
• Solid understanding of enterprise networking and firewall concepts.
• Proven troubleshooting skills and ability to operate in high-availability, production-critical environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting manufacturing or industrial environments with uptime-sensitive operations.
• Familiarity with IT/OT boundaries, network segmentation, and secure access models.
• Exposure to MES, SCADA-adjacent systems, or manufacturing data platforms.
• Scripting and automation experience (PowerShell strongly preferred).
• Relevant certifications:
• VMware (VCP), Microsoft (Windows Server / Azure)
• CompTIA Server+, Network+, or Security+

Physical Demands:

• Occasional: bending, kneeling, squatting, standing, walking, reaching, overhead reaching, and fine motor skills

Work Environment:

• Normal office environment and office lighting
• Within the Smith & Wesson manufacturing facility employees may be exposed to manufacturing noise, airborne liquid chemicals, fine particulate dust, ambient temperatures, and industrial lighting
• All employees are required to apply ergonomic correctness to all job tasks

Updated 5.21.2026