Systems Engineer

Summary/Objectives

The Systems Engineer role focuses on delivering planned work (deployments, refreshes, upgrades, and migrations) and providing strong Tier 2-level support as needed. This role is responsible for executing planned technical work with a strong focus on quality, validation, and clean handoff. The engineer follows documented standards and change discipline, communicates scope, risks, and dependencies clearly, and produces thorough as-built documentation to support long-term maintainability. The role requires strong customer-facing communication, including clear status updates and the ability to explain technical outcomes in plain language, as well as close collaboration with senior and escalation engineers to ensure issues are escalated early, lessons learned are captured, and standards and checklists are continuously improved.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Networking and firewall fundamentals
  • Can configure and troubleshoot VLANs (access vs trunk), basic routing concepts, and subnetting (CIDR).
  • Understands DHCP and DNS fundamentals and common failure modes (scope exhaustion, reservations, DNS misconfigs).
  • Can implement and validate basic firewall changes: rule updates, outbound NAT, and simple port forwards (with safe testing).
  • Understands VPN basics (site-to-site and/or remote access) and how to validate connectivity and expected traffic paths.
  • Uses standard troubleshooting tools and methods (ping/traceroute, ipconfig/route, nslookup, log review) with structured isolation.
• Switching and wireless operational basics
  • Can turn up and validate switches and access points using standard baselines and documentation.
  • Understands PoE basics and can troubleshoot common issues for APs/phones (power budget, link negotiation, cabling).
  • Can verify VLAN tagging across uplinks and diagnose common L2 issues (mis-tagged VLANs, loops, STP blocking, bad uplinks).
  • Understands fundamental wireless concepts (SSID security, guest isolation, basic roaming/coverage considerations) and can triage client issues.
• Windows Server and Active Directory fundamentals
  • Hands-on experience administering Windows endpoints and servers in production (remote access, services, event logs, patching).
  • Understands AD basics (users/groups, OUs, basic GPO concepts) and how DNS integrates with domain authentication.
  • Can troubleshoot common domain and workstation issues (login failures, DNS-related problems, permissions/share access).
  • Understands backup fundamentals and can follow restore verification steps (file restore and/or VM restore workflow).
• Virtualization fundamentals (VMware and/or Hyper-V)
  • Comfortable performing common VM tasks: create/modify VMs, snapshot/checkpoint concepts, resource allocation, and safe reboot procedures.
  • Understands virtual networking basics (vSwitch/port groups) and can validate connectivity issues at the VM/host level.
  • Understands basic storage/capacity concerns (datastore space, IOPS symptoms, snapshots growing) and can escalate appropriately.
  • Can triage common virtualization incidents (host down, VM hung, storage full) and follow a structured recovery plan.
• Microsoft 365 fundamentals
  • Comfortable navigating Microsoft 365 admin centers (M365, Exchange, Teams, SharePoint) for day-to-day admin troubleshooting.
  • Understands identity basics (MFA concepts; awareness of Conditional Access) and knows when to escalate high-risk identity changes.
  • Can perform basic Exchange Online troubleshooting (mail flow checks, message trace, client connectivity triage).
  • Can triage common Teams/SharePoint/OneDrive issues (permissions, sync problems, service health awareness).
• In-office staging/build/testing (hands-on)
  • Can rack/stack devices, label, patch, and validate uplinks and connectivity in a staging environment.
  • Comfortable with console access when needed (serial/USB) and initial device turn-up (mgmt IP, credentials, SSH).
  • Applies standard baseline configs, updates firmware as directed, and documents outcomes.
  • Validates functionality using a checklist (connectivity, VLANs, VPN, wireless, failover where applicable) and records results.
• Tooling and process fundamentals
  • Works effectively in a ticketing system: clear updates, time entry, and complete technical notes.
  • Uses documentation systems to update as-builts, diagrams, IP/VLAN records, and configuration notes.
  • Understands change management expectations: approvals, change windows, and post-change validation.
  • Knows when to escalate and how to provide a strong handoff (what changed, what was tested, what remains).

Work Environment

This job operates primarily in a professional office environment. The role provides remote support into customer environments from our office and performs hands-on staging/build/testing of equipment in an office/lab setting. Onsite customer visits may be required based on contract scope.

Physical Demands

This position may require standing, bending, and lifting equipment during staging/build activities. Ability to lift and carry up to 40 lbs, and to rack/mount equipment with assistance as needed.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

Full-time. Typical schedule is Monday through Friday during business hours. Occasional evening/weekend work may be required for maintenance windows, cutovers, or urgent events. Light on-call rotation (typically once every few months).

Travel

Occasional onsite customer visits may be required for specific contracts, cutovers, or escalations.

Required Education and Experience

• 5+ years of IT support/implementation experience (MSP experience preferred).
• Working knowledge of networking fundamentals and troubleshooting (VLANs, subnetting, DHCP/DNS).
• Experience implementing and supporting Windows Server environments and/or virtualization platforms.
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365 administration (core admin centers and basic troubleshooting).
• Strong documentation habits and ability to follow and maintain standards.
• Professional customer communication and teamwork mindset.
• U.S. citizenship required to support certain regulated customers and environments.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Hands-on Sophos firewall experience (NAT, VPN, policy changes).
• Ruckus and/or Aruba switching/wireless experience.
• VMware and/or Hyper-V; Scale Computing a plus.
• PowerShell scripting/automation.
• Experience supporting Commercial and/or GCC/GCC High tenants.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance (if applicable)

U.S. citizenship required to support certain regulated customers and environments.

AAP/EEO Statement

Velocity1 provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Other Duties

Please note that the job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.