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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Windows Administrator

💰 $ - $

ITSystems AdministrationWindows

🎯 Role Definition

The Windows Administrator is responsible for designing, deploying, maintaining, and optimizing enterprise Windows server environments and related infrastructure. This role ensures platform availability, security, performance and compliance across Active Directory, Group Policy, patching, virtualization, backup, monitoring and identity services. The Windows Administrator works closely with networking, security, cloud and application teams to deliver resilient, automated and documented infrastructure in both on-premises and hybrid cloud settings.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Desktop Support Technician with strong Windows desktop and client-side troubleshooting experience.
  • Junior Systems Administrator or IT Support Engineer with foundational Windows Server exposure.
  • Network Administrator or Help Desk Technician transitioning into server and infrastructure administration.

Advancement To:

  • Senior Windows Administrator / Senior Systems Engineer
  • Infrastructure Engineer / Systems Architect
  • Cloud Engineer (Azure/AWS) or Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure Lead
  • IT Operations Manager or Technical Lead

Lateral Moves:

  • Linux Systems Administrator
  • Network Engineer
  • DevOps Engineer (automation and infrastructure-as-code focus)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, deploy and maintain Windows Server environments (Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022) including domain controllers, file and print servers, RDS/Citrix integrations, and IIS web servers to meet business availability and scalability requirements.
  • Administer Active Directory (AD) including OU structure design, user/group lifecycle management, AD replication monitoring, FSMO role management, and AD health checks to ensure secure and reliable identity services.
  • Develop, implement and manage Group Policy Objects (GPOs) for security baseline enforcement, software distribution, user and computer configuration, and performance optimization across multiple AD forests and domains.
  • Automate routine administration tasks using PowerShell scripting (module development, scheduled tasks, log parsing, AD/Exchange automation) to improve operational efficiency and reduce manual errors.
  • Plan and execute patch management cycles using WSUS, Microsoft Update Services, SCCM (ConfigMgr) or Microsoft Intune, including testing, deployment scheduling, rollback procedures, and reporting on compliance.
  • Install, configure and maintain enterprise backup and recovery solutions (Veeam, Commvault, Microsoft DPM) and design disaster recovery plans including DR testing, backup retention policies and periodic restore verification.
  • Operate and troubleshoot virtualization platforms (Hyper-V, VMware vSphere) including VM provisioning, resource allocation, host clustering, snapshots, and performance tuning for consolidated server workloads.
  • Manage and administer Exchange Server and/or Exchange Online (Office 365) mail platforms, including mailflow troubleshooting, mailbox provisioning, retention policies, and hybrid Exchange configurations.
  • Configure and maintain DNS and DHCP services, including zone management, DHCP scope design, DHCP failover, dynamic updates and troubleshooting name resolution issues that impact application availability.
  • Implement and manage network and host-level security controls (Windows Firewall, BitLocker, EDR integration), perform security hardening, patch remediation and collaborate with security teams on incident response.
  • Monitor infrastructure health with SCOM, Nagios, Zabbix or cloud monitoring tools; create alerts, dashboards and runbooks; perform capacity planning and trend analysis to preemptively address performance bottlenecks.
  • Manage certificate lifecycle and PKI services (on-prem CA/Azure AD Certificate Services) for secure communications, SSL/TLS deployment, and automated certificate renewal processes.
  • Deploy and support endpoint management and mobile device management solutions (SCCM/ConfigMgr, Microsoft Intune) for image deployment, software distribution, compliance policies and remote remediation.
  • Lead troubleshooting of complex cross-domain issues: authentication failures, AD replication latency, Group Policy application errors, DFS namespace and replication problems across multiple sites.
  • Implement and manage file services including NTFS permissions, DFS Namespaces and DFS Replication, quota management, encryption and transparent data access controls to meet regulatory and business needs.
  • Integrate on-premises Windows infrastructure with cloud identity and management platforms (Azure AD Connect, Hybrid Identity) and support migration projects and lift-and-shift initiatives.
  • Participate in architecture reviews, change control and CAB processes: evaluate system change requests, perform impact analysis, document implementation plans and roll back strategies to minimize disruption.
  • Create and maintain runbooks, SOPs, configuration baselines and system documentation for all Windows services, ensuring reproducible operations and compliance with audit requirements.
  • Provide 2nd/3rd line technical support for escalated incidents, conduct root cause analysis, implement corrective actions and track recurring issues to closure within SLA targets.
  • Execute OS and application upgrades and migrations, including pre-migration assessment, test plans, cutover coordination, post-migration validation and rollback options.
  • Collaborate with application owners to tune Windows host and IIS settings for application performance, troubleshoot memory/CPU/disk issues and coordinate patch windows that align with application release cycles.
  • Conduct regular vulnerability scans, apply remediation for critical vulnerabilities, collaborate with cybersecurity to validate mitigations and maintain platform hardening standards.

Secondary Functions

  • Maintain accurate asset inventories, licensing information and configuration management database (CMDB) entries for Windows servers and related infrastructure.
  • Provide technical guidance, cross-training and mentorship to junior administrators and help desk staff to raise team capability and reduce escalations.
  • Participate in capacity planning and budgeting discussions for server refresh, virtualization expansion and cloud consumption optimization.
  • Support procurement and vendor management for Windows and Microsoft-related technologies, including warranty escalations and service-level coordination.
  • Produce regular operational reports for leadership: uptime, patch compliance, backup success rates, incident trends and capacity forecasts.
  • Assist with compliance audits (SOX, HIPAA, PCI) by producing evidence, implementing controls and remediating findings related to Windows environments.
  • Create, review and update disaster recovery and business continuity documentation; participate in tabletop and failover exercises.
  • Develop small automation projects to integrate monitoring, ticketing and CMDB tools to streamline workflows and reduce manual handoffs.
  • Coordinate with network and storage teams to resolve host-level network and I/O related issues and to design resilient and performant infrastructure.
  • Support proof-of-concept and pilot projects for new Microsoft technologies (Windows Server features, Azure AD services, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint) and evaluate fit for enterprise adoption.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Expert administration of Windows Server platforms (2012R2, 2016, 2019, 2022) and core roles (AD, DNS, DHCP, IIS).
  • Deep experience with Active Directory design, GPO strategy, AD replication troubleshooting and trust management.
  • Proficient PowerShell scripting for automation, orchestration and configuration management across servers and services.
  • Patch management and endpoint management using SCCM/ConfigMgr, WSUS and Microsoft Intune.
  • Virtualization skills: Hyper-V and/or VMware vSphere administration, VM lifecycle management and high-availability configurations.
  • Cloud and hybrid identity integration: Azure AD Connect, hybrid Exchange, AD FS, and knowledge of Azure AD features.
  • Email platform administration: Exchange Server on-premises and Exchange Online/Office 365 administration and hybrid setups.
  • Backup and disaster recovery solutions: Veeam, Commvault, Microsoft DPM; tested restore procedures and DR planning.
  • Networking fundamentals: TCP/IP, VLANs, routing, DNS/DHCP troubleshooting and integration with Windows services.
  • Monitoring and observability tools: SCOM, Nagios, Zabbix, SolarWinds, Azure Monitor — creating alerts and dashboards.
  • Security and compliance controls for Windows: endpoint protection (EDR), BitLocker, firewall configuration, vulnerability remediation.
  • Certificate management and PKI: issuing and automating SSL/TLS certificates, managing internal CA.
  • Experience with automation/orchestration frameworks (PowerShell DSC, Ansible for Windows, CI/CD integrations).
  • Familiarity with containerization and modern deployment patterns (Windows Containers, AKS) is a plus.
  • Understanding of storage technologies, file server architectures and NTFS/SMB performance tuning.

Soft Skills

  • Excellent troubleshooting and analytical problem-solving skills; methodical, data-driven approach to incident resolution.
  • Strong verbal and written communication for technical documentation, status updates and stakeholder alignment.
  • Customer-focused mindset with proven experience supporting internal business units and application teams.
  • Ability to prioritize workload, manage time effectively and operate under pressure during critical incidents.
  • Collaboration skills to work across networking, security, application and cloud teams in a matrixed environment.
  • Attention to detail for configuration changes, change control and compliance evidence collection.
  • Initiative and continuous learning orientation to adopt new Microsoft technologies and automation practices.
  • Mentoring and coaching skills to uplift junior staff and share institutional knowledge.
  • Adaptability and flexibility to support on-call rotations, planned maintenance windows and emergency changes.
  • Strong project coordination skills for executing migrations, upgrades and cross-functional technical initiatives.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science or equivalent technical diploma; or equivalent hands-on experience in server administration.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related field.
  • Relevant IT certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator, MCSA/MCSE (legacy), CompTIA Server+, or VCP (for VMware).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Information Technology
  • Computer Science
  • Network Engineering
  • Cybersecurity

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years administering Windows server environments in enterprise or medium-sized organizations.

Preferred:

  • 3–7 years of progressive experience in Windows system administration, including hands-on experience with Active Directory, Group Policy, PowerShell automation, virtualization and backup/recovery in production environments.
  • Demonstrated experience supporting hybrid on-premises and cloud infrastructures (Azure/Azure AD) and participating in migrations or cloud adoption projects.
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