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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Windows System Administrator

💰 $ - $

ITSystems AdministrationWindows

🎯 Role Definition

As a Windows System Administrator you will design, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot enterprise Windows Server and client infrastructure. This role focuses on maintaining availability, performance, and security of Windows-based systems, automating repetitive tasks, managing identity and access via Active Directory and Azure AD, and collaborating with networking, security, and application teams to deliver reliable platform services. The ideal candidate combines deep Windows platform expertise, strong scripting and automation skills (PowerShell), and practical experience with virtualization (Hyper-V/VMware), monitoring, patch management, and disaster recovery.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Desktop Support Technician or Help Desk Analyst transitioning to systems-level responsibilities.
  • Junior System Administrator focused on Windows endpoints and basic AD tasks.
  • Network Technician/Engineer with hands-on Windows server exposure.

Advancement To:

  • Senior Windows System Administrator or Systems Engineer.
  • Infrastructure Architect or Cloud Infrastructure Engineer (Azure/AWS).
  • IT Operations Manager, Site Reliability Engineer, or Platform Lead.

Lateral Moves:

  • Network Administrator / Network Engineer.
  • Security Analyst / Endpoint Security Engineer.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, install, configure, and maintain Windows Server environments (Windows Server 2016/2019/2022), ensuring systems are resilient, patched, and compliant with organizational standards and industry best practices.
  • Administer Active Directory domain services, including user and group lifecycle management, OU design, Group Policy Objects (GPO) design and auditing, AD health checks, replication monitoring, FSMO role management, and ADDS disaster recovery planning.
  • Build, manage, and optimize virtualization platforms (Hyper-V and/or VMware ESXi/vSphere), including VM provisioning, resource allocation, snapshot management, host clustering, and performance tuning to meet SLAs.
  • Develop and maintain PowerShell scripts and automation runbooks to orchestrate deployment, configuration, updates, and recurring maintenance tasks to reduce manual effort and human error.
  • Implement and operate endpoint management solutions (SCCM/ConfigMgr, Microsoft Intune) for OS imaging, software distribution, patch management, and application lifecycle across corporate desktops and laptops.
  • Design and operate patch management workflows using WSUS, SCCM, or other tooling; schedule, test, and deploy security and feature updates for servers and endpoints while minimizing business disruption.
  • Configure and troubleshoot DNS and DHCP services for Windows Server environments, ensuring authoritative records, zone transfers, dynamic updates, and high availability are properly implemented.
  • Manage email and collaboration platform infrastructure when applicable (Exchange Server on-prem or hybrid Exchange Online), including mailbox provisioning, transport rules, DAGs, and migration support to Microsoft 365.
  • Implement, validate, and operate backup and recovery solutions (Veeam, Commvault, Windows Server Backup, Azure Backup), conduct regular restores and DR tests, and maintain retention and encryption policies.
  • Monitor system health and performance using monitoring stacks (Microsoft SCOM, Nagios, Zabbix, Prometheus, or cloud-native tools), create alerts, dashboards, and runbooks to proactively address capacity and performance risks.
  • Harden servers and endpoints according to security baselines (CIS Benchmarks, company STIGs), implement endpoint protection, BitLocker, secure configuration management, and remediate vulnerabilities in coordination with security teams.
  • Manage federation, single sign-on, and identity synchronization between on-prem AD and Azure AD (Azure AD Connect), implement conditional access and MFA where appropriate, and troubleshoot authentication flows.
  • Provide second- and third-line incident response and troubleshooting for complex Windows-related incidents, performing root cause analysis, producing post-incident reports, and remediating systemic issues.
  • Maintain documentation for runbooks, architecture diagrams, SOPs, change logs, and maintenance windows; ensure knowledge transfer and onboarding materials are up to date for the operations team.
  • Participate in capacity planning and server lifecycle management, recommending hardware refreshes, sizing compute and storage for virtual hosts, and managing OS and application end-of-life transitions.
  • Support migration projects such as Windows Server upgrades, Active Directory restructures, workstation migrations, Exchange/Exchange Online migrations, and cloud adoption initiatives to Azure or hybrid architectures.
  • Integrate Windows systems with network services, firewall rules, load balancers, and storage arrays; collaborate with network and storage teams on cross-domain troubleshooting and performance optimizations.
  • Enforce and manage file services and storage (DFS, NTFS permissions, SMB shares, quotas) including backup, replication, and permissions audits to protect data integrity and meet compliance requirements.
  • Implement and maintain monitoring and alert escalations, SLA tracking, and operational metrics reporting; participate in on-call rotations to provide after-hours support and emergency response.
  • Conduct security and compliance audits, implement logging and SIEM forwarding for Windows event logs, and support forensic investigations and compliance evidence collection as directed by the security team.
  • Configure, manage, and troubleshoot remote access and VPN solutions (DirectAccess, RRAS, Always On VPN) and remote desktop services to enable secure remote work and administrative access.
  • Collaborate with development and application teams to provision, harden and operate Windows-based application environments, including support for CI/CD pipelines and containerization initiatives when relevant.

Secondary Functions

  • Assist with vendor liaison and license management for Microsoft and third-party Windows tooling; coordinate support escalations and warranty interactions.
  • Create and maintain automation templates and infrastructure-as-code artifacts (ARM templates, Terraform) for repeatable Windows infrastructure deployments.
  • Provide technical guidance and mentoring to junior administrators and desktop support staff, including running training sessions on Windows best practices.
  • Participate in change advisory board (CAB) reviews and provide technical risk assessments for Windows-related changes and deployments.
  • Support cost optimization and cloud migration proof-of-concepts by benchmarking workloads and advising on lift-and-shift vs replatform strategies.
  • Conduct periodic vulnerability scans and assist in remediation tracking for Windows assets, aligning with the vulnerability management program.
  • Help define and evolve service catalog items and operate within an ITSM tool (ServiceNow, Jira Service Management) to manage incidents, problems, and changes.
  • Contribute to business continuity planning and lead Windows-specific playbooks in tabletop exercises and full failover tests.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Windows Server Administration: deep experience with Windows Server (2012 R2/2016/2019/2022), roles and features configuration, clustering, and server core management.
  • Active Directory and Identity Management: proficient with AD DS, GPO design and troubleshooting, AD replication, AD FS, Azure AD Connect and hybrid identity patterns.
  • PowerShell Scripting & Automation: advanced PowerShell authoring for system administration, automation modules, remote management, and scheduled tasks.
  • Virtualization Platforms: hands-on experience with Hyper-V and/or VMware vSphere, including VM lifecycle, resource pools, HA/DRS, and host maintenance.
  • Endpoint Management & Patch Deployments: SCCM/ConfigMgr, Microsoft Intune, WSUS experience for OS/patch/application distribution and compliance reporting.
  • Networking Fundamentals: DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, routing basics, and ability to troubleshoot network-related Windows issues with collaboration with network teams.
  • Backup & Disaster Recovery: operational knowledge of enterprise backup solutions (Veeam, Commvault, Azure Backup), snapshot strategies, and restore testing.
  • Monitoring & Logging: experience with SCOM, Nagios, Zabbix, Prometheus, ELK/Elastic, or cloud monitoring for alerting and trend analysis of Windows infrastructure.
  • Security & Hardening: implementing CIS benchmarks, endpoint protection (Defender/third-party), BitLocker, secure boot, and vulnerability remediation workflows.
  • Microsoft 365 & Exchange: administration and hybrid integration experience with Exchange Server and Exchange Online, mailbox migrations, and mail flow troubleshooting.
  • Cloud Integration (Azure): practical understanding of Azure IaaS, Azure AD, VM provisioning, backup and networking integration; experience building hybrid solutions.
  • Configuration Management & IaC: experience with automation and IaC tools (Ansible, Terraform, ARM templates) to codify Windows deployments.
  • Troubleshooting & Diagnostics: deep problem-solving skills using event logs, perfmon, process explorer, and other diagnostic tooling to resolve production incidents.
  • Certificate Services & PKI: familiarity with AD CS, certificate enrollment, renewal processes, and secure application of certificates across Windows services.
  • Scripting Languages: additional scripting capability in Bash, Python, or other languages is a plus for cross-platform automation tasks.

Soft Skills

  • Strong verbal and written communication skills for documenting technical designs, runbooks, and interacting with cross-functional teams.
  • Analytical problem-solving and attention to detail to perform root cause analysis and implement permanent fixes.
  • Time management and prioritization to operate effectively in on-call rotations and respond to high-impact incidents.
  • Collaborative team-player mentality: ability to work with security, networking, application, and cloud teams to deliver integrated services.
  • Customer-orientation: focus on uptime, performance, and service-level agreements while balancing maintenance activities.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning mindset to keep up with Microsoft platform changes, cloud services, and automation practices.
  • Project management awareness: ability to contribute to migrations, upgrades, and infrastructure projects with clear task ownership.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent hands-on experience in Windows systems administration.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Network Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Information Technology / Information Systems
  • Network Engineering
  • Cybersecurity

Suggested Certifications (preferred):

  • Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate or Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate / MCSA/MCSE equivalents
  • CompTIA Server+, CompTIA Security+ (for security-focused roles)
  • VCP (VMware Certified Professional) or Hyper-V related certifications
  • ITIL Foundation for service management practices

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive experience administering Windows server and desktop environments in medium to large enterprise settings.

Preferred: 5+ years supporting enterprise Windows infrastructure, proven experience with Active Directory design and recovery, virtualization (Hyper-V/VMware), PowerShell automation, SCCM/Intune, and hybrid cloud integrations (Azure/Azure AD). Prior participation in migrations, DR planning, and security hardening initiatives is highly desirable.

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