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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Windows Systems Engineer

💰 $ - $

ITSystems AdministrationWindowsInfrastructureCloud

🎯 Role Definition

The Windows Systems Engineer is a hands-on infrastructure specialist responsible for designing, implementing, operating, and optimizing enterprise Windows server environments and related services. This role focuses on Active Directory design and administration, Group Policy, patching and configuration management, performance tuning, virtualization, automation (PowerShell/desired-state), security hardening, monitoring, backup/restore, and cloud integration with Azure/Azure AD or hybrid identity. The engineer works cross-functionally with networking, security, and cloud teams to deliver resilient, scalable, and secure Windows-based infrastructure that meets business SLAs and compliance requirements.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Desktop Support Technician (Tier 2)
  • Systems Administrator (Windows-focused)
  • Network Administrator with strong Windows experience

Advancement To:

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

Lateral Moves:

  • Security Engineer (Windows/Endpoint focus)
  • DevOps/SRE with Windows automation
  • Identity and Access Management (IAM) Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Design, deploy and maintain enterprise Windows Server infrastructure (Windows Server 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, 2022), ensuring high availability, performance, and alignment with business continuity plans.
  • Architect, manage, and optimize Active Directory forest and domain topology, including trusts, sites & services, FSMO roles, and global catalog placement to support secure and resilient authentication.
  • Create, test and enforce Group Policy (GPO) strategies for configuration management, security baselines, software distribution, and user/computer settings across multiple OUs and domains.
  • Implement and operate patch management and update processes using Microsoft SCCM/ConfigMgr, WSUS, or Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune) to ensure timely OS and application patching and compliance reporting.
  • Build and maintain automation and orchestration solutions using PowerShell, Desired State Configuration (DSC), and scripting to streamline provisioning, remediation, and configuration drift detection.
  • Plan and manage virtualization platforms (Hyper-V, VMware vSphere) for Windows workloads, including VM lifecycle, resource allocation, templates, snapshots, and performance tuning.
  • Integrate and administer hybrid identity solutions (Azure AD Connect, Azure AD, AD FS, Pass-through Authentication, Seamless SSO) to support on-premises and cloud authentication scenarios.
  • Design and manage Windows-based backup, replication and disaster recovery solutions (Veeam, Commvault, Azure Backup) including regular restore testing and RTO/RPO validation.
  • Implement host- and application-level security hardening and vulnerability remediation, working with vulnerability management tools and security teams to close findings and validate mitigations.
  • Configure and maintain DNS and DHCP services for large enterprise networks, troubleshoot name resolution issues, and implement DNS security measures (DNSSEC, split-horizon as needed).
  • Operate and optimize endpoint management and imaging processes (SCCM, Intune Autopilot) to standardize OS builds, application deployment, and device lifecycle management.
  • Monitor, troubleshoot and remediate Windows server and application performance issues using monitoring platforms (Microsoft SCOM, Prometheus, Grafana, Azure Monitor) and log analytics (ELK/Elastic, Azure Log Analytics).
  • Work with network and storage teams to design and maintain Windows server connectivity, LUN/storage mapping, SMB/NFS shares, and file server clusters to meet throughput and latency SLAs.
  • Maintain and support Windows-based application platforms and middleware (IIS, .NET, COM+, PowerShell modules) and coordinate with application owners for deployments and troubleshooting.
  • Lead server consolidation, OS upgrades, migrations and platform refresh projects (on-premises to cloud or between Windows versions), creating runbooks, rollback plans and migration validation tests.
  • Administer certificate services (AD CS), manage public key infrastructure (PKI), and automate certificate enrollment and renewal processes for servers and services.
  • Implement and enforce logging, auditing and security monitoring (Windows Event Forwarding, Sysmon) to support incident response, forensics and compliance reporting.
  • Build and maintain secure remote access and management tooling (RDP, WinRM, Just-In-Time VM access, Bastion hosts) with appropriate access controls and monitoring.
  • Define and maintain runbooks, SOPs and technical documentation for system administration, deployments, incident response and onboarding to ensure knowledge transfer and operational consistency.
  • Provide Tier 3 support for escalated Windows platform incidents, perform root cause analysis, and implement permanent fixes to prevent recurrence.
  • Collaborate with DevOps and application teams to support CI/CD pipelines for Windows workloads, including automated testing, release deployment and blue/green or canary strategies.
  • Plan capacity and lifecycle for Windows infrastructure, forecast resource requirements, and present cost/benefit analysis for platform changes and cloud migrations.
  • Enforce compliance with company policies and regulatory requirements (PCI, HIPAA, SOC2, ISO), participating in audits and generating evidence for Windows server controls and configurations.
  • Mentor junior administrators and conduct knowledge-sharing sessions to elevate team Windows expertise, automation skills and troubleshooting techniques.

Secondary Functions

  • Participate in on-call rotation to provide timely incident response and root cause remediation for Windows production systems.
  • Assist in procurement and vendor management for Windows-related software, licensing (Microsoft Volume Licensing, CSP), and hardware refresh cycles.
  • Support capacity planning, budgeting and monthly reporting for server utilization, licensing consumption and patch compliance metrics.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, proposing automation, standardization and cost-saving opportunities across Windows infrastructure.
  • Collaborate in cross-functional projects integrating Windows services with cloud-native components (Azure VMs, Azure Files, Azure Site Recovery).
  • Conduct periodic security reviews and tabletop exercises with incident response and security teams to validate Windows environment readiness.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep expertise in Windows Server (2012R2–2022) administration, including installation, clustering, failover, and in-place/side-by-side upgrades.
  • Advanced Active Directory management: domain controllers, trusts, replication troubleshooting, FSMO roles and AD design for scale and resilience.
  • Group Policy Object (GPO) design, troubleshooting and best practices for security baselines and centralized configuration.
  • Proficient in PowerShell scripting and automation (modules, remoting, DSC) for provisioning, monitoring and remediation tasks.
  • Experience with Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM/ConfigMgr), Intune (MEM) and modern device management paradigms.
  • Familiarity with virtualization platforms: Hyper-V and VMware vSphere administration, host/cluster configuration, and VM lifecycle management.
  • Knowledge of Azure/Azure AD integration, Azure VM administration, Azure Site Recovery, and hybrid identity architecture.
  • Strong experience with patch management tools and processes (WSUS, SCCM, Windows Update for Business) and vulnerability remediation.
  • Experience with backup and DR tools (Veeam, Commvault, Azure Backup) and performing regular restore tests.
  • Proficient with monitoring and logging stacks (SCOM, Azure Monitor, Prometheus, Grafana, ELK) for Windows telemetry and alerting.
  • Networking fundamentals related to Windows services: DNS, DHCP, TCP/IP, routing, firewall rules and secure remote access methods.
  • Familiarity with certificate management (AD CS) and PKI operations for automated certificate issuance and renewal.
  • Experience supporting Windows-based application stacks (IIS, .NET, MS SQL integration) and coordinating with application owners.
  • Knowledge of security frameworks and controls for Windows systems (CIS Benchmarks, DISA STIGs) and hardening best practices.
  • Experience in cloud migration projects, lift-and-shift and re-platform approaches for Windows workloads.

Soft Skills

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving ability with a methodical approach to troubleshooting complex system failures.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for clear runbooks, incident reports and stakeholder updates.
  • Collaborative mindset with experience working in cross-functional teams (security, networking, cloud, applications).
  • Time management and prioritization to handle incident response, project work and operational tasks simultaneously.
  • Customer-service orientation and ability to manage expectations during outages and maintenance windows.
  • Mentorship and coaching capability to upskill junior engineers and share knowledge across teams.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning attitude to keep up with evolving Windows and cloud technologies.
  • Attention to detail for change control, documentation and compliance evidence preparation.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Associate degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or equivalent technical training and 3+ years of relevant experience.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, or related field.
  • Professional certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate, Azure Administrator Associate, MCSA/MCSE (legacy), or CompTIA Server+/Security+ are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

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

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3 – 7 years of progressive experience managing Windows Server environments in medium to large enterprise settings.

Preferred: 5+ years of hands-on Windows systems engineering including Active Directory architecture, SCCM/Intune, virtualization (Hyper-V/VMware), PowerShell automation and Azure/Azure AD integration; experience with security/compliance programs and disaster recovery planning.

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