Windows System Administrator

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Windows System Administrator. The ideal candidate will be responsible for managing and maintaining our Windows-based infrastructure, ensuring system stability, performance, and security. You will also collaborate with development teams to streamline and automate deployment processes, improving the overall efficiency and reliability of our software delivery. 

This role will require travel into London a couple times per month. 

System Administration:

• Manage and maintain Windows Server environments, ensuring system availability, performance, and security.
• Perform regular system updates, patches, and backups.
• Troubleshoot and resolve system issues and outages.

Version Control:

• Collaborate with development teams to ensure version control best practices are followed

Security and Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with organizational security policies and industry best practices.
• Conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability management.
• Implement and manage security controls and monitoring tools.

Collaboration and Documentation:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support project requirements and deliverables.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for systems, processes, and procedures.
• Provide training and support to team members on system administration and automation tools.

Other Responsibilites:

• Automate Windows system administration tasks using Ansible to streamline provisioning, configuration management, and deployments.
• Develop and maintain Ansible playbooks for automating recurring tasks, such as software deployment, updates, and server management.
• Integrate Ansible with existing CI/CD pipelines and other automation tools to ensure efficient system management and workflow automation.
• Utilize Git for version control of system configurations, playbooks, and scripts, ensuring traceability and collaboration within the IT team.
• Monitor system performance and troubleshoot issues in Windows environments, using automation tools like Ansible to diagnose and resolve common problems.
• Collaborate with DevOps teams to manage infrastructure as code (IaC) in hybrid cloud environments using Ansible and Git.
• Ensure security and compliance by automating policy enforcement and auditing through Ansible playbooks and maintaining versioned, auditable configuration histories in Git.
• Provide support for Windows patch management, deployment strategies, and environment provisioning using Ansible automation.
• Contribute to Ansible and Git workflows for disaster recovery planning, backups, and system restores.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent work experience. 
• Proven experience as a Windows System Administrator or in a similar role. 
• Strong knowledge of Windows Server operating systems and Active Directory. 
• Familiarity with containerization technologies (e.g., Docker) is a plus. 
• Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills. 
• Strong communication and collaboration skills. 

Desired Skills:

• Proficiency in Ansible automation for managing Windows environments. 
• Strong knowledge of Git for version control, branching strategies, and collaboration workflows. 
• Experience in CI/CD pipeline integration using Ansible and Git. 
• Scripting experience (e.g., PowerShell) for enhancing automation and system administration tasks. 
• Familiarity with infrastructure as code principles and tools like Terraform or similar. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Microsoft Certified: Windows Server, Azure, or related certifications. 
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud. 
• Knowledge of networking concepts and protocols. 
• Experience with monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Nagios, Splunk, ELK Stack).