Principal Engineer (Windows Infrastructure)
Palm Beach Gardens or Miami, FL (100% onsite)
Duration:
12-month contract
Pay:$71-76/hr
We are seeking an experienced Principal Engineer to provide technical leadership for enterprise Windows Server platforms. This senior-level engineering role focuses on Windows Server architecture, platform engineering, automation, security, lifecycle management, and infrastructure modernization across large-scale enterprise environments.
This is not a traditional systems administration position. The ideal candidate will drive platform strategy, establish engineering standards, develop automation frameworks, and lead complex infrastructure initiatives while partnering with architecture, security, cloud, operations, and application teams.
The Principal Engineer will play a key role in defining the future state of the Windows Server environment through engineering excellence, automation, and operational best practices.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the architecture, engineering, and implementation of enterprise Windows Server infrastructure across physical and virtual environments.
- Serve as the technical owner for Windows Server platform services, establishing standards, roadmaps, lifecycle strategies, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Develop and maintain standardized server builds, golden images, hardened configurations, and security baselines.
- Design and implement infrastructure automation using PowerShell, Terraform, Ansible, Git, and CI/CD methodologies.
- Partner with Active Directory teams to define and maintain server-related Group Policy standards.
- Establish Windows Server patching, maintenance, and lifecycle management strategies, including governance and operational processes.
- Support security hardening efforts, vulnerability remediation, and compliance with industry security frameworks such as CIS and NIST.
- Provide advanced troubleshooting for Windows Server performance, stability, security, and operational issues.
- Define enterprise hosting standards for Windows-based applications, including monitoring, backup, recovery, security, and operational support.
- Develop monitoring standards, alerting strategies, service catalog offerings, operational documentation, and CMDB requirements.
- Collaborate with infrastructure, cloud, security, backup, database, virtualization, and application teams on enterprise initiatives and disaster recovery planning.
- Participate in architecture reviews, technical governance, solution design, change management, and infrastructure planning.
- Produce technical documentation, implementation plans, diagrams, and executive-level presentations.
- Lead technical workstreams, mentor engineering teams, and coordinate with vendors and managed service providers to deliver reliable platform services.
Required Qualifications
- 10+ years of infrastructure engineering experience with at least 5 years focused on enterprise Windows Server engineering.
- Extensive experience with Windows Server operating systems, including deployment, configuration, troubleshooting, patch management, security hardening, and lifecycle management.
- Strong experience supporting both physical and virtual server environments.
- Advanced knowledge of Windows Server internals, networking, storage, certificates, event logging, registry, and performance optimization.
- Expert-level PowerShell scripting and automation skills.
- Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, Ansible, Packer, Git, and CI/CD pipelines.
- Proven experience creating and maintaining standardized server builds, golden images, configuration baselines, and automated deployment processes.
- Strong background in Windows Server security, vulnerability remediation, configuration compliance, and industry security standards.
- Experience working with Group Policy in enterprise Active Directory environments.
- Knowledge of enterprise monitoring platforms, CMDB processes, operational metrics, and service management best practices.
- Experience developing technical standards, engineering documentation, platform roadmaps, and operational procedures.
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Microsoft Azure and hybrid infrastructure environments.
- Knowledge of Windows-based SQL Server infrastructure.
- Experience supporting Citrix environments.
- Familiarity with Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, Group Policy, and core Windows infrastructure services.
- Experience with enterprise backup and disaster recovery solutions.
- Knowledge of Windows Failover Clustering, IIS, Windows Admin Center, PerfMon, ProcMon, Wireshark, and similar diagnostic tools.
- Experience with enterprise monitoring and observability platforms.
- Background working within highly regulated or security-focused enterprise environments.
Education & Certifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
- Microsoft, Azure, automation, infrastructure, cloud, or security certifications are highly desirable.
- Certifications related to Windows Server, Azure, Terraform, Ansible, ITIL, or cybersecurity are considered a plus.
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