Sr Data Center Implementation Engineer (VMware & Cisco UCS)

Position: Sr Data Center Implementation Engineer (VMware & Cisco UCS)

Location: 8150 Leesburg Pike Ste 1230, Vienna, VA / 5 Days onsite

Duration: 6 Month Contract to hire

Top 3 Skills:

1. VMWare VCF version 9x

1. Experience Migrating from VMWare to VCF 9x

1. Cisco UCS a plus

Overview:
KNZ Solutions is looking for a highly skilled Implementation Engineer with expertise in VMware vSphere/vCenter and Cisco UCS systems to join our team. This role requires a strong background in compute, storage, and virtualization technologies. The successful candidate will play a key role in deploying, configuring, and maintaining VMware environments, as well as managing Cisco UCS hardware for optimal performance and scalability in enterprise environments.

Key Responsibilities:
• VMware Infrastructure Deployment & Migration:
Design, implement, and manage VMware vSphere and vCenter environments.
Plan and execute the migration of VMware ESXi workloads to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF).
Use VMware tools and best practices to facilitate seamless migration from ESXi to VCF, ensuring minimal downtime and no data loss.
Configure and optimize VMware ESXi hosts, clusters, and virtual machines on VCF platforms for performance and scalability.
• VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Management:
Oversee the deployment and management of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), integrating it with existing VMware environments.
Manage and maintain VCF components, including vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and vRealize Suite, to provide a fully automated cloud infrastructure platform.
Monitor VCF health, capacity, and performance, and provide recommendations for optimization.
• Cisco UCS Management:
Implement, configure, and maintain Cisco UCS hardware, including servers, fabric interconnects, and chassis.
Create and manage server profiles and policies within Cisco UCS Manager.
Troubleshoot and perform firmware upgrades on Cisco UCS components, ensuring seamless integration with VMware.
• Storage Solutions:
Implement and maintain storage solutions within VMware environments, including SAN/NAS and VMware vSAN.
Integrate storage into VMware clusters, ensuring redundancy, high availability, and performance.
Provide support for storage provisioning, LUNs, datastores, and VMware storage policies.
• Automation & Scripting:
Leverage automation tools such as PowerCLI, Ansible, or Python to streamline VMware and Cisco UCS operations.
Automate common tasks and configuration changes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Project Implementation & Delivery:
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure smooth and timely delivery of IT infrastructure projects.
Assist in the creation of project timelines, risk assessments, and detailed implementation plans.
Provide high-level and granular configuration documentation for systems and solutions.
• Support & Troubleshooting:
Provide ongoing support for VMware and Cisco UCS environments, ensuring minimal downtime.
Troubleshoot hardware, software, and configuration issues within both VMware and Cisco UCS environments.
Monitor systems for performance and capacity issues, responding to alerts and ensuring optimal system uptime.



Required Qualifications:
• t least 5 years of hands-on experience with VMware vSphere and vCenter in enterprise environments, including experience with VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) for managing cloud infrastructure
• Strong experience with Cisco UCS hardware, including servers, fabric interconnects, and UCS Manager.
• Experience working with VMware storage technologies (vSAN, iSCSI, NFS, etc.).
• Proficiency in configuring, optimizing, and managing VMware clusters, virtual machines, and storage within VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)
• Familiarity with server provisioning and resource management in VMware environments.
• Strong troubleshooting skills for both VMware and Cisco UCS systems.
• Experience with scripting tools like PowerCLI or Python to automate VMware and UCS tasks, including automation for VCF management.
• Good knowledge of system monitoring, backup , and disaster recovery processes in virtualized environments, including VCF-based solutions.



Preferred Qualifications:
• VMware Certified Professional (VCP) certification.
• Experience with VMware NSX, VMware vRealize Suite, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), or other VMware enterprise tools.
• Experience with storage systems such as Pure Storage, NetApp, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with cloud environments or hybrid cloud solutions.
• Knowledge of automation frameworks (Ansible, Terraform) for infrastructure management.



Work Environment:
• Office environment with the potential for occasional client visits.
• Requirement for full-time on-site presence at customer location.
• Some travel may be required for implementation, support, or training.