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Server Patching Administrator

We are seeking a Server Patching Administrator for an Onsite Assignment in Washington, DC. The ideal candidate has 11+ years of professional work experience, including 8+ years of advanced Server system administration, operational support, and problem resolution for mixed Windows/Linux/Unix Server environments, 8+ years of System administration experience, and knowledge of VMware, Hyper-V, and administration of virtual servers, and 8 years of Server Patching and Software deployment experience through Tanium, SCCM, Intune, Ivanti or similar tools.

The Server Patching Administrator will be responsible for server OS patch deployment and patching standards and processes to maintain server health across the enterprise environment. The selected candidate will interface with the Security, Application, Infrastructure, and ITSM teams to coordinate Windows/Linux/Unix patching deployments. They will create and maintain operational procedures as needed to ensure patching success rates and will be the main point of communication for security patching. Additionally, the candidate will interface with customers and management to conduct reviews and provide reporting on patching status and any trends seen to help improve the environment's health.

The Administrator will oversee, track, and schedule all server patching efforts for a large-scale enterprise environment. They will run and maintain patching solutions, and their responsibilities will include designing, deploying, and troubleshooting these tools. The candidate will analyze trends to identify potential patching errors in all OS environments and work with respective teams to ensure those errors do not re-occur in future patching cycles. This critical role will help secure the infrastructure from medium to essential security threats and manage enterprise images and driver packages. The patching administrator will also maintain and update all patching maintenance windows with the business.

Server Patching Administrator Responsibilities include:

• Coordinating Windows/Linux/Unix patching deployments, maintaining patching standards and processes, and collaborating with security, application infrastructure, and ITSM teams
• Extensive experience with Hyper-V and VMware is required
• Coordinating with system administrators, network engineers, and other IT staff to ensure smooth patch deployment
• Evaluating patches before installation to ensure compatibility with existing systems
• Performing backup and restoration of systems based on business requirements
• Monitoring server performance and addressing any issues that arise during or after patching

Essential Functions:

• Implements and maintains "Best in Class" approaches/practices for enterprise patch management and deployment
• Works with and manages cross-functional teams to identify operational procedures and best practices by patch management strategy
• Ensures overall service levels for server uptimes through patch management standards, enterprise images, and driver packages
• Employs continual service improvement through monthly and quarterly patch management metrics reviews
• Analyzes trend data to identify potential patch-related issues on various images and assists teams in troubleshooting to implement any resolutions/improvements needed for proactive resolution
• Communicates patch management processes, procedures, working practices, and changes to internal teams and customers
• Updates and maintains enterprise patch maintenance windows with the business
• Develops automation scripts and programs to streamline manual patch operations and improve mean time to deliver and first-time-right metrics
• Provides technical support and consultation to teams and customers as needed
• Performs architecture review, infrastructure design and builds, and maintenance and support activities for patching systems
• Coordinates monthly Windows patching deployments as well as scheduled Linux/UNIX deployments
• Attends high-severity change patch maintenance windows and assists in documenting the completion of the change
• Defines and assesses patching service levels and success rates
• Maintains ticket queues for new patching or change requests
• Supports the determination of patches needed as well as the implementation of corrective actions
• Applies Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework knowledge
• Escalates issues for resolution to appropriate teams when necessary
• Runs compliance and server health reports as needed.

Required Technical Skills:

• In-depth knowledge of Windows/Linux/Unix Server environments administration and support
• Experience with PowerShell commands and scripts
• System administration experience and knowledge of VMware, Hyper-V, and administration of virtual servers
• General working knowledge of NAS, SAN, and networking
• Active Directory administration experience
• Software deployment experience through Tanium, SCCM, Intune, Ivanti, or similar tools
• Vulnerability Management and Remediation
• Enforcing compliance settings and patching Windows servers to ensure security experience
• Provide advanced Server system administration, operational support, and problem resolution for mixed Windows/Linux/Unix Server environments
• Provide break/fix support for Server OS and third-party application issues
• Troubleshoot hardware and software problems, take appropriate corrective action, and/or interact with team members or vendors to work through issue resolution
• Adhere to the agency Change Management process
• Comply with all audits, compliance, and regulatory requirements
• Perform other duties as assigned
• Support On call and weekend work

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Minimum 10+ years of systems engineering/administration experience in Windows/Linux/Unix Server environments Operating Systems, including Windows Server installation, operations, administration, and maintenance of physical and virtualized servers in an enterprise environment
• Server patching and vulnerability management
• Information Technology or Engineering or Information Systems, or related work experience.
• Ability to communicate technical issues and translate them into non-technical business reviews.