Microsoft and Kernel Virtualization Systems Senior Specialist

Job description

Role Purpose This role is based in EXA Infrastructure-INDIA that will report to the Head of IT Infrastructure under CTIO organisation and lead the management of the delivery and support to systems, infrastructure on Microsoft and Kernel Based Virtualisation technologies as required by the business. As Technical Lead and Manager of Microsoft and KVM Virtualization Technologies, your role will be to oversee complex cloud such as M365, Azure, GCP and on-premises infrastructure, hybrid enterprise infrastructures, combining deep architecture expertise in Microsoft stack components (such as Hyper-V and System Center Virtual Machine Manager) alongside open-source KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) hypervisor environments. This dual-hypervisor leader manages team performance, strategic cloud integration, and resilient data center operations. The role will lead and manage EXA’s IT engineering teams of Microsoft and KVM based virtualisation technologies, design enterprise virtualization architectures, and manage Microsoft platforms like M365, Azure, Windows Server, Hyper-V, and automation & AI to ensure system reliability and peak performance. Your role will lead design and scale dual-hypervisor infrastructures spanning Windows-based environments and KVM nodes. This role also includes design and implementation of Operating system upgrades, KVM administration, PAM/LDAP, Security hardening and compliance, automation using PowerShell scripting for patching & proactive management, and container management, The role also has the requirement of strong experience of Data Centre Server management for hosts, Hyper-Viser & VMs management. The role has strong shell scripting requirement in development and support with experience of using shell scripts. This role will need you to manage advanced command of Microsoft Hyper-V, SCVMM, and enterprise KVM hypervisor management with strong command of PowerShell shell scripting or automation languages (Python/Go). The role requires solid grasp of enterprise storage (SAN/NAS), advanced virtual networking (SDN, VLANs), and active directory frameworks. This role demands excellent stakeholder communication, project governance, and vendor management capabilities Your role will additionally include technology leadership and management of the IT to diagnose and resolve hardware, software, and network issues, provision end-user devices, and ensure seamless daily Corporate IT Desktop and Office IT technology operations, build, expand, support, monitor and maintain the IT Infrastructure Microsoft ecosystem which includes the EXA Infrastructure on-premise for NMS systems and M365 Cloud based Microsoft Windows and Azure cloud and back-end infrastructure ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of IT Infrastructure Server & Cloud set up, IT Infrastructure project implementation work with project teams and in compliance with IT governance and security policies. The IT Infrastructure team combines IT’s data centre based on-premise NMS Systems Microsoft Servers, Active Directory, Domain Controllers, DHCP Servers, DNS Servers, Azure Active Directory, Domain Administration, Azure landing zone, Security configurations on on-premise data centre servers as well as M365 Tenant, other Azure Cloud servers, including M365 Intune and SharePoint online infrastructure on M365 tenant of EXA as well as any acquisitions based tenant combined with EXA’s M365 tenant. You will be responsible for managing and ensuring EXA’s business and end users issues are resolved in a timely manner and that EXA’s on-premise IT Microsoft estate of Active Directory, NMS IT Microsoft Windows Server Virtual Machines,, MS365, MS Azure & MS Sharepoint systems, Intune, M365 Auto-Pilot build, MS Co-Pilot AI Platform, Security SSL Certificates of all EXA IT systems, Manage Engine IT Helpdesk ticket management, Manage Engine based patching automation scripts and solutions are fully supported with operational availability and efficiency, and all these systems of EXA’s IT are kept up and running to avoid outages, and in the case of an outage, work swiftly to resolve and restore any affected systems. A huge part of this job is using Automation and AI tools to make our systems faster, smarter, and able to fix themselves. You will manage a smart engineering team and help set our future technology goals. Key responsibilities Working with the team and under line management for the EXA IT team members in your technology leadership areas. Design and scale dual-hypervisor infrastructures spanning Windows-based environments and Linux-based KVM nodes. Direct, mentor, and evaluate a team of systems and infrastructure engineers, establishing performance targets and KPIs. Oversee provisioning, patching, performance tuning, and capacity planning for clusters and virtual machines. Drive infrastructure-as-code and automated workflows using tools like PowerShell, Ansible, or Terraform. Lead high-level troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for critical infrastructure escalations. Ensure robust high-availability, disaster recovery protocols, and strict security baselines across all hosts. Lead, coach, and support a team of skilled infrastructure engineers. Build and scale secure systems using both Hyper-V and KVM. Connect our private data centres with public cloud platforms. Use AI tools to predict and fix system issues before they happen. Write scripts to automate boring, repetitive infrastructure tasks. Use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to setup and change systems instantly. Setup special virtual machines to help host our company's AI models. Ensure our virtual systems are always online and running fast. Design strong backup plans so we never lose data if a disaster happens. Keep all systems safe from hackers by applying quick security updates. Providing specialist systems admin expertise with the Microsoft ecosystem including but not limited to Microsoft Server Administration, Active Directory, DHCP, Domain Controllers, DNS, M365, AAD, Domain Admin, Sharepoint, MDM, Security controls, Azure IaaS, server and endpoint OS Delivering hands-on operations of the systems admin for the Microsoft ecosystem for the company Identifying opportunities for team training and skills advancement. Supporting to manage and reporting within IT Infrastructure budget/spend Maintaining and updating the EXA IT M365 & Azure cloud, server, and infrastructure estate Work diligently within and adhering strictly to timeframes for major EXA IT Microsoft projects, including M365 Based projects, Azure Cloud based projects, system updates, upgrades, migrations, and outages. Responsible and manage operations of Automation Windows patching using Manged Engine, Windows laptop & desktop builds using M365 Auto-Pilot. Responsible for full operational management & support of M365 SharePoint Online, Intune, Microsoft Co-Pilot, MS License management. Responsible for producing and applying Security SSL Certificate for al EXA IT systems including EXA Corporate IT and EXA IT NMS On-Premise Windows systems. Providing management of team always with visibility and reports on team/service performance Identifying areas for improvement and implementing the changes once approved by management. Provide end-user support for issues escalated from the IT helpdesk. Regular patching of all Microsoft IT servers/platforms/software as and when required. Regular health checks on all Microsoft IT systems, addressing any issues discovered. Developing and documenting new processes to streamline IT operations. Individual Profile Strong experience leading tech teams and helping them grow. Deep knowledge of Microsoft Hyper-V, SCVMM, and Windows Server. Good understanding with experience with KVM, QEMU, cluster management. Automation Tools: Expert skills in PowerShell and other languages like Ansible, Terraform, or Python. AI Knowledge: Experience using AIOps tools or managing workloads for GPUs. Great understanding of computer networks, firewalls, and large storage systems. Proven experience with virtualization platforms such as VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or open-source solutions Strong understanding of networking, storage, and server hardware as they relate to virtualization Experience with cloud-based virtualization solutions (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) Deep expertise in virtualisation technologies and architecture. Design and deploy AVD host pools, personal desktops, and multi-session capabilities mapped to organizational capacity and budget goals. Azure VDI technical specialisation with strong experience in design, deployment, and manage enterprise-grade virtual desktop environments—primarily using Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) and Windows 365. Proven professional with strong experience to bridge cloud infrastructure and end-user computing (EUC) to deliver secure, scalable, and high-performance virtual workspaces. Ability to explain complex tech problems to business bosses in simple words. Experience in an IT Microsoft and Virtualisation L3 technical expertise in an IT Microsoft Server Sys Admin, MS AZURE & M365 and Kernel Based Virtualisation senior technology specialist role, Demonstrable examples of working with large, medium IT teams and managing business teams’ and end users’ expectations in a dynamic, fast-moving environment. Experience and specialisation with supporting (but not limited to) the following: Microsoft Server Administration, Active Directory, DHCP, Domain Controllers, DNS, M365 and the associated ecosystem Active Directory, Azure, DFS, SSO, SharePoint Online, Office 365, ADFS, DHCP, DNS, Intune, MDM and Copliot Experience with cybersecurity technologies for xDR, SIEM, Cisco Security Suite (Cisco AMP, Umbrella, ESA) Experience with ManageEngine products – ServiceDesk Plus, Endpoint Central, ADManager Plus Good relationship building skills, communications and customer orientation, as this role involves interactions with and providing services to all employees. Our working environment We are committed to working in the location where we do our best work. As a strong growing company managing critical national infrastructure in the UK, mainland Europe and US, we have with great offices in great locations with a very flexible hybrid and remote working policy for employees who reside in locations where EXA has offices aiming to be in the office 1-2 days a week and otherwise be remote while working from home/ other locations. Here at EXA, we believe the future includes everyone, we are open to all applications to create an environment and culture that includes one and all. We are a proud global community, that wants to drive diversity of thought though our employees and culture. We want you to come as you and make yourself and EXA successful.