Principal Systems Engineer

The Principal Systems Engineer serves as the technical leader for the organization’s enterprise infrastructure, systems architecture, and cloud technologies. This role is responsible for designing, implementing, securing, and supporting highly available IT systems that enable business operations across all locations. The Principal Systems Engineer provides strategic direction for infrastructure initiatives, establishes engineering standards, mentors technical staff, and partners with business and IT leaders to deliver scalable, secure, and reliable technology solutions., * Lead the architecture, design, implementation, and lifecycle management of enterprise server, storage, virtualization, cloud, and endpoint infrastructure.

• Develop and maintain enterprise standards for systems engineering, security, performance, disaster recovery, and infrastructure documentation.
• Serve as the technical lead for complex infrastructure projects, including system upgrades, migrations, acquisitions, and technology modernization initiatives.
• Evaluate business and technical requirements to recommend scalable, secure, and cost-effective infrastructure solutions.
• Design, implement, and maintain Microsoft Windows Server, Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Azure, virtualization platforms, backup solutions, and enterprise storage environments.
• Lead infrastructure planning for high availability, business continuity, disaster recovery, and cybersecurity initiatives.
• Monitor and optimize system performance, capacity, and reliability while proactively identifying opportunities for automation and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with network, security, application, and ERP teams to ensure seamless integration and performance of enterprise systems.
• Manage relationships with hardware, software, and cloud vendors for support, licensing, upgrades, and strategic planning.
• Conduct root cause analysis for critical infrastructure issues and implement long-term corrective actions to improve system stability.
• Mentor Systems Engineers and IT staff by providing technical leadership, knowledge sharing, and guidance on engineering best practices.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive technical documentation, infrastructure diagrams, standard operating procedures, and support documentation while expanding the Welch IT playbook.
• Research and evaluate emerging technologies to improve infrastructure reliability, security, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Provide advanced (Level 3) support and participate in an on-call rotation, including after-hours support for critical production outages.
• Support Welch University initiatives by developing and delivering technical training on infrastructure systems, administration, and best practices.
• Ensure compliance with organizational security policies, regulatory requirements, and IT governance standards.
• Ability to travel 25%-50% as needed regionally
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• BS in Technology or Computer Sciences or similar education required.
• Certifications in various programming languages preferred

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in enterprise infrastructure, architecture and long term technology strategy
• Automation and infrastructure optimization
• Technical leadership and/or mentoring
• Cloud infrastructure (Azure/Microsoft 365)

SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS OR ABILITIES

Strong written and oral communication.

Organization and attention to detail.

Analytical and problem-solving skills.

Time management.

Systems analysis.

Mathematical and deductive reasoning.

Critical thinking.

Active learning.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the functions of this job.

Physical Requirements:

Must be able to lift 50 pounds on a repeatedly on a regular basis.

Must be able to stand for 8-10 hours a day.

Bend, stand, squat, twist repeatedly.

Work Environment:

Moderate noise (i.e., business office with computers, phones and printers, light traffic).

Ability to work in a confined area.

Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period time.