Linux VMware System Engineer

Vytwo•Prosper, TX

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Linux VMware System Engineer – Server Migration role is a vital position within the Unix Engineering team, responsible for supporting the firm's large-scale server migration project, which involves relocating physical and virtual infrastructure between data center locations. This includes planning and executing migrations of ESXi hosts and virtual machines, managing iSCSI storage network configurations, working with LVM logic volume manager for storage provisioning and migration, and ensuring seamless cutover with minimal downtime. The role will encompass system configuration management, performance testing and tuning, and application and service troubleshooting. Throughout the migration cycle, the ideal candidate will be passionate about exploring and integrating technologies such as VMware, ISCSI network, Linux SaltStack, and OpenShift to drive continued evolution of our highly scalable compute platform.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in science or engineering with a minimum of four years of hands-on experience in a relevant role.
Proven experience leading or participating in large-scale data center or server migration projects, including physical to virtual (P2V), virtual to virtual (V2V), and site-to-site migration.
Experience with architecture, implementation, and operation of Linux-based compute environments, including a deep understanding of Linux OS internals.
Strong hands-on expertise with VMware ESXi/vSphere, including ESXi host builds, VM provisioning, vMotion, storage vMotion, DRS, HA, and cross-site ESXi and VM migration techniques.
In-depth knowledge of iSCSI storage networking, including iSCSI initiator/target configuration, multipathing (DM-Multipath), network segmentation for storage traffic, jumbo frames, and troubleshooting iSCSI connectivity issues.
Expert-level understanding of logical volume manager, including physical volume, volume group, and logical volume management; LVM snapshots; volume group migrations (vgexport/vgimport); thin provisioning; and LVM-based backup and restore strategies.
In-depth knowledge of advanced networking concepts (e.g., TCP/IP, routing, firewalls, load balancing, VLAN configurations for iSCSI networks) and traditional storage platforms.
Proven experience with containerization technologies and tools, such as OpenShift, Kubernetes, and Docker, including orchestration and management at scale.
Strong understanding of software development and CI/CD tools, including Git, Subversion, Maven, and Jenkins.
Expertise in virtualization products from VMware (ESXi) and Red Hat (OpenShift CNV) for managing compute infrastructure at scale.
Demonstrated ability to set and achieve project goals when implementing and integrating complex technology concepts, particularly within structured migration timelines and maintenance windows.
Proficiency in scripting languages such as bash and Python for automation of migration tasks and system administration.
Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyze complex system issues and identify effective solutions, especially in high-pressure migration scenarios.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SaltStack.

Responsibilities

Own and engineer the Linux computer platform at client during the server migration project ensuring its stability, security, and performance throughout all migration phases.
Plan, coordinate, and execute end-to-end server migrations from the source data center to target location, including physical servers, ESXi hosts, and virtual machines.
Manage and migrate VMware ESXi environments, including vMotion, storage vMotion, and cold migrations of VMs across data center sites with minimal disruption.
Configure, troubleshoot, and migrate iSCSI storage networks, ensuring proper connectivity, multipathing, CHAP authentication, and performance between source and target environments.
Manage LVM configurations during migration, including volume group export/import, logical volume resizing, snapshot-based migrations, and file system integrity validation.
Develop and maintain automation tooling to streamline migration tasks, implement, scale, and test infrastructure services for repeatable and reliable migration workflows.
Develop and execute migration runbooks, rollback plans, and validation checklists to ensure each migration wave is completed successfully and within defined maintenance windows.
Collaborate with internal clients and partner engineering teams across the organization to understand their needs, assess migration readiness, and deliver effective solutions.
Contribute to the evolution and integration of modern stack components, including Kubernetes, OpenStack, and other emerging technologies, as part of the post-migration target architecture.
Work closely with first and second-level support organizations to perform in-depth technical troubleshooting and resolve complex issues arising during and after migration activities.
Develop and implement technical solutions and process improvements to enhance system reliability, efficiency, and scalability to the target data center environments.
Manage and optimize virtualization environments using VMware (ESXi) and Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization (CNV) with a focus on cross-site VM migration and replatforming.
Participate in the design and implementation of CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure as code to support automated migration and provisioning workflows.
Monitor system performance, identify bottlenecks, and implement proactive measures to ensure optimal performance before, during, and after each migration wave.
Ensure adherence to security best practices and compliance requirements across Linux infrastructure throughout the migration lifecycle.