Senior Systems Engineer

Conning•Hartford, CT

About The Position

Conning is a leading global investment management firm with a long history of serving the insurance industry. We develop customized investment strategies that address our clients’ unique objectives, requirements and tolerance for risk. We develop solutions by leveraging Conning’s risk management tools and utilizing a highly disciplined investment process that relies on fundamental analysis. The Senior Systems Engineer (Microsoft Infrastructure & Automation) plays a key role in designing, implementing, and optimizing enterprise-wide Microsoft technologies. This position focuses on delivering resilient, secure, and automated infrastructure solutions across the Microsoft ecosystem—including Azure, Microsoft 365, Intune, Autopilot, PowerShell automation, and Purview compliance. The role bridges on-premises systems with modern cloud infrastructure, emphasizing operational excellence, automation, and modernized disaster recovery. This position is not primarily a networking nor a security support role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field.
10+ years of progressive experience in infrastructure engineering or systems administration with deep Microsoft ecosystem expertise.
Certifications Preferred: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate / Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert, ITIL Foundations or equivalent process certification
This position is not primarily a networking nor a security support role.
Deep knowledge of Azure services, Intune, Autopilot, PowerShell, and Microsoft 365 administration.
Strong understanding of cloud governance, cost optimization, and automation frameworks.
Experience with Azure Site Recovery, backup, and DR orchestration for hybrid environments.
Familiarity with virtualization platforms (VMware or Hyper-V) and identity management.
Exposure to endpoint management, SCCM co-management, and policy automation.
Strong communication, documentation, and leadership skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Applicants must exhibit a strong commitment to meet compliance obligations reflecting Conning's core values of honesty and integrity; must accept responsibility for compliance in each role and comply with all applicable rules, regulations, and legal requirements.

Responsibilities

Design, deploy, and manage hybrid Microsoft environments (on-prem and Azure) including IaaS, PaaS, and M365 workloads.
Implement Azure Active Directory (Entra ID), identity federation, and role-based access controls.
Lead initiatives around device provisioning and lifecycle automation using Intune, Autopilot, and Group Policy migration strategies.
Architect and implement secure, scalable disaster recovery and business continuity solutions leveraging Azure Site Recovery and other Microsoft-native tools.
Develop and maintain PowerShell scripts, workflows, and policies to automate routine operational tasks and system configurations.
Develop and maintain PowerShell, ARM, and Bicep templates to standardize and automate the deployment of Azure resources and on-prem virtual infrastructure.
Implement Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) methodologies for VMware and Hyper-V environments to support repeatable, scalable, and consistent server-side provisioning.
Leverage orchestration platforms such as Azure Automation, Azure Arc, and System Center to unify management across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
Manage integrations with Azure Stack Edge, Azure Stack HCI, and local datacenter solutions to ensure seamless connectivity between on-premises and cloud environments.
Design and maintain self-service and automated provisioning workflows across the Microsoft ecosystem.
Integrate Microsoft Graph, Logic Apps, and Power Automate into IT operations to streamline infrastructure management.
Identify and deliver opportunities for orchestration across M365, Azure, and security platforms for efficiency and compliance.
Manage and optimize Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams, and OneDrive for Business.
Leverage Microsoft Purview, Defender, and Sentinel to maintain compliance, security, and data governance.
Support identity protection, endpoint management, and conditional access configurations in alignment with zero-trust principles.
Lead technical deep dives and perform detailed root cause analysis for critical incidents impacting infrastructure and cloud services.
Document findings, preventive measures, and long-term remediation strategies to reduce repeat incidents.
Serve as a final escalation point for complex issues across Microsoft, virtualization, and automation layers.
Collaborate with vendors and senior architects to resolve high-impact service interruptions and performance degradation incidents.
Monitor cloud and hybrid infrastructure health, capacity, and performance through Microsoft-native tools (Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Endpoint Analytics).
Analyze trends, identify bottlenecks, and propose enhancements to improve efficiency and resiliency.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure service-level objectives (SLOs) and performance targets are consistently met.
Plan, implement, and test DR strategies for on-prem workloads transitioning to Azure.
Lead recovery and failover simulations ensuring minimal downtime and data integrity.
Partner with application owners to modernize legacy systems for cloud-readiness and resiliency.
Maintain technical documentation, diagrams, and runbooks for all configurations and procedures.
Ensure Microsoft environments meet corporate and regulatory compliance standards.
Participate in security audits and coordinate remediations using Microsoft Purview and Compliance Manager.
Serve as a senior-level subject matter expert for Microsoft technologies and mentor junior engineers.
Partner with architecture, security, and DevOps teams to drive modernization initiatives.
Promote innovation, continuous improvement, and adoption of new Microsoft features and capabilities.