Senior VDI Administrator

Leidos•Colorado Springs, VA

About The Position

At Leidos, we deliver innovative solutions through the efforts of our diverse and talented people who are dedicated to our customer’s success. We empower our teams, contribute to our communities, and operate sustainably. Everything we do is built on a commitment to do the right thing for our customers, our people, and our community. Our Mission, Vision, and Values guide the way we do business. If this sounds like an environment where you can thrive, keep reading! The Mission Leidos is seeking a Senior VDI Administrator to support a large enterprise IT contract for the DOD. The Administrator will provide operations support to customers across multiple geographic locations. They will provide operations and maintenance support to existing virtual desktop environments across multiple enclaves and assist with the implementation of new solutions. The administrator will help drive adoption of trusted thin-client platforms and virtual desktops across a diverse user base by focusing on improving the reliability, functionality, and user experience of the systems. This individual will work in a team environment to ensure mission needs are met for internal and external customers. Primary Tasks: Individuals in this role will be required to perform remote administration of servers located in offsite data centers. Provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 operations support and be able to rapidly distinguish isolated user problems vs service outages for Citrix technologies to include Citrix XenDesktop, Citrix XenApp, Citrix NetScaler, and Citrix StoreFront in addition to Microsoft M365 Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD). Monitor infrastructure and identify system anomalies before they impact customers to include storage availability/capacity, network connectivity, database health, and other daily health checks as required. Work closely with Engineering staff to plan out future modernization efforts to meet customer and administrator requirements. Collaborate to perform network latency analysis to address slow connections and user experience issues with alacrity. Implement version and architectural changes to existing, approved, systems to maintain operability and security of the environment Implement major system upgrades as designed and approved Coordinate with other Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams for testing and deployment of Group Policy modifications Perform periodic backup and restoration of servers Monitor desktop capacity to size the environment based on typical usage trends Monitor License and Certificate status on the systems and coordinate the renewal and installation as needed. Coordinate with customers and stakeholders to collect data, conduct analysis, develop, and implement solutions associated with incident tickets and requirements. Establish comprehensive availability and capacity management solution using lessons learned Develop solutions to technical issues. Provide follow-up reports (technical findings, feedback, resolution steps taken) for root cause analysis, engineering technical assessment and process improvement initiatives. Periodically review, update, and generate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for systems and services under your control. Update operations and monitoring documentation for 24/7/365 IT Operations Center (ITOC) personnel. Respond to after-hours outages when deemed mission critical by ITOC government rep. Conduct routine maintenance following customers prescribed maintenance windows which may include evening and/or weekend maintenance to minimize impact on customers and their mission. Provide mentorship and training for junior team members.

Requirements

Experience with interacting with customers to handle service inquiries and problems.
Experience working as a Tier 2 and Tier 3 system administrator: familiar with using desktop software applications such as web browsing and client software, and IT Service Management software such as ServiceNow.
Knowledge of IC IT standards and best practices.
Extensive knowledge of Citrix technologies to include, XenDesktop, XenApp, NetScaler, and StoreFront.
Experience managing Microsoft M365 Azure Virtual Desktops (AVD).
Extensive experience with patch and upgrade methodology for front-end and back-end systems based on Citrix technology.
Experience with rapid testing, validation, and deployment of new baseline images
Extensive experience with conducting incident and trend analysis via log review, performance baselining/review, and other incident/problem management techniques to develop solutions to ongoing issues impacting customer experience
Experience with Scripting/Automation
Experience troubleshooting issues in a growing environment.
Time management skills.
Strong oral and written communications skills.
Track record of working effectively within a team and support to peers toward improved processes and results.
Experience with support ticket management systems.
Experience mentoring others and/or supervising others.
Candidate must, at a minimum, meet DoDM 8140.03 (previously DoD 8570) – IT System Admin Intermediate certification requirements (Cloud+, GICSP, SSCP, Security+ CE, GSEC, or higher).
Candidate must have a Bachelor's degree with at least 8 years of relevant experience, Master’s degree with 6 years, Associate's with 10 years, or High School Diploma with 12 years.
TS/SCI with Poly required for Position or TS/SCI and willingness to obtain and maintain a poly.
US Citizenship is required.

Nice To Haves

Citrix Certified Administrator (CCA)
Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty
Microsoft 365 Administrator
ITIL Foundations Certification

Responsibilities

Individuals in this role will be required to perform remote administration of servers located in offsite data centers.
Provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 operations support and be able to rapidly distinguish isolated user problems vs service outages for Citrix technologies to include Citrix XenDesktop, Citrix XenApp, Citrix NetScaler, and Citrix StoreFront in addition to Microsoft M365 Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
Monitor infrastructure and identify system anomalies before they impact customers to include storage availability/capacity, network connectivity, database health, and other daily health checks as required.
Work closely with Engineering staff to plan out future modernization efforts to meet customer and administrator requirements.
Collaborate to perform network latency analysis to address slow connections and user experience issues with alacrity.
Implement version and architectural changes to existing, approved, systems to maintain operability and security of the environment
Implement major system upgrades as designed and approved
Coordinate with other Tier 2 and Tier 3 teams for testing and deployment of Group Policy modifications
Perform periodic backup and restoration of servers
Monitor desktop capacity to size the environment based on typical usage trends
Monitor License and Certificate status on the systems and coordinate the renewal and installation as needed.
Coordinate with customers and stakeholders to collect data, conduct analysis, develop, and implement solutions associated with incident tickets and requirements.
Establish comprehensive availability and capacity management solution using lessons learned
Develop solutions to technical issues.
Provide follow-up reports (technical findings, feedback, resolution steps taken) for root cause analysis, engineering technical assessment and process improvement initiatives.
Periodically review, update, and generate Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for systems and services under your control.
Update operations and monitoring documentation for 24/7/365 IT Operations Center (ITOC) personnel.
Respond to after-hours outages when deemed mission critical by ITOC government rep.
Conduct routine maintenance following customers prescribed maintenance windows which may include evening and/or weekend maintenance to minimize impact on customers and their mission.
Provide mentorship and training for junior team members.