Virtual Desktop Engineer

Guidehouse•Washington, DC

1d•$98,000 - $163,000

About The Position

We are seeking a highly skilled Virtual Desktop Engineer to support secure virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environments across federal programs. This role is responsible for engineering, deploying, optimizing, and maintaining virtual desktop and application delivery platforms—including Azure Virtual Desktop, Citrix Virtual Apps/Desktops, and VMware Horizon—to enable mission-critical operations in secure federal environments. The ideal candidate brings strong hands-on experience with VDI platforms, endpoint management, virtualization, and cloud-integrated virtual desktop architectures.

Requirements

U.S. Citizenship
An ACTIVE and MAINTAINED "TOP SECRET" Federal or DoD security clearance and ability to obtain SCI.
Minimum of FIVE (5) years of experience administering virtual desktop or application delivery platforms
Hands-on experience with at least one major VDI technology (Azure Virtual Desktop, Citrix, VMware Horizon)
Experience supporting secure environments (Federal Civilian, DoD, Intelligence Community, or similar)
Understanding of virtualization (Hyper‑V, VMware), Windows client/server OS, and profile management technologies
Familiarity with cloud-integrated VDI architectures and identity services (Azure AD/Entra, MFA, Conditional Access)
Strong troubleshooting abilities and experience supporting distributed, high-availability VDI infrastructures
Excellent communication, documentation, and collaboration skills

Nice To Haves

Certifications
Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty (AZ‑140)
Citrix CCA‑V or CCP‑V
VMware VCP‑DaaS
Desired Additional Skills
Experience with automation (PowerShell, Azure Automation, Terraform)
Knowledge of FSLogix, profile containers, and application layering technologies
Experience with Zero Trust-aligned access models and device posture validation
Familiarity with monitoring tools (ControlUp, Splunk, Azure Monitor, Citrix Director)
Experience with endpoint management tools (Intune, SCCM/ConfigMgr)
Understanding of NIST 800‑53, RMF, STIGs, and other federal compliance frameworks

Responsibilities

Deploy, configure, and support Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solutions across on‑premises, hybrid, and cloud environments (Azure/AWS).
Administer and optimize Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), Citrix Virtual Apps/Desktops, or VMware Horizon environments supporting federal user communities.
Manage session hosts, master images, golden images, application layers, profile containers, and policy configurations.
Troubleshoot complex issues across VDI stacks including connectivity, performance, application access, profile persistence, and user experience.
Support secure configuration baselines, STIG alignment, patching, and compliance documentation.
Implement automation for provisioning, scaling, monitoring, and cost optimization across VDI environments.
Collaborate with networking, cloud, cybersecurity, and server engineering teams to ensure secure and high‑performance desktop delivery.
Assist with VDI migrations, modernization projects, cloud transitions, and integration with identity platforms (Azure AD/Entra).
Maintain system documentation, architecture diagrams, change records, and operational runbooks.
Provide Tier 2/Tier 3 escalation support and mentor junior engineers as needed.

Benefits

Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance
Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays
Parental Leave
401(k) Retirement Plan
Group Term Life and Travel Assistance
Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance
Health Savings Account, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Transit and Parking Commuter Benefits
Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development, Certifications & Learning Opportunities
Employee Referral Program
Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach
Care.com annual membership
Employee Assistance Program
Supplemental Benefits via Corestream (Critical Care, Hospital Indemnity, Accident Insurance, Legal Assistance and ID theft protection, etc.)