Compute / IaaS SME - Lifecycle Management (ID: 4121)
Key Skills
Job Description
- Design, deploy, and configure greenfield Cisco UCS domains, including Fabric Interconnects, chassis, blade servers, X-Series nodes, VICs, service profiles, pools, and policies using UCS Manager and Cisco Intersight.
- Build, standardize, and upgrade VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environments, including ESXi, vCenter, vSphere Distributed Switches (vDS), vSAN, and enterprise storage solutions.
- Create and maintain standardized ESXi golden images, driver and firmware bundles, custom ISOs, host profiles, and cluster configuration baselines.
- Execute workload migrations using vMotion and Storage vMotion, coordinating with Site Recovery Manager (SRM) or HCX where applicable.
- Configure and upgrade Cisco MDS storage switches and manage firmware lifecycle activities.
- Lead firmware, driver, ESXi, vCenter, and VMware Cloud Foundation upgrades while ensuring compatibility, availability, and business continuity.
- Validate hardware compatibility and interoperability across firmware, drivers, ESXi, vCenter, vSAN, and NSX before executing changes.
- Perform rolling upgrades, cluster compliance remediation, security patching, post-upgrade validation, and performance checks.
- Automate infrastructure builds, upgrades, health checks, and compliance reporting using PowerCLI, Python, Ansible, and REST APIs.
- Maintain Infrastructure-as-Code configurations and version-controlled infrastructure baselines using Git.
- Enforce infrastructure security standards, vulnerability remediation, access controls, certificate management, and ITIL-based change, incident, and problem management.
- Prepare technical documentation, including as-built documents, runbooks, method of procedure (MOP), test plans, rollback procedures, and architecture diagrams.
- 6–8 years of hands-on experience with Cisco UCS and VMware vSphere in large enterprise environments.
- Strong expertise in Cisco UCS architecture, including Fabric Interconnects (63xx/64xx/65xx series), B-Series M5/M6 blade servers, X-Series M8 systems, VICs, service profiles, pools, and policies.
- Practical experience with Cisco UCS Manager and Cisco Intersight for infrastructure deployment, configuration, and lifecycle management.
- Deep knowledge of VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), and cluster administration.
- Experience with vSAN, iSCSI, Fibre Channel (FC), NFS storage, multipathing, and enterprise storage connectivity.
- Strong understanding of VLANs, vSphere Distributed Switches, LACP, MTU, and virtualized infrastructure networking.
- Experience managing ESXi images, firmware and driver compatibility, host profiles, cluster configurations, and infrastructure upgrades.
- Hands-on experience with vMotion, Storage vMotion, and workload migration with minimal service disruption.
- Experience configuring and upgrading Cisco MDS storage switches.
- Strong troubleshooting skills across UCS fabrics, VICs, boot issues, PCI passthrough, vDS, vSAN disk groups, and ESXi PSOD incidents.
- Knowledge of infrastructure security, VMware hardening guidelines, CVE patching, role-based access control, and audit compliance.
- Lead end-to-end infrastructure deployment, upgrades, and lifecycle management activities independently.
- Validate hardware and software compatibility and assess risks before implementing infrastructure changes.
- Plan and execute maintenance windows, rolling upgrades, migrations, and rollback procedures while maintaining business continuity.
- Automate repetitive infrastructure tasks using PowerCLI, Python, Ansible, Cisco Intersight APIs, and vCenter REST APIs.
- Develop and maintain reusable infrastructure configurations, golden builds, compliance scripts, and operational dashboards.
- Produce clear technical documentation, operational procedures, and architecture diagrams.
- Collaborate effectively with infrastructure, networking, storage, security, and operations teams.
- An opportunity to work on enterprise-scale Cisco UCS and VMware infrastructure.
- Exposure to advanced virtualization platforms, VMware Cloud Foundation, and infrastructure lifecycle management.
- Opportunities to contribute to infrastructure automation, standardization, and operational excellence.
- A collaborative technical environment focused on reliability, security, and continuous improvement.
Core Responsibilities
The Compute/IaaS SME will design, deploy, and manage Cisco UCS and VMware Cloud Foundation environments, ensuring hardware compatibility and lifecycle maintenance. They will also automate infrastructure tasks using scripting tools and maintain rigorous security and compliance standards.
Requirements
Candidates must have 6-8 years of hands-on experience with Cisco UCS and VMware vSphere in large enterprise environments. Strong expertise in infrastructure architecture, storage connectivity, and automation scripting is required to lead deployment and upgrade activities.
About STAFIDE
Industry: Staffing and Recruiting
Company size: 11-50 employees
Headquartered in the Netherlands, STAFIDE specializes in Niche Tech Recruitment across Europe, connecting top talent with outstanding opportunities in the IT sector. Our data-driven recruitment model ensures the ideal match between candidates and employers, enhancing both skill alignment and cultural fit. With a strong focus on Skill-Based Hiring, we provide candidates with an in-depth understanding of the organization—whether for permanent positions or temporary assignments (interim opdrachten) like secondment (detachering)—strengthening employer branding for our clients as a recruitment company (uitzendbureau). In today’s fast-evolving tech landscape, we recognize the unique challenges companies face in sourcing highly skilled talent. Our advanced, AI-driven talent intelligence system (ATS) is specifically designed to prioritize Skill-Based Hiring for niche IT roles, empowering organizations to address talent shortages by identifying professionals with the expertise to drive innovation and growth. Whether you’re a company in search of exceptional talent or a professional seeking your next ICT role, STAFIDE is your strategic recruitment (werving en selectie) partner. Our deep expertise in the Dutch market, combined with a steadfast commitment to excellence, makes us the preferred choice for all your recruitment needs.