Senior Virtualization Engineer - Fort Gordon, GA - TS/SCI clearance

Location: Fort Gordon, GA (onsite)
Clearance: Active TS/SCI
Pay range: 145-170K

About the role

The customer is migrating its vSphere 8 estate to VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1. We need a mid-level engineer to help design the target environment, build it in a lab, and run the upgrade across classified enclaves. You'll report to a lead architect and own specific design artifacts and deployment workstreams. A significant portion of the role involves collaboration with network, storage, and cybersecurity teams, as well as presenting and defending design choices to government stakeholders. The environment is RMF-accredited, so design decisions must be documented and justified for compliance.

Current state includes vCenter, ESXi, vSAN, NSX, and Aria-era tooling on vSphere 8.x. VCF 9.x can import existing vCenter instances at 8.0 Update 3 or later as workload domains, making in-place conversion the preferred path over a greenfield build. Early work involves assessing how much of the estate meets the 8.0 U3 requirement, which drives the upgrade schedule.

Responsibilities

• Design
  • Architecture artifacts: logical and physical designs, bill of materials, sizing and capacity models, a design decision register with justification and risk, traceability to stated requirements
  • Management and VI workload domain layout, availability zones, and cluster topology aligned with mission availability requirements
  • vSAN ESA storage policies, fault domains, capacity strategy, and assessment of NVMe memory tiering on existing hardware
  • NSX transport zones, edge clusters, T0/T1 routing, and segmentation policy matched to enclave boundaries
  • Identity and PKI: Active Directory over LDAPS, CAC authentication, VMCA versus enterprise CA, least-privilege roles
  • Lifecycle approach using vLCM image-based clusters, vSphere Configuration Profiles for desired-state enforcement, and the VCF depot model for offline patching
• Deploy and upgrade
  • Deploy VCF 9.1 with VCF Installer, both greenfield and conversion of existing vSphere 8.0 U3+ vCenter instances
  • Build and maintain the lab; every production change is rehearsed there first
  • Write step-level runbooks: prerequisites, validation gates, decision points, rollback criteria, rollback procedure
  • Upgrade vCenter, ESX hosts, vSAN, and NSX in sequence, and manage VM hardware and Tools remediation (note: VM hardware versions advance automatically during reduced-downtime upgrades)
  • Pre- and post-upgrade validation: health checks, HCL and firmware verification, backup verification, performance baselines, functional testing of mission workloads
  • Coordinate workload migration and outage windows with application owners
  • Troubleshoot upgrade failures and performance regressions, including Broadcom case management and log bundle collection
• Security and compliance
  • Apply and validate DISA STIGs for ESX, vCenter, NSX, and guest operating systems; document deviations and write justifications for government review
  • Remediate ACAS and Nessus findings, respond to IAVA notices within program timelines
  • Write technical content for security control implementation statements and eMASS artifacts
  • Implement encryption, secure boot, and TPM attestation where hardware supports it
• Documentation and handoff
  • Create as-built documentation, diagrams, and SOPs, plus knowledge transfer to government operators for long-term management
  • Automate with PowerCLI and the VCF and vSphere REST APIs; use Ansible or Terraform where applicable
  • Design and test backup and disaster recovery for the virtualization layer
  • Participate in CCB and technical exchange meetings, respond to RFIs

Requirements

• Active, in-scope TS/SCI clearance at time of hire; U.S. citizenship
• Able to work on-site in a SCIF
• Current Security+ CE, meeting the DoD 8140 IAT Level II baseline, maintained throughout employment
• Current VCP (VCP-VCF Administrator or Architect preferred; legacy-track VCP such as VCP-DCV accepted if you commit to sitting the VCF-track exam within six months)
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, or engineering plus 4 to 7 years in enterprise virtualization (or 8+ years of relevant experience in lieu of degree)
• VCF 9.x experience, or VCF 5.x plus current knowledge of VCF 9.x architecture (VCF Installer, VCF Operations, VCF Automation, and how SDDC Manager absorbed Aria functions)
• At least one multi-cluster vSphere major-version upgrade executed in a change-controlled production environment
• Working depth across ESX, vCenter, vSAN, NSX, vLCM, HA, DRS, vMotion
• Experience in an RMF-accredited DoD or IC environment applying STIGs and closing vulnerabilities
• Proficiency in PowerCLI
• Sufficient knowledge of server hardware, SAN, and data center networking to troubleshoot beyond your layer
• Strong technical writing skills; this role produces documents requiring government approval

Benefits

• Comprehensive PPO medical coverage with access to a Health Savings Account (HSA) option
• Vision plan and dental insurance (base dental plan premiums covered by PGTEK)
• Life Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability, and Critical Illness insurance (premiums covered)
• Matching 401(k) plan
• Discount on pet insurance through ASPCA Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at no cost
• Generous PTO and holidays
• Education Assistance Program available after 12 months of employment

About Pgtek

PGTEK is a consulting organization dedicated to helping clients achieve their business and technology objectives through decades of experience and strong business relationships. We invest in the educational advancement of our staff by providing resources to complete professional and business certifications. Our company culture prioritizes our people, treating them like family.