Virtualization Lead Engineer

Job Title : Virtualization Lead Engineer Location : Jefferson City, Missouri Experience : 12+ Years Employment Type : Contract Interview Type : In-Person or Webcam Job Description We are looking for an experienced Virtualization Lead Engineer to oversee, design, and manage enterprise virtualization platforms and infrastructure services. The ideal candidate will be responsible for ensuring high performance, scalability, and security across virtual environments while supporting ongoing business growth. This role requires deep technical expertise in virtualization technologies, strong leadership skills, and hands-on experience with enterprise-level deployments. Key Responsibilities Lead the design, implementation, and management of enterprise virtualization solutions across datacenter and cloud environments. Oversee administration of VMware, Hyper-V, or related virtualization platforms including ESXi hosts, vCenter, and virtual networking. Manage virtual storage solutions and ensure performance optimization across workloads. Direct capacity planning, resource allocation, and scalability strategies for virtualized systems. Develop and maintain disaster recovery, failover, and backup strategies for virtual environments. Implement security controls, policies, and compliance standards for virtualized infrastructure. Troubleshoot complex virtualization and infrastructure-related issues. Guide and mentor technical teams, providing engineering leadership and operational direction. Collaborate with system, network, storage, and cloud teams to ensure smooth system integration. Prepare documentation, architecture diagrams, and operational processes. Monitor system performance and drive continuous improvement across virtualization platforms. Support automation initiatives using tools such as PowerShell, Ansible, or vRealize. Required Skills and Qualifications 12+ years of experience in virtualization engineering or infrastructure architecture. Strong hands-on experience with VMware vSphere, vCenter, ESXi, SRM, and vSAN. Expertise with virtualization networking and storage technologies. Knowledge of Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix, or KVM platforms is a plus. Experience with datacenter technologies, clustering, backup solutions, and disaster recovery planning. Strong technical troubleshooting and problem-solving capabilities. Proficiency with scripting and automation tools (PowerShell, Python, Ansible or similar Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud is preferred. Experience implementing performance monitoring and capacity planning tools. Ability to lead cross-functional engineering teams and drive complex projects. Excellent communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills. Relevant certifications such as VCP, VCIX, VCAP, or related virtualization credentials preferred.