Infrastructure Engineer III #20-1992

<strong>AF Group (Lansing, Mich.) and its subsidiaries are a premier provider of innovative insurance solutions. Insurance policies may be issued by any of the following companies within AF Group: Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, Accident Fund National Insurance Company, Accident Fund General Insurance Company, United Wisconsin Insurance Company, Third Coast Insurance Company, or CompWest Insurance Company.</strong>

Lansing, MI

AF Group

<p><strong>AF Group&rsquo;s focused and passionate team uses industry-leading best practices, analytics and resources to manage risk and minimize loss for our policyholders while strengthening businesses with our valued independent agent partners.</strong></p> <p><strong>We strive to continuously increase the long-term value of our organization by outperforming our industry peers and fostering a culture of underwriting and claims excellence.</strong></p> https://www.afgroup.com/

keywords: engineering,planning,environment,secure,technical,network,design,analysis,process management,provide,leadership,reporting,operating system,knowledge,experience,education,management,values,proficiency

Full-Time

Competitive Compensation and Benefits Package

Overview: <p>The Infrastructure Engineer III role is responsible for the operations of secure and highly available computing platforms, servers, and networks. This role is responsible for installing, maintaining, upgrading, and continuously improving the Company's operating environment while maintaining the ongoing reliability, performance, and support of the infrastructure. This includes monitoring the operating environments, responding to incidents, problems, and planning for growth.</p> <p>Infrastructure Engineers deploy the release of new technologies as well as design, install, configure, maintain, and perform testing of PC/server operating systems, networks, and related utilities and hardware. Additionally, this role's responsibilities include troubleshooting problems as reported by users, supporting Web access and electronic messaging services, and maintaining a secure systems environment.</p>
Responsibilities: <ul> <li>Participate, partner and collaborate with SME's, database administrators, internal and external vendors to understand their requirements and provide viable solution using industry middleware standards.</li> <li>Troubleshoot and provide proactive support for production and non-production application servers, ensuring full compliance of the Service Level Agreements (SLA).</li> <li>Work with little to no supervision, assign work to, mentor and engage work of less senior staff.</li> <li>Responsible for providing project details, standard operating procedures, setting standards and policies around middleware administration.</li> <li>Work requires the customary and regular exercise of discretion and independent judgment.</li> <li>Analyze complex local and wide area network systems, including planning, designing, evaluating, selecting operating systems and protocol suites and configuring communication media with concentrators, bridges and other devices.</li> <li>Resolves difficult interoperability problems to obtain operation across all platforms including e-mail, files transfer, multimedia, teleconferencing and the like.</li> <li>Configures systems to user environments. Supports acquisition of hardware and software as well as subcontractor services.</li> <li>May act as a technical project leader or provide work leadership for lower level employees.</li> <li>Participates in and may lead groups/committees related to processes, standards and best practices.</li> <li>Investigates and analyzes resource utilization and prepares reports.</li> <li>Optimizes the network infrastructure to maintain the highest possible level of performance and security.</li> <li>Plans for the replacement of obsolete resources that make up the enterprise network infrastructure.</li> <li>Recommends new software and hardware that provide new features/functions and prepares documentation to support recommendation of new software/hardware.</li> <li>Conducts appropriate, routine tests to ensure the proper working condition and security of developed and purchased software/hardware.</li> <li>Coordinates and schedules initial installation of new equipment or reinstallation of relocated equipment.</li> <li>Maintains an up-to-date technical and practical knowledge and understanding of system testing and analysis.</li> <li>Build, support and maintain the VDI environment, including standardized templates, application delivery methods, enterprise antivirus, persona management infrastructure, host servers and zero clients.</li> <li>Conducts appropriate, routine tests to ensure the proper working condition and security of developed and purchased software/hardware.</li> <li>Coordinates and schedules initial installation of new equipment or reinstallation of relocated equipment.</li> <li>Recommends improvements and changes to methods and procedures.</li> <li>Maintains an up-to-date technical and practical knowledge and understanding of system testing and analysis.</li> <li>Troubleshoots and resolves complex issues that involve the core operating system or desktop components, performing root cause analysis for service interruption and implementing preventative measures.</li> </ul> <div> <p><strong>NETWORKING RESPONSIBILITIES/TASKS:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Establish technical direction of solution development across a wide variety of platforms.</li> <li>Design and architect the enterprise network, security systems, servers and storage infrastructure, both virtual and physical, applying best practices and established standards.</li> <li>Design and architect standard operating procedures and policies related to the network, security systems, server and storage infrastructure.</li> <li>Design and architect the Microsoft and Linux infrastructure for the enterprise.</li> <li>Design and architect methods to the protect company data and systems through the use of security solutions, backups, redundancy and disaster recovery solutions.</li> <li>Investigates and analyzes resource utilization and prepares reports and metrics, making appropriate changes to optimize the infrastructure and provide the highest possible level of performance and security.</li> <li>Coordinate direction of infrastructure architecture with technical experts in other disciplines within the IT department.</li> <li>Develops and implements strategic vision for network / systems.</li> <li>Participates in setting strategic direction and technical design for network, security systems, servers and storage infrastructure for the company.</li> <li>Maintains up-to-date technical knowledge and understanding of network, security systems, servers and storage infrastructure.</li> <li>Mentor Network Infrastructure engineers in maintaining multi cloud ecosystem.</li> <li>Strong knowledge of network security-based tools available within in multi-cloud infrastructure.</li> <li>Follow industry best practices for maintaining multi-cloud workloads.</li> <li>Evaluate and leverage the right tools to script configuration changes that rescale, resize and reform the workload ecosystems through automation.</li> </ul> </div>
Requirements: <p><strong>EDUCATION OR EQUIVALENT EXPERIENCE:</strong></p> <p>Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or related field required. Certification or progress toward certification of, industry-recognized professional designation preferred and encouraged. Combinations of relevant education and work experience may be considered in lieu of a degree. Continuous learning, as defined by Company's learning philosophy, is required.</p> <p><strong>EXPERIENCE:</strong></p> <p>7 years' experience within an IT environment which provides the necessary skills, knowledge and abilities. One-year relevant experience supporting personal computers in a multi-site, multi-platform environment as well as telephone support of remote staff preferred. Experience within the insurance industry highly preferred.</p> <p><strong>SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITIES (SKA) REQUIRED:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Consistent and proficient demonstration of required job SKA which exceed standard job expectations.</li> <li>Consistent and proficient demonstration of troubleshooting that demonstrates a comprehensive and holistic understanding of systems integration.</li> <li>Exceptional customer support with proven track record of positive outcomes.</li> <li>Advanced knowledge of IT systems, including networking, server, storage and applications.</li> <li>Demonstrated ability to resolve and collaborate on complex, multifaceted issues.</li> <li>Demonstrated leadership ability with proven results as a team facilitator/leader within multi-functional teams.</li> <li>Considerable knowledge of, and the ability to practically apply, necessary testing, practices and procedures.</li> <li>Excellent technical knowledge of former and current Microsoft Windows enterprise desktop and server operating systems, including installation procedures, security tuning, troubleshooting and configuration management.</li> <li>Knowledge of IT system installation, configuration, and maintenance.</li> <li>Strong software Development Life Cycle principles, processes, tools, and techniques.</li> <li>Knowledge of performance measuring and monitoring of IT systems.</li> <li>Ability to apply the principles of independent logical thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.</li> <li>Ability to comprehend the consequences of various problem situations and to refer them for appropriate decision-making.</li> <li>Ability to handle multiple priorities, establish workflows, and meet necessary deadlines.</li> <li>Ability to work with minimum supervision.</li> <li>Excellent oral and written communication skills.</li> <li>Ability to communicate factual and technical information with customers clearly and concisely.</li> <li>Ability to effectively exchange information clearly and concisely and to present ideas, report facts and other information and respond to questions as appropriate.</li> <li>Ability to maintain confidentiality.</li> <li>Ability to perform other assignments at locations outside the office.</li> <li>Ability to work varying hours, including evenings, weekends and holidays as required.</li> <li>Ability and proficiency in the use of computers and company standard software.</li> <li>Ability to manage and lead complex projects.</li> </ul> <div> <p><strong>NETWORKING KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES REQUIRED:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Extensive knowledge and understanding of computer systems architecture and design, computer industry trends and project management.</li> <li>Ability to understand business needs and conceptualize and implement information systems that support those business strategies.</li> <li>Excellent technical knowledge of former and current Microsoft Windows enterprise desktop and server operating systems, including installation procedures, security tuning, troubleshooting and configuration management.</li> <li>Excellent technical knowledge of network, security and storage infrastructure including: local area networks, wide area networks, wireless networking, VPN, firewalls, routers, switches, storage arrays, load balancers, WAN optimizers, endpoint security and encryption, proxy servers, digital certificates, hypervisors, data center management and cabling standards.</li> <li>Knowledge of applications and platforms including: Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Active Directory and Group Policy, Microsoft Office and Office 365, DNS servers, DHCP servers and Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.</li> <li>Excellent troubleshooting abilities through the use of techniques and methods which will isolate and identify faulty components or configurations within a system so that services can be quickly restored to normal levels of operation.</li> </ul> <div> <p><strong>WORKING CONDITIONS:</strong></p> <p>Work is performed in an office setting. May be exposed to temperatures, which may be cooler than a normal office setting. Hazards: Possible injury in working with electronic equipment. Must follow safety and security procedures. Travel may be required.</p> </div> </div>