Foundation Services - Platform Ops

Job Title:

L2 System Engineer – Foundation Services

Band:

A2/E3

Location:  

Noida (Onsite)

Job Type:

Full Time

Job Summary:

Lead India's Cloud Revolution & Operate at Hyperscale: Join Airtel's New Platform Operations Team!  

Airtel is making a strategic leap, launching its own hyperscale cloud service in India.  

We're building an elite Platform Operations team to be the custodians of this vital infrastructure, delivering unmatched operational excellence from day one.

This role places you at the helm of overseeing a sophisticated and large cloud infrastructure built on cutting-edge technologies. You will be instrumental in creating a world-class core system that guarantee the availability, performance, security, and scalability of our sovereign cloud services, leveraging Airtel's robust network connectivity, extensive infrastructure backbone and deep enterprise relationships.  

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior System Engineer to join our team. The ideal candidate will have 7 to 10 years of experience and possess strong technical proficiency in DNS, NTP, Windows Active Directory, Basic Windows Server OS, SMTP, and IPAM. This role requires a leader who can guide L1 Engineers, serve as an escalation point for technical issues, and participate in periodic maintenance windows.

We are looking for seasoned operations professionals with a passion for running resilient, secure, and highly performance distributed systems. If you are passionate about the challenge of running infrastructure at a gigantic scale while delivering world-class service delivery for a hyperscaler, Airtel Cloud offers a unique opportunity. Come build and run the future with us!

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

·        Implementation and Deployment:

o    Plan and execute the implementation and migration of Active Directory and DDI services, including upgrades, consolidations, and new deployments.

o    Deploy and manage DDI components, including DNS servers, DHCP servers, and IP address management systems.

o    Automate deployment and configuration tasks using scripting languages.

o    Ensure seamless integration of foundation services with other IT systems and applications.

·        Operations and Maintenance:

o    Provide expert-level support for Active Directory and DDI-related incidents and problems, ensuring timely resolution and minimizing impact to business operations.

o    Proactively monitor the health and performance of foundation services, identifying and resolving potential issues before they impact users.

o    Perform regular system maintenance tasks, including patching, upgrades, and configuration changes.

o    Implement and maintain robust backup and recovery strategies for AD and DDI environments.

o    Develop and maintain operational procedures and knowledge base articles.

·        Security and Compliance:

o    Implement and enforce security policies and best practices within the Active Directory and DDI environments.

o    Conduct regular security assessments and vulnerability scans of foundation services.

o    Ensure compliance with relevant industry regulations and internal security standards.

o    Participate in security incident response activities related to AD and DDI.

o    Implement and manage identity and access management solutions integrated with Active Directory.

·        Collaboration and Communication:

o    Collaborate effectively with other IT teams, including networking, security, applications, and support teams.

o    Communicate technical information clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences.

o    Participate in project meetings and provide updates on progress and challenges.

o    Mentor and provide guidance to junior team members.

o    Document all changes and configurations according to established standards.

Technical Skills and Competencies:

·        Technical Skills:

o    DNS Management: Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot DNS servers and records to ensure reliable domain name resolution.

o    NTP Configuration: Implement and manage Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers to synchronize time across network devices.

o    Windows Active Directory: Administer and support Active Directory services, including user account management, group policies, and authentication.

o    Windows Server OS: Perform installation, configuration, and maintenance of Windows Server operating systems.

o    SMTP Administration: Manage and troubleshoot Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) servers to ensure efficient email delivery.

o    IPAM: Utilize IP Address Management (IPAM) tools to manage and allocate IP addresses within the network.

o    Maintenance Windows: Participate in periodic maintenance windows to perform updates, patches, and system optimizations.

·        Leadership Skills:

o    Proven ability to lead and mentor a team of engineers.

o    Lead and mentor junior Engineers, providing guidance and support to ensure efficient resolution of technical issues.

·        Exceptional Communicator and Collaborative Team Player:

o    Demonstrates mastery of English communication, both written and verbal, alongside exceptional interpersonal skills that facilitate strong working relationships

o    Drive effective collaboration and teamwork across diverse engineering teams to achieve shared goals.

·        Ability to Thrive in a Dynamic Support Environment:

o    Exhibits the flexibility and commitment required to work in a 24/7 support model, including rotational shifts and on-call responsibilities.

·        Commitment to Operational Excellence and Process Adherence:

o    Demonstrates a strong commitment to following established operational procedures, including incident, change, problem, and release management in alignment with ITIL frameworks

o    Exhibit comprehensive understanding and practical application of the incident lifecycle, encompassing systematic procedures for identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident analysis.

o    Proficient in using enterprise-grade monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Zabbix, SolarWinds, ELK) and ITSM/ticketing systems (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira) for proactive incident detection, alert management, and streamlined issue resolution workflows.

·        Systematic and Data-Driven Technical Diagnostics and Remediation:

o    Employs a methodical and rigorous approach to identify, diagnose, and resolve technical challenges within distributed systems

o    Leverage data analysis of logs, performance metrics, and system behavior to pinpoint underlying root causes.

·        Robust Foundation in Core Cloud Computing Principles:

o    Exhibits a strong theoretical and practical understanding of IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Compute, Storage, Networking, Security, Databases, and Serverless architectures.

o    Demonstrates a proactive stance towards acquiring knowledge of new cloud services and technologies, actively seeking opportunities to optimize processes, enhance tooling, and improve system reliability.

o    Experience in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) is a plus.

·        Expertise in Developing Automation Solutions:

o    Exhibits the ability to design, develop, and implement scripts to streamline repetitive operational tasks, automate deployments, and enhance monitoring capabilities.

o    Proficiency in at least one scripting language relevant to automation (e.g., Python, Bash, PowerShell, Ruby, and Perl).

·        Experience in Infrastructure and Procedural Documentation:

o    Proven ability to create and maintain comprehensive documentation for infrastructure, operational procedures, and incident resolutions.

·        Exceptional Communicator and Collaborative Team Player:

o    Demonstrates mastery of English communication, both written and verbal, alongside exceptional interpersonal skills that facilitate strong working relationships

o    Drive effective collaboration and teamwork across diverse engineering teams to achieve shared goals.

·        Ability to Thrive in a Dynamic Support Environment:

o    Exhibits the flexibility and commitment required to work in a 24/7 support model, including rotational shifts and on-call responsibilities.

Qualifications:

·        Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field is preferred.

·        7 to 10 years of relevant experience in IT infrastructure and support.

·        Relevant certifications such as CompTIA Network+, Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Fundamentals, or similar are a plus.

·        Cloud Associate/Architect/Professional certification is a plus.