Systems Engineer

Who are we: We’re a leading Northeast family-owned food, agricultural products, and agricultural services organization headquartered in Pennsylvania. We provide animal nutrition and feeds; specialty protein production, processing, and marketing; on-farm protein production services; and grain, fertilizer, and ingredient procurement.

We’re a stable company with strong core values, great benefits, competitive wage structure, and a safe and healthy work environment. With over 850 team members, we're a growing company in an essential sector – agriculture! Learn more here: https://www.thewengergroup.com What your day looks like: POSITION SUMMARY: The Systems Engineer is responsible for the design, administration, reliability, security, and continuous improvement of the organization's enterprise infrastructure across corporate, manufacturing, and remote locations.

The role provides hands-on ownership of on-premises virtualization, Microsoft Azure infrastructure services, enterprise backup and disaster recovery, storage platforms, Windows Server, and related core services. This position serves as a senior technical escalation point and project resource, helping ensure that business-critical systems are resilient, recoverable, scalable, well documented, and aligned with operational and security requirements.

The Systems Engineer balances day-to-day operational support with lifecycle planning, modernization, automation, and infrastructure project delivery. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Design, implement, and maintain enterprise IT infrastructure, including physical and virtualized servers, cloud platforms, and storage solutions.

Develop and optimize hybrid cloud strategies (AWS, Azure, on-premises) to ensure scalability, security, and cost efficiency. Define system security architectures, including access controls, identity management, and compliance with best practices (NIST, ISO 27001, SOC 2). Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies such as AI-driven automation, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible).

Manage Windows Server and Linux environments, ensuring high availability, performance, and security. Administer and optimize virtualization platforms (VMware v. Sphere, Hyper-V, Nutanix) for compute efficiency and workload distribution. Implement backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity plans to mitigate risks and ensure uptime.

Optimize enterprise storage solutions (SAN, NAS, cloud storage) to support business applications and data growth. Lead cloud migrations and optimization initiatives, ensuring a seamless transition to AWS, Azure, or hybrid cloud solutions. Automate system deployments and configurations using Power. Shell, Ansible, Terraform, or Python.

Develop and maintain CI/CD pipelines for infrastructure automation and self-healing systems. Integrate cloud-native security controls such as AWS IAM, Azure Security Center, and cloud SIEM solutions. Implement and enforce system security best practices, including patch management, hardening, and monitoring. Work closely with cybersecurity teams to mitigate risks, enforce Zero Trust security models, and comply with industry regulations.

Configure and maintain identity and access management (IAM) solutions, including Active Directory, SSO, MFA, and role-based access controls. Implement secure configurations and audit controls to support SOC 2, HIPAA, NIST, and ISO 27001 compliance. Act as an escalation point for critical system incidents, ensuring rapid diagnosis and resolution.

Provide Tier 3 support for IT operations, troubleshooting hardware, software, and network-related system issues. Conduct root cause analysis for significant incidents and implement corrective measures to prevent recurrence. Maintain detailed system documentation, including architecture diagrams, standard operating procedures, and incident reports.

Work closely with IT leadership, security teams, developers, and business units to align system strategies with company objectives. Provide mentorship and training to junior engineers and IT support staff. Lead IT infrastructure projects, including new office setups, cloud migrations, and security improvements. Build relationships with vendors and service providers to ensure cost-effective, high-quality solutions.

EDUCATION

& EXPERIENCE: Education & Certifications Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field (or equivalent experience). Industry certifications preferred, such as: Microsoft: MCSE, Azure Solutions Architect VMware: VCP, VCAP AWS/Azure: AWS Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator Veeam Certified Engineer (VMCE) or comparable backup and recovery certification.

Experience 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in systems engineering or enterprise infrastructure administration. Demonstrated hands-on experience administering production VMware v. Sphere/ESXi and/or Microsoft Hyper-V environments. Demonstrated experience supporting Microsoft Azure infrastructure and hybrid environments.

Demonstrated experience administering enterprise backup and recovery platforms, with Veeam Backup & Replication strongly preferred. Experience supporting SAN, NAS, file, object, and/or cloud storage solutions. Experience supporting Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, monitoring, patching, and infrastructure security practices.

Experience supporting highly available services across multiple business locations; manufacturing or other operationally critical environments is preferred. Experience supporting manufacturing execution systems (MES), particularly WEM Automation and Repete, is preferred. Key Competencies & Skills Strategic Thinking: Ability to design and implement future-proof infrastructure strategies.

Technical Expertise: Deep hands-on knowledge of enterprise systems and emerging technologies. Problem-solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills in high-pressure situations. Project Management: Ability to lead complex IT projects from planning to execution. Collaboration: Works effectively across security, infrastructure, and application teams.

Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for technical and executive audiences. Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic enterprise environment. In addition to our more traditional benefits, we also offer great perks and numerous resources for professional development and team building: Promotional opportunities Rewards and recognition programs Robust onboarding and training program Employee Discount Programs (Perks at Work) Employee referral program Encouraging and collaborative culture What our benefits are: Paid Time Off, Floating Holiday, Volunteer Day, Parental Leave, etc.

Carebridge Employee Assistance Program For all full-time members: Medical Dental Vision Health Savings Account (HSA) Medical Flexible Spending Account Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Life Insurance/Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Pet Insurance Each team member has the potential to earn a yearly bonus based on the achievement of company goals.

The Wenger Group provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type as protected by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.