Storage Architect

Storage Architect – Lutz, FL – 12‑month W2 contract.

Key skills: VMware vSphere, Cisco UCS and enterprise storage solutions. VMware and Cisco certifications required.

The Compute & Storage Solution Architect will lead the design, implementation, and lifecycle management of enterprise compute, virtualization, and storage platforms using Cisco UCS, VMware vSphere 8, and Fibre Channel SAN solutions. This role focuses on architecting scalable on‑prem infrastructure, driving hardware/OS refresh initiatives, and supporting workload migrations in a primarily onsite enterprise environment.

• Lead the implementation of enterprise‑wide compute and storage infrastructure initiatives and solutions.
• Architect and integrate Cisco UCS compute solutions, including UCS Manager, blades, chassis, fabric interconnects, and service profiles.
• Lead the design, architecture, and implementation of on‑premises compute and storage infrastructure using VMware vSphere and Cisco UCS hardware.
• Architect, deploy, and operationalize VMware vSphere 8 clusters supporting enterprise workloads, including HA, DRS, vMotion, Lifecycle Manager (vLCM), and cluster‑level design best practices.
• Design and implement Cisco UCS‑based compute platforms, including UCS X‑Series blade infrastructure, UCS C‑Series rack‑mount servers, mixed blade and rack deployments including UCS‑X Direct. Build and manage UCS environments in both UCS Manager (UCSM) mode and Cisco Intersight Managed Mode (IMM), including service profiles, server profiles, policies (BIOS, boot, firmware, LAN/SAN connectivity), firmware baselines and lifecycle management.
• Integrate compute platforms with Pure Storage All‑Product arrays and HPE Alletra MP using Fibre Channel SAN connectivity, including end‑to‑end FC fabric design (dual fabric best practices), zoning on Cisco MDS or Nexus FC switches, LUN provisioning and host presentation.

• Architect and design VM and compute solutions to support project delivery. Determine product and create server build sheet to be handed over to build team.
• Range from VM builds within the enterprise to purchasing hardware.
• Work on vSphere lifecycle needs to eliminate vSphere 7 from the environment.
• Installing vSphere 8 hosts and configuring them for workload migrations.
• Work on hardware lifecycle needs across the enterprise.
• Work on operating system lifecycle needs across the enterprise.
• Experience with cloud technologies (Azure, AWS, Google, Oracle) is a plus.
• Deep expertise in architecting and managing VMware vSphere environments (ESXi, vCenter, DRS, vMotion, storage integration, etc.).
• Extensive experience in designing and managing Cisco UCS environments, including UCS Manager, blades, fabric interconnects, and service profiles.
• Knowledge of enterprise storage solutions and protocols (iSCSI, NFS, Fibre Channel, etc.), including storage design for VMware environments.
• Proven ability to create clear, actionable architecture designs and detailed documentation for build teams.

• High School Diploma required.
• Bachelor’s Degree Preferred.

• VMware Certified Professional (VCP).
• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) or higher‑level certifications in VMware and Cisco technologies.

• Experience with automation tools (e.g., Ansible, Power Shell, Terraform) for infrastructure provisioning and management.

• 401(k).
• Dental insurance.
• Health insurance.

Contract.

Hybrid – onsite in Lutz, FL with 1 day remote per week.

9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST, 5 days per week (4 days onsite, 1 day remote).