Job Description
Westat is a leader in research, data collection and analysis, technical assistance, evaluation, and communications. Our evidence-based findings help clients in government and the private sector accelerate advancements in health, education, transportation, and social and economic policy. Our dedication to improving lives through research and our approach to projects grounded in investigative curiosity, statistical and data rigor, adaptive methods, and advanced technology are why clients find exceptional value in our work.
Westat is seeking a VMware and Storage Area Network (SAN) Engineer be a part of our Infrastructure and Operations team. The VMware and SAN Engineer is responsible for the architecture, engineering, security, and operational reliability of the organization’s Pure Storage, VMware, and hybrid cloud infrastructure platforms. This role ensures infrastructure services are secure, resilient, scalable, and compliant with FISMA Moderate (NIST SP 800 53) and HIPAA requirements. The engineer serves as a subject matter expert across on premises and cloud environments, provides escalation support, supports audits, and leads modernization and hybrid cloud initiatives in partnership with security, networking, and application teams. This position is internally referred to as Principal IT Analyst.
This position is based in Bethesda, Maryland and will have a hybrid work arrangement, coming on-site 2 days per week, with Tuesdays required.
Job Responsibilities
VMware
- Architect, administer, and optimize VMware vSphere (vCenter, ESXi) environments supporting mission critical workloads.
- Design and manage clusters using HA, DRS, vMotion, and lifecycle management best practices.
- Lead VMware version upgrades, patching cycles, and platform standardization.
- Support advanced VMware technologies as applicable: vSAN, NSX, Site Recovery Manager (SRM), vSphere Replication, Aria Operations (vROps).
- Provide troubleshooting across computers, storage, network, and virtualization layers.
Pure Storage
- Serve as technical owner for Pure Storage FlashArray platform.
- Design and operate enterprise storage services including LUN provisioning, snapshots, replication, data reduction, resiliency, and performance tuning.
- Integrate Pure Storage with VMware per vendor and enterprise best practices.
- Manage Fibre Channel and/or iSCSI connectivity, zoning, masking, and multipathing.
- Lead storage refreshes, non-disruptive migrations, and technology roadmap planning.
Cloud & Hybrid Infrastructure
- Design, implement, and support hybrid cloud infrastructure leveraging Microsoft Azure and AWS.
- Engineer secure connectivity between on prem and cloud platforms (site to site VPN, ExpressRoute / Direct Connect as applicable) and identity integration with Entra ID.
- Support cloud hosted infrastructure services including IaaS virtual machines and managed storage services (e.g., Azure Managed Disks/Azure Files, AWS EBS/EFS/S3 concepts).
- Implement cloud resource governance: landing zones, subscriptions/accounts, tagging standards, cost controls, monitoring, and capacity visibility.
- Support hybrid DR strategies (on prem ↔ cloud and cloud ↔ cloud).
Backup, Recovery & Disaster Recovery
- Engineer and support backup and recovery platforms (e.g., Cohesity, Veeam) across on prem and cloud workloads.
- Define and support RTO/RPO objectives aligned with regulatory and business requirements.
- Execute restore tests, DR exercises, and hybrid cloud recovery scenarios.
- Maintain DR diagrams, runbooks, and audit ready documentation.
Security, Compliance & Audit Support
- Ensure infrastructure platforms comply with NIST SP 800 53 and HIPAA Security Rule.
- Apply secure configuration and hardening standards to VMware platforms, storage systems, and cloud infrastructure resources.
- Support audits through evidence collection, system explanations, and remediation planning.
- Partner with Information Security on vulnerability remediation and compensating controls.
Leadership & Collaboration
- Act as senior technical lead and escalation point for infrastructure platforms.
- Mentor junior engineers and provide peer technical oversight.
- Lead infrastructure initiatives including cloud adoption, storage modernization, and compliance remediation.
- Work with VMware, Pure Storage, Microsoft, AWS, and integration partners on roadmap planning and escalations.
Basic Qualifications
- 10+ years of enterprise infrastructure engineering experience including:
- VMware vSphere engineering.
- Enterprise storage experience with Pure Storage.
- Experience supporting cloud or hybrid cloud infrastructure.
- Expertise in VMware vCenter/ESXi, clustering, lifecycle management; SAN architecture (FC/iSCSI), storage optimization; hybrid backup and DR strategies; and secure infrastructure design.
- Experience supporting regulated environments (government, research) and partnering with security and compliance teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Strong troubleshooting, documentation, and communication skills.
- Experience with Azure and AWS in a regulated or enterprise environment.
- Experience with vSAN, NSX, SRM, Aria Operations.
- Infrastructure automation beyond basic scripting (Ansible, Terraform, ARM/Bicep, etc.).
- Experience with centralized monitoring/logging and GRC tooling.
- Prior ownership of enterprise infrastructure platforms.
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or related field.
Requirements
Westat offers a well-rounded and comprehensive benefits program focused on wellness and work/life balance. Subject to plan requirements, employees may participate in:
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan
- 401(k) Retirement Plan
- Paid Parental Leave
- Vacation Leave (20 days per year)
- Sick Leave (9 days per year)
- Holiday Leave (7 government holidays and 2 floating holidays)
- Professional Development
- Health Advocate
- Employee Assistance Program
- Travel Accident Insurance
- Medical Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Short Term Disability Insurance
- Long Term Disability Insurance
- Life and AD&D Insurance
- Critical Illness Insurance
- Supplemental Life Insurance
- Flexible Spending Account
- Health Savings Account
Any offer of employment may be contingent upon receipt of acceptable results from a post-offer background screening, if required for the specific position, which may include, for example, identity verification, employment history, motor vehicle driving record history, and criminal or sexual offender records history. Any background screening results will be evaluated through an individualized assessment based on the individual’s specific record and the duties and requirements of the position.
This opportunity will be posted for a minimum of 5 days and applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.
Employment Eligibility: This is a U.S.-based position. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. Westat does not offer employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) for this role. Depending on project requirements, some positions may require employees to meet specific residency criteria.
Westat is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, or any other protected status under applicable law. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
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Career Area
Computer Systems and Applications
Pay Range
The anticipated salary range for this role is $140k-$155k and will be commensurate with experience.
Bonus Eligibility
Yes
