Virtualization Engineer III

Blackstone Talent Group, an award-winning technology consulting and talent agency is seeking a Virtualization Engineer III to join our Client's team.

Position Responsibilities

In this role, the candidate will support the design, implementation, and operation of modern virtualized and software-defined networking environments. This role will focus on deploying and managing VMware vSphere and VMware NSX infrastructures, ensuring secure, scalable, and highly available compute and network services. The ideal candidate will collaborate across infrastructure, storage, and security teams to troubleshoot issues, optimize system performance, enforce micro segmentation, and maintain reliable connectivity across virtual and physical environments. The candidate will work within an agile Scrum team and plan work based on customer requirements and program contractual agreements.

• Deploy, configure, and maintain VMware NSX environments, including transport zones, segments, edge nodes, and logical networking components (Tier-0/Tier-1 gateways, NAT, routing protocols such as BGP).
• Design and enforce network security policies using NSX distributed firewall (DFW), gateway firewall, and microsegmentation techniques.
• Design, deploy, and manage VMware vSphere virtual infrastructure, including ESXi hosts, clusters, and vCenter, ensuring high availability (HA), Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), and storage integration.
• Monitor and troubleshoot connectivity, performance, capacity, and security issues using tools such as Traceflow, packet capture, NSX CLI, and other VMware monitoring utilities.
• Integrate VMware NSX and vSphere with underlying physical network and storage infrastructure, collaborating with cross-functional teams to support upgrades, deployments, and infrastructure projects.
• Travel to remote locations to lead and perform network and virtualization installations, independently perform troubleshooting, and provide status updates to program personnel.
• Support critical activities outside of standard business hours, including evenings and weekends, as needed.
• Perform any other tasks required by the program.

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years of related experience and may have a post-secondary degree or training in a related discipline.
• Must have an 8570-compliant certification such as Security+, GSEC, SCNP, SSCP, CISSP, CISA, GSE, SCNA, etc.
• Must have an active Secret security clearance.
• Must be a U.S. citizen and have/maintain a valid U.S. passport.
• Must have an active VCP - VCF Administrator and/or Architect certification. Active legacy certifications such as VMware Certified Professional (VCP) in Data Center Virtualization (DCV) and/or Network Virtualization (NV) are also acceptable.
• Hands-on experience deploying, managing, and troubleshooting VMware NSX and vSphere environments, including ESXi hosts, vCenter, NetApp NAS/SAN, Windows Server, and SQL Server.
• Strong understanding of virtualization concepts: vMotion, HA, DRS, and storage integration.
• In-depth understanding of networking: OSI model, TCP/IP, routing protocols, network traffic analysis, and troubleshooting.
• Effective communication, writing, and presentation skills, including proficiency with Microsoft PowerPoint and Visio.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and independently on large field projects.
• Experience with agile frameworks and applying agile fundamentals in engineering work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Top Secret clearance.
• Has an active VCAP - VCF Automation, Networking, Administrator, and/or Architect certification. Active legacy certifications such as VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) in Network Virtualization (NV) and/or Data Center Virtualization - Design or Deploy are also acceptable.
• Experience with VMware storage solutions: vSAN, Site Recovery Manager (SRM), and Storage Area Networks.
• Knowledge of automation tools or scripting for VMware administration (PowerCLI, Python, or Ansible).
• Familiarity with hybrid cloud environments (VMware Cloud on AWS, Azure VMware Solution).
• Exposure to monitoring and reporting tools (vRealize Operations, vROps, or similar).
• Experience mentoring junior staff or leading virtualization projects.
• Experience creating VM deployment templates and automated deployments.
• Microsoft Windows Server and Red Hat Server experience with multi-user applications.
• Understanding of standard DoD security practices (STIG compliance, system accreditation).
• Knowledge of authentication and encryption methods/capabilities (ACS, Active Directory, GEM-X).
• Experience with Photon OS.
• Prior experience with C2BMC or similar command-and-control systems.

Security Clearance Required: Secret

Blackstone Talent Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Blackstone Technology Group, a global IT services and software firm that implements technological solutions across commercial industry verticals and the US Federal Government. Blackstone's global talent augmentation practice was founded in 1998. Blackstone Talent Group has offices in San Francisco, Denver, Houston, Colorado Springs, and Washington, DC. We specialize in providing clients the best talent across a variety of industries and sectors.

EOE of Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabilities

Pay Range: $63/hr-$75/hr