Senior Specialist – Linux / Unix / Windows Server & Data Center Operations

Brief Description- Manage, administer, and optimize Linux (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu), Unix (HP-UX, AIX, SCO Unix), and Windows Server environments across production, DR, and UAT landscapes.

• Lead end-to-end Data Center Operations for a banking environment, ensuring high availability, security, and operational resilience.
• Oversee server provisioning, configuration, patching, performance tuning, and lifecycle management for all supported platforms.
• Manage critical banking workloads hosted on Core Banking servers, Oracle DB servers, RHEL systems, HP-UX platforms, and Windows-based application servers.
• Perform and document backup, recovery, failover, and disaster recovery (DR) activities in line with banking regulatory and audit requirements.
• Ensure strict compliance with banking security standards, including system hardening, access control, log management, and incident response.
• Monitor system performance using enterprise tools and proactively resolve capacity, performance, and availability issues.
• Lead major data center transitions, technology refreshes, hardware replacement, and end-of-life migrations with minimal downtime.
• Coordinate with vendors for support, license renewals, patches, vulnerabilities, and OEM escalations.
• Support virtualization and compute platforms such as VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, and ensure optimal performance of bank-critical workloads.
• Maintain complete inventory, documentation, architecture diagrams, SOPs, and DR procedures for compliance and audit readiness.
• Implement and optimize patch management solutions for Linux/Unix/Windows systems in alignment with internal policies and regulatory expectations.
• Ensure adherence to ITIL processes including incident, change, problem, and configuration management.
• Provide technical leadership during incidents, major outages, and core system maintenance windows.
• Conduct periodic risk assessments, system health checks, and security reviews, and prepare reports for internal audit, external audit, and regulators.Preferred Skills- Strong expertise in Linux (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu), Unix (HP-UX, AIX, SCO), and Windows Server (2012/2016/2019/2022) administration.
• In-depth understanding of banking data center environments, including high-availability clusters, replication, failover, and DR design.
• Knowledge of virtualization technologies, including VMware vSphere, ESXi, vCenter, and Hyper-V.
• Proficiency in shell scripting, automation (Bash/PowerShell), and configuration management tools.
• Strong knowledge of networking basics, firewalls, storage (SAN/NAS), backup solutions, DNS, DHCP, Active Directory, and certificate services.
• Expertise in server hardening, security baselines, patch management, vulnerability remediation, and compliance requirements for banks.
• Familiarity with security frameworks such as ISO 27001, NESA, PCI DSS, and local banking regulatory guidelines.
• Ability to manage complex data center operations, multi-vendor environments, and mission-critical infrastructure.
• Capability to work under pressure, meet strict SLAs, and deliver high-quality output within defined timelines.   Experience:  
• 12+ years of hands-on experience in administration of Linux, Unix, and Windows Server platforms.
• Mandatory experience managing Data Center operations for a banking institution.
• Experience coordinating major transitions, migrations, and infrastructure modernization projects.   Other Requirements:  
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Relevant certifications preferred: RHCE, RHCSA, Linux+, HP-UX/AIX certifications, MCSE / MCSA / Windows Server certifications, VMware VCP, ITIL v4, or equivalent.
• Excellent troubleshooting skills and the ability to manage critical issues under pressure.
• Strong communication and documentation skills suitable for audit and regulatory environments.