Systems Engineer, Infrastructure & Automation in Broadview, Illinois at INNOVATIVE FOOD HOLDINGS
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Job Description
Job Summary/Overview:
The Systems Engineer, Infrastructure & Automation is responsible for supporting, maintaining, and improving the company's core technology environment. The role is primarily accountable for systems stability, uptime, access administration, server support, Microsoft 365/email administration, backup and recovery coordination, cybersecurity support, endpoint support, networking, and documentation. This position also supports modernization initiatives involving automation, AI-enabled tools, reporting, integrations, and data workflows. The role reports to the Sr. Operations/Systems Engineer and works closely with the IT Programmer/Analyst, System Analyst, and Sr. Manager, Innovation & Special Projects.
Essential duties/responsibilities:
Infrastructure, Systems Administration and Support
- Administer and support Windows Server, Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS/DHCP, Microsoft 365, Exchange/email, file shares, NTFS permissions, security groups, and endpoint access.
- Support on-premise, hybrid, physical, and virtual infrastructure, including SQL/server environments, Hyper-V or similar virtualization, developer VMs, automation servers, and shared network resources.
- Support Remote Desktop Services / terminal server environments used for ERP and other business-critical applications, including user sessions, authentication, profile issues, printing/scanning redirection, licensing, performance, and patching.
- Troubleshoot production issues involving servers, endpoints, VPNs, firewalls, switches, VLANs, DNS resolution, routing, site connectivity, remote access, and application availability.
- Administer user provisioning, deprovisioning, role changes, access reviews, permission changes, onboarding/offboarding technology needs, and security group assignments.
- Support hardware and software lifecycle planning, workstation setup, printers/scanners, licensing records, vendor coordination, and technical asset documentation.
Backup, Disaster Recovery and Cybersecurity
- Monitor backup status, coordinate backup issue resolution, support restore testing, and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity documentation.
- Assist with recovery playbooks for server failure, data loss, ransomware events, ERP/remote access failure, email disruption, and other business-impacting incidents.
- Support cybersecurity controls, including MFA, endpoint protection, patching, access governance, password/credential handling, user security awareness, incident escalation, and vendor coordination.
Automation, AI and Modernization Support
- Support automation and modernization initiatives using PowerShell, SQL, APIs, workflow tools, Microsoft platforms, reporting tools, and other practical technologies.
- Assist with AI-enabled tools, internal agents, prompt workflows, Skills, MCP-style connector concepts, process documentation, SOP capture, and structured knowledge tools where appropriate.
- Support data organization and reporting efforts, including SQL, Power BI, data warehouse/lakehouse concepts, integration workflows, and recurring business reporting needs.
- Document systems, recurring issues, handoffs, dependencies, support procedures, and workflow improvements to reduce tribal knowledge and improve internal supportability.
End-User Support and Service Delivery
- Provide escalation support for employee technology issues, business systems access, permissions, devices, applications, remote access, and production-impacting incidents.
- Communicate clearly with users, leadership, technical peers, outside vendors, and service providers during support events, outages, maintenance windows, and project work.
- Identify support gaps, documentation gaps, risk areas, recurring failures, and improvement opportunities; perform other duties as assigned based on business necessity.
Job Requirements and Qualifications:
Education:
Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field preferred. Equivalent hands-on systems administration or engineering experience may be considered. Microsoft, networking, cybersecurity, SQL Server, Azure, or Microsoft 365 certifications preferred.
Experience:
- Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience administering and supporting Windows Server and Active Directory environments.
- Experience supporting production systems where uptime, remote access, backup, recovery, permissions, and business continuity are critical.
- Experience with Microsoft 365/Exchange, RDS/terminal services, SQL Server support, DNS/DHCP, Group Policy, VPNs, firewalls, file shares, NTFS/security groups, Hyper-V or similar virtualization, and endpoint/device support.
- Experience with backup monitoring, restore testing, disaster recovery procedures, hardware/software lifecycle planning, patching, security tooling, and vendor coordination.
- Exposure to PowerShell, SQL, APIs, Power BI, workflow automation, AI tools, data warehouse/lakehouse concepts, or systems integration preferred.
Required Infrastructure Experience:
Windows Server; Active Directory; Group Policy; DNS/DHCP; Microsoft 365/Exchange; RDS/terminal services; SQL Server backup/restore/permissions/connectivity; file shares and NTFS/security groups; Hyper-V or virtualization; VPN/firewall/routing/switching/VLAN/site connectivity fundamentals; backup/restore and disaster recovery; endpoint management, patching, antivirus/EDR, access reviews, provisioning/deprovisioning, and hardware/software lifecycle planning.
Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Strong troubleshooting capability across servers, networks, endpoints, access, permissions, applications, and user issues.
- Ability to prioritize production incidents and communicate clearly during outages, access failures, security events, and business-impacting issues.
- Strong documentation discipline, practical cybersecurity judgment, confidentiality, professionalism, and ability to reduce dependency on undocumented tribal knowledge.
- Ability to support legacy infrastructure while contributing to modernization, automation, AI-enabled workflow, and data/reporting initiatives.
Work Environment/Other information:
Position is based in Chicago, Illinois and is expected to work primarily from the company's Chicago location. Some travel may be required to other company locations, vendor sites, data centers, offices, or business locations as needed. This role may require after-hours work, weekend work, maintenance-window support, and participation in an on-call or emergency response schedule for outages, security events, backup issues, ERP/remote access failures, and other business-critical technology incidents. The role may require lifting, moving, installing, or transporting workstations, monitors, printers, networking equipment, servers, peripherals, and related hardware.
Full Benefits