SYSTEMS AND STORAGE ENGINEER

Company Overview

CriticalTilt blends 25+ years of specialized experience with a lean, responsive approach, delivering tailored solutions to government agencies and private sector clients. From navigating complex networks to adapting to new compliance demands, we understand our customers’ challenges and are primed to tilt the board towards success for their projects.

Position Overview

CriticalTilt, Inc. is seeking a highly skilled Systems and Storage Engineer to design, implement, and support enterprise-class compute and storage infrastructure for new datacenter deployments. This role is responsible for leading the technical configuration, integration, and validation of compute and storage systems following established engineering standards and project requirements.

The Systems and Storage Engineer will work in close collaboration with Project Managers, Datacenter Technicians, and customer engineering teams to ensure successful, secure, and optimized deployments across multiple locations.

This role requires deep technical knowledge of server, storage, and virtualization platforms, particularly in high-performance environments. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience integrating systems such as VMware, DataDirect Networks (DDN), NetApp, and WekaIO (Weka), and the ability to translate design intent into fully functioning infrastructure.

• Lead and execute system and storage configuration, integration, and validation for new datacenter deployments.
• Perform detailed setup and management of VMware, DataDirect Networks (DDN), NetApp, and WekaIO environments, including cluster formation, storage provisioning, and network integration.
• Collaborate with Datacenter Technicians to guide and verify rack, stack, cabling, and base configuration activities.
• Manage Ethernet and InfiniBand networking for storage and compute systems, ensuring proper connectivity and performance.
• Implement and maintain virtualization, storage, and data management best practices across systems and platforms.
• Conduct performance tuning, troubleshooting, and system optimization in support of operational readiness.
• Develop and maintain configuration documentation, diagrams, and playbooks to ensure repeatable, standardized deployments.
• Support hardware and software lifecycle management, including patching, firmware updates, and capacity planning.
• Collaborate with Project Managers to define and meet project milestones, ensuring on-time and compliant delivery.
• Interface with customer engineers to integrate solutions into broader system environments and provide Tier 3 escalation support.
• Ensure all systems comply with applicable security, data protection, and compliance requirements.
• Provide technical mentorship to Datacenter Technicians and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Utilize Datacenter Infrastructure Management (DCIM) and IP Address Management (IPAM) tools for documentation and system oversight.
• Travel frequently to customer sites for system deployment, validation, and testing activities.

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field; or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in systems engineering, storage architecture, or infrastructure deployment roles.
• Proven expertise with VMware virtualization technologies (ESXi, vCenter, cluster configuration).
• Strong knowledge of enterprise storage systems, including DataDirect Networks (DDN), NetApp, and WekaIO, or comparable platforms.
• Proficiency with Ethernet and InfiniBand networking, including switch configuration, topology design, and performance troubleshooting.
• Experience managing and integrating GPU-based compute systems into virtualized and storage environments.
• Familiarity with automation, scripting, or configuration management tools (e.g., Ansible, PowerShell, Python) preferred.
• Understanding of air and liquid cooling systems as they relate to high-performance compute environments.
• Strong documentation, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to work independently in complex, fast-paced project environments with frequent travel.

• While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or listen.
• The employee is frequently required to use hands or fingers; handle or feel objects, tools, or controls.
• The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Note

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow other job-related instructions and perform other duties as requested by authorized supervisors. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and subject to reasonable modification to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, employees must possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities required to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document represent the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at-will” employment relationship.

Equal Opportunity Employer

CriticalTilt, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our policy is to provide equal employment to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status and/or other status protected by applicable law.