Cloud Systems Engineer

NPR is seeking a Cloud Systems Engineer for its Distribution IT Infrastructure team. The role builds and maintains physical and virtualized infrastructure, supporting private cloud deployment, security, capacity planning, and resilient operations for NPR and its member station network.

Responsibilities

Physical Infrastructure Build-Out: Partner with Infrastructure colleagues to install, rack, cable, and configure new server, storage, and network hardware, including firmware updates, out-of-band management (e.g., HPE iLO, Dell iDRAC), and RAID/BIOS configuration, to establish the foundation for virtualized workloads

Virtual Infrastructure Deployment & Maintenance: Deploy, configure, and maintain virtualized systems using enterprise tools (e.g., HPE Morpheus VM Essentials, Proxmox, Nutanix, Incus, or VMware) to support operational reliability

Architecture Evaluation & Testing: Evaluate virtual system architecture, compare existing applications, and create metrics to measure response times and availability for test environments

Change Management Implementation: Recommend and execute system enhancements following established organizational change management policies and procedures

Operational & Capacity Support: Assist the Distribution Infrastructure team in executing cloud/virtualization workflows and capacity planning tools focused on return on investment and business value

Security Alignment & Compliance: Partner with Security Engineers to ensure virtual hosts, operating systems, and network configurations comply with organizational security policies

Workflow & Process Analysis: Analyze and document Distribution IT process workflows, identifying areas for continuous improvement and operational efficiency

Technical Documentation & Knowledge Sharing: Create comprehensive documentation, procedures, instructions, and training materials for internal colleagues and system users

Incident Escalation & Operational Support: Proactively communicate operational status to management, participate in an on-call rotation, and respond to critical system issues on a 24x7 basis as needed

Preferred

BIND

Puppet

Ansible

Experience with Unix/Linux networking configuration and Cisco switches and routers (Catalyst or Nexus/NX-OS)

Familiarity with scripting languages (Python, PowerShell, or JavaScript)

Experience with enterprise backup/recovery solutions (e.g., Veeam)

Experience with HPE ProLiant or Dell PowerEdge server hardware

Knowledge of Linux operating systems and relevant industry certifications (VMware VCP, Microsoft, or AWS)

Unix/Linux Networking Configuration

Cisco Catalyst Switches

Cisco Nexus Switches

Cisco NX-OS

Cisco Routers

Python

PowerShell

JavaScript

Enterprise Backup

Recovery

Veeam

HPE ProLiant Servers

Dell PowerEdge Servers

Linux Operating Systems

VMware VCP Certification

Microsoft Certifications

AWS Certifications

Benefits

Access to comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents.

Regular, full-time employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week are eligible to enroll in NPR’s benefits options.

Access to health and wellness, paid time off, and financial well-being.

Medical, dental, vision, life/accidental death and dismemberment, long-term disability, short-term disability, and voluntary retirement savings for all eligible NPR employees.

Hybrid permitted role; required to be in the Washington, D.C. office at least 2 days a week. The employee must also reside in an NPR-supported location based on the number of on-site days they choose.

Company

Nonprofit public radio and multimedia news organization

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

http://www.npr.org/

Founded in 1970

1001-5000 employees

Qualifications

3+ years of professional experience supporting, maintaining, troubleshooting, and administering servers and networking within a data center environment

2+ years of hands-on experience in the planning, design, deployment, and management of enterprise virtualized cloud infrastructure (e.g., VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, or open-source hypervisors)

Hands-on experience with physical data center hardware, including racking and cabling servers, configuring out-of-band

Competence in DNS administration

Experience with IP address management (IPAM) and DHCP services

Experience with configuration management

Experience creating agentless automation workflows

Experience with Mail Transfer Agent administration (Exim)

Working knowledge of Windows Server administration (2022+) alongside core directory and networking protocols (Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, IIS)

Practical experience supporting enterprise storage (NetApp or TrueNAS)

Comfortable with networking configuration of hosts, switches, and routers, including VLANs, trunking, and NIC bonding/link aggregation as applied to hypervisor hosts

Proven track record as a key contributor or project leader on complex technical initiatives, including the creation of detailed technical documentation and workflow diagrams

Demonstrated ability to participate effectively in a team environment, handle multiple concurrent projects, and contribute to an on-call rotation

Systematically isolate, diagnose, and resolve complex issues across hardware, server, storage, network, and virtualized layers

Strong written and verbal communication skills to present technical concepts and write actionable system documentation

Capacity to prioritize tasks effectively during high-urgency system maintenance or operational incidents

Strong interpersonal skills to partner seamlessly with Security, Network, and Distribution engineering teams

Commitment to staying current with emerging virtualization tools, cloud platforms, and data center technologies

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, OR equivalent practical work experience

BIND

Puppet

Ansible

Experience with Unix/Linux networking configuration and Cisco switches and routers (Catalyst or Nexus/NX-OS)

Familiarity with scripting languages (Python, PowerShell, or JavaScript)

Experience with enterprise backup/recovery solutions (e.g., Veeam)

Experience with HPE ProLiant or Dell PowerEdge server hardware

Knowledge of Linux operating systems and relevant industry certifications (VMware VCP, Microsoft, or AWS)

3+ years of professional experience supporting, maintaining, troubleshooting, and administering servers and networking within a data center environment.

2+ years of hands-on experience in the planning, design, deployment, and management of enterprise virtualized cloud infrastructure (e.g., VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, or open-source hypervisors).

Required skills

Data Center Server and Networking Administration, Enterprise Virtualization VMware ESXi, Enterprise Virtualization Microsoft Hyper-V, DNS Administration (BIND), IPAM and DHCP, Puppet, Ansible, Exim Administration, Windows Server, Active Directory, and IIS, Enterprise Storage NetApp, Enterprise Storage TrueNAS, Host Networking VLANs, Host Networking Trunking, Host Networking NIC Bonding, Linux Networking and Cisco Networking, Python, PowerShell, and JavaScript

Preferred skills

BIND, Puppet, Ansible

Experience

3+ years