Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer | VMware |Trainer | Storage| Veeam | Networking | AWS | Azure | Terraform | Ansible| ITIL |...

3/2025 – 10/2025

- Hardened Linux servers using CIS benchmarks and security baselines, applying SSH policies, sudo controls, firewall rules, and vulnerability remediation.
- Automated deployments using Ansible and Terraform to improve consistency and reduce configuration drift by 40%.
- Designed and implemented an Ansible automation environment from scratch, configuring inventories, playbooks, and roles to streamline infrastructure provisioning and configuration management. Integrated the Ansible workflow with Git version control to enable collaborative development, change tracking, and consistent deployment of automation scripts
- Developed Ansible playbooks to automate the installation and configuration of Apache2 on over 30+ Ubuntu 24.04 LTS servers, ensuring consistent and repeatable infrastructure provisioning
- Utilized CI/CD pipeline tools, including Jenkins, leveraging Git pull requests and code reviews to automate and optimize build, test, and deployment workflows
- Managed and secured AWS services (MFA, EC2, S3, IAM, VPC, Security Groups, App Runner, ALB, ECS Fargate, Route 53), implemented Datadog & CloudWatch monitoring for visibility & performance optimization
- Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams across development, operations, security, and service desk using Jira service management and Confluence to drive alignment, enhance delivery efficiency, and foster a culture of continuous improvement with local stakeholders
- Participated in on-call duty using OpsGenie for alert notification and immediate access to runbook links after working hours & weekends
- Participated in agile ceremonies, e.g., sprint planning and slack stand-ups, to ensure operational requirements are addressed
- Within ISO 27001, I implement and manage control A.8.13 by defining Veeam backup policies, ensuring backups are secure and encrypted, performing regular restore tests & documenting the results as evidence to support external auditing. I ensure backups meet RTO/RPO requirements and align with business continuity & disaster recovery planning.
- Part of a 2-man team task for planning and architecting the migration of virtualized workloads from VMware to Proxmox and AWS, reducing licensing and
- infrastructure costs while maintaining performance and operational reliability
- Managed 50% of LAN, WAN, Firewall, Cisco Switches, VPN & VLAN infrastructure, ensuring reliable connectivity across the distributed office and data center
- Administered and utilized WSUS and SCCM to patch Windows Servers, including 2012, 2016, and 2022, to uphold system security hardening and performance.
- Led and actively contributed to Internal IT projects by creating comprehensive documentation, delivering presentations, and executing complex technical tasks with full project responsibility while mentoring, coaching, and training new & and Junior staff
- Designed a PowerShell-based automation tool for Active Directory provisioning, cutting onboarding time by 60%

Active Directory, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Confluence, Hardware Virtualisierung, ITIL, Jira, Linux Entwicklung, Microsoft Azure, Netzwerkingenieur, Server-Monitoring, Serveradministrator, Storage, VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network), VMware vCenter

12/2021 – 2/2025

- Analyzed existing IT infrastructure to identify optimization opportunities and developed architecture concepts for infrastructure and system landscapes in close collaboration with specialists and business departments.
- Led & executed all major upgrades and security patching for VMware ESXi & vCenter(v7-v8), ensuring platform stability, scalability, and zero downtime while leveraging Veeam & VAMI to perform reliable backups & restorations of the vCenter PostgreSQL
- Perform upgrade of HPE 3PAR, HPE Alletra, Nimble storage (SAN/NAS), HPE ProLiant Firmware, BIOS, and iLO configurations. Reviewed release notes and coordinated with vendor support, the right upgrade path to ensure performance & reliability, as well as hardware lifecycle management
- Managed Brocade SAN fabric configurations by defining WWN aliases, implementing zoning policies to control device access, and maintaining active zone configurations to ensure secure and stable storage connectivity.
- Proactively monitored VMware ESXi, vSAN, AWS & Azure hybrid infrastructure, over 2,500+ VMs, and Docker VMs across our global data centers with Datadog
- Coordinated on-site systems, security, and network troubleshooting by leveraging Equinix Smart Hands services in our global datacenters, ensuring timely resolution of infrastructure issues and minimizing operational downtime with occasional visits and work from our London data center
- Maintained accurate IT asset inventory for hardware & software using Jira Asset Management, ensuring full lifecycle tracking, compliance, and auditing
- IT Ops Engineer assigned to the security department to conduct ISO 27001 internal audits across multiple domains (cloud and on-prem), including access control, operational security, incident management, backup & restore processes, reviewing evidence, and documenting findings, in collaboration with the Security team
- Led IT Infrastructure change management, risk assessment, and IT operations, ensuring minimal disruption through structured implementation while managing daily operations and incident workflows using ticketing tools such as Jira Service Management and ITIL change management processes
- Maintaining a 32-ESXi host cluster with HA, DRS, and Fault Tolerance, optimized performance, monitoring, and minimized downtime using insights and metrics to guide strategic decisions for continuous improvement, while managing incidents, service requests, and escalation through Jira Service Management
- Managed and maintained AWIN global organization’s server infrastructure (60% Linux servers & 40% Windows servers), focusing on system reliability and patches management, security hardening, resolving OS-level issues, and PowerShell & Bash shell scripting to improve efficiency
- - Hardened Linux servers using CIS benchmarks and security baselines, applying SSH policies, sudo controls, firewall rules, and vulnerability remediation

Active Directory, Amazon Web Services (AWS), DHCP, DNS, Microsoft Azure, Server Administration, Vmware ESX Server, VMware vCenter, Vserver (Linux)

9/2021 – 11/2022

- Controlled and monitored IT projects in relation to IT architecture, ensuring digital governance, IT security, and data protection by defining standards and rules for the use of systems and software solutions.
- Supervised 4-member team & acted as interim IT head (Ghana & Nigeria), managed 100% of project documentation (HLD/LLD), developed strategies, and led vulnerability patches on Windows & Linux server hardening in the virtual environment, M365, Azure AD & Management (VMs, storage, Network& Security)
- Worked in partnership with the business, project teams, and key business stakeholders to ensure IT services effectively supported business needs; contributed to weekly management meetings, providing status reports, account updates, and service performance insights
- Lead Data Center manager for GCBank Dell VxRail Hyperconverged (VMware) Infrastructure in production and disaster recovery sites. Proactively addressed incidents and facilitated weekly client meetings to deliver detailed operational reports to drive continuous improvement & participated in Dell Residency Service in compliance with ITIL incident management
- Implemented SOPs and checklists, integrating Jira service management for task tracking, which reduced setup errors by 50%
- Directed multiple concurrent deployments and rollouts, leveraging project tracking tools such as Jira SM to manage timelines, optimize resource allocation, and deliver consistent updates to stakeholders, ensuring seamless execution across initiatives.
- Developed comprehensive data center upgrade site documentation, managed commissioning activities, conducted staff training, oversaw project handover, and provided 2nd-level support to ensure operational continuity in accordance with ITIL change enablement
- Evaluated and recommended hardware for VMware and Hyper-V virtualization clusters, certificate renewals, balancing performance, cost efficiency, vendor management, outsourcing EOL servers for support, and rapidly changing priorities for business needs.
- Conduct regular 1:1 meetings with team members to provide mentorship, performance feedback, and professional development support
- Evaluate emerging technologies (automation, Data Center best practices, hybrid cloud) to enhance operational efficiency
- Managed vendor relationships, reviewed SLA & cost optimization, lifecycle management & annual IT budgeting to improve procurement efficiency

IT-Infrastrukturspezialist, IT-Spezialist, IT-Auditor, Teamleiter IT, VMware vCenter, Vmware ESX Server