Systems Engineer I

About the Role

Under moderate supervision, the Systems Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, supporting, and continuously improving enterprise infrastructure platforms that enable critical business applications and services. This role provides operational support while driving automation, standardization, and infrastructure modernization across Linux and Windows environments. The Systems Engineer installs, configures, maintains, and upgrades server hardware, operating systems, middleware, and supporting infrastructure. The role proactively monitors system health, troubleshoots complex technical issues, and implements solutions that improve availability, reliability, security, and performance across the enterprise. Success in this position requires an engineering mindset focused on Infrastructure as Code (IaC), automation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. The engineer develops reusable automation, self-service capabilities, and standardized deployment processes that reduce manual effort and increase service reliability. This position works within cross-functional Agile Delivery Teams alongside Software Engineers, Quality Engineers, Product Owners, Solution Architects, Scrum Masters, Security Engineers, and Platform Engineers to deliver infrastructure solutions that support Paychex's Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms. The Systems Engineer is expected to leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)-enabled tools to improve operational efficiency, accelerate issue resolution, and enhance the overall reliability of enterprise infrastructure. The engineer will evaluate emerging AI capabilities and incorporate them into infrastructure operations where appropriate while adhering to organizational governance and security standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, configure, administer, and support enterprise Linux and Windows server environments.
• Perform operating system, application, and infrastructure upgrades while ensuring system stability and minimal business disruption.
• Troubleshoot complex infrastructure, operating system, networking, and application issues across development, test, and production environments.
• Develop and maintain Infrastructure as Code, configuration management, and automation solutions to improve deployment consistency and operational efficiency.
• Build self-service capabilities and automated workflows that reduce manual intervention and improve customer experience.
• Monitor infrastructure performance, capacity, availability, and security, implementing proactive improvements and automated remediation where appropriate.
• Participate in production support, incident response, root cause analysis, and problem management activities during both business and non-business hours as required.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, operational standards, runbooks, and engineering best practices.
• Partner with Security, Networking, Cloud, Storage, Database, and Application Development teams to design scalable, resilient infrastructure solutions.
• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and recommend improvements that enhance operational efficiency, security, and platform capabilities.

Requirements & Tech Stack

The engineer will gain experience with a broad range of enterprise technologies, including:

• Linux and Windows Server operating systems
• Infrastructure as Code and Configuration Management
• Git-based Version Control
• CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Automation and Orchestration platforms
• Container technologies and modern application platforms
• Virtualization and enterprise compute platforms
• Enterprise storage and networking technologies
• Public and private cloud technologies
• Monitoring, logging, and observability platforms

Common technologies may include Git, Puppet, Ansible, PowerShell, Python, Go, Container solutions, VMware, Microsoft, Red Hat, Cisco, Dell Technologies, HPE, Cloud technologies, and other enterprise and open-source platforms.

Qualifications

• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills.
• Experience administering Linux and/or Windows enterprise environments.
• Understanding of scripting or programming languages such as PowerShell, Bash, Python, Go, or Ruby.
• Familiarity with automation, orchestration, Infrastructure as Code, and configuration management concepts.
• Knowledge of Agile methodologies, DevOps principles, Continuous Integration, and Continuous Delivery.
• Familiarity with Generative AI platforms and AI-assisted engineering tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or similar technologies).
• Understanding of AI concepts, including Large Language Models (LLMs), prompt engineering, and AI agents.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritize multiple initiatives while maintaining high operational standards.
• Passion for continuous learning, innovation, automation, and improving customer outcomes.