Rate - £525 - £550 (Daily)
Location - Manchester (Hybrid)
Duration - 4 Months (Initially)
Ir35 - Inside (Must use an umbrella company)
We are seeking a Senior VMware Engineer (Contractor) with a minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience provisioning and managing Linux and Windows virtual machines in enterprise VMware environments. This is a contract engagement supporting a higher education institution's virtual infrastructure modernisation and operational support initiatives.
The contractor will provide advanced engineering expertise across VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), VMware ESXi, VMware vSphere, and VMware NSX-T, ensuring stability, scalability, and performance of mission-critical academic and research systems.
Scope of Work
Provision, configure, and manage Linux and Windows VMs in enterprise clusters.
Deploy and manage workloads within VMware Cloud Foundation environments.
Install, configure, patch, and upgrade VMware ESXi hosts.
Administer and optimise VMware vSphere clusters, including HA, DRS, and vMotion.
Design and manage network virtualisation using VMware NSX-T.
Perform VM lifecycle management (build, template creation, cloning, migration, decommissioning).
Conduct performance monitoring, capacity planning, and resource optimisation.
Support storage integration (SAN/NAS/vSAN) and ensure optimal IOPS performance.
Implement and support backup, replication, and disaster recovery solutions.
Provide advanced troubleshooting and root cause analysis.
Document architecture, configurations, and operational procedures.
Collaborate with infrastructure, security, networking, and research computing teams.Deliverables
Fully provisioned and optimised virtual machine environments.
Updated and documented VMware architecture diagrams and configurations.
Performance optimisation and capacity planning reports.
Resolved infrastructure incidents within agreed SLAs.
Knowledge transfer documentation and handover sessions (if required at contract completion).Required Experience & Skills
Minimum 5+ years of enterprise VMware engineering experience.
Proven track record provisioning Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu, etc.) and Windows Server VMs.
Strong hands-on expertise in VCF, ESXi, vSphere, and NSX-T.
Experience in higher education, research institutions, or large multi-tenant environments preferred.
Solid understanding of storage, networking, and security integration.
Automation and scripting skills (PowerCLI, PowerShell, Bash, Python).
Experience with vCenter administration and cluster design.
Strong troubleshooting and performance tuning capabilities.Preferred Qualifications
VMware certifications (VCP-DCV, VCAP).
Experience with automation/orchestration (VMware Aria/vRealise, Ansible).
Hybrid cloud experience (Azure, AWS, VMware Cloud).
Experience supporting research computing or HPC workloads.
Familiarity with ITIL-based change management processes.Contractor Expectations
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
Deliver results within defined project timelines.
Participate in change advisory board (CAB) meetings as required.
Provide regular status updates to project stakeholders.
Availability for occasional after-hours maintenance windows
Salary description
£525.00 - £550.00 per day