Some interesting career options

Apologies in advance if this is TL;DR. I have some interesting choices facing me right now.

My company's IT department has been going through a lot of changes. We got a new CIO, we created a new position, Senior Director of Infrastructure & Operations, I believe. Essentially in charge of the entire infrastructure group and the direction we go for structuring it and infrastructure itself. I report to this person as a Senior Systems Engineer. Anyway, we had a one-on-one yesterday, and I got a better feel for where she's going. She wants to silo things a bit more. Not to the level you'll see at many Fortune 500s, but a lot more than now (Senior Systems Engineer = all infrastructure: switching, routing, voice, security, storage, virtualization, servers, email, and so on). I've been working primarily on software and operating system deployment using SCCM 2007 for the past year, though I've worked on other things (security, planning for various projects, random server stuff, etc.) here and there.

Anyway, she said she sees a need to have desktop/endpoint engineering made into a position, and she wanted me to take the weekend to decide if I wanted to be in this role. Now, the IT organization is actually fairly small at my company, and realistically, I think I will still have unrelated responsibilities creep up if I take this. I don't necessarily want to be shoehorned into being just the SCCM guy or something like that, but I think I'll be able to keep my responsibilities somewhat broad. I also have the opportunity to help shape what's happening and give her an idea of what the position should look like.

A couple issues are my extremely broad, sometimes-hard-to-explain interests and where I want to go. I like automating things a lot, so I like working with SCCM and PowerShell as I do now. I also like infrastructure security, both policy and technical. But I'm studying computer science, and would actually like to shift into something that made good use of the software engineering knowledge I'm getting. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do that at this point, but in the meantime I'm thinking something at least closer to that (lots of automation) helps. I also fear being labeled with desktop or endpoint, even though I recognize it as a legitimate high-level specialization.

Anyway, the sort-of plan I have in my head is actually to present her with two job descriptions. One would look something like what follows. Bear in mind, this my vision of the position, not a description of what I do now or my own skills (although I would qualify for this):

Senior Endpoint Engineer
Responsibilities:
Designs and implements endpoint device configuration according to business-driven user experience requirements
Uses industry tools such as SCCM, Group Policy, and MDM solutions to automate and streamline deployment of endpoint devices and applications
Interfaces with support and operations personnel to develop processes, procedures, and standards for managing, maintaining, and supporting endpoint devices
Collaborates with other infrastructure teams, business leaders, and developers to ensure proper design and configuration is in line with infrastructure capabilities, security and SOX requirements, and organizational needs

Required skills:
Deep knowledge of PC hardware, Windows operating systems and software, mobile devices, and thin clients
Strong knowledge in deployment and management tools; System Center 2007 or 2012 experience strongly preferred
Practical knowledge of server, desktop, and session virtualization technologies such as vSphere, Hyper-V, ThinApp, and Remote Destkop/Terminal Services
Strong scripting abilities with PowerShell and Windows batch scripts, preferably with good knowledge of WMI, .NET, and the Windows registry
General knowledge of network, storage, and server solutions

Preferred Qualifications:
5+ years in IT infrastructure roles
2+ years in systems, server, or desktop engineering role
Bachelor's degree in a business or IT-related field, especially computer science or similar; other education and experience considered in lieu of a degree
At least one of the following certifications: MCSA/MCSE 2003 or later, MCTS or MCSA in Windows 7, MCITP Desktop Administrator or Enterprise Administrator, MCTS: Windows Internals, MCTS in System Center 2007 or 2012, MCSE Desktop Infrastructure or Private Cloud
Other infrastructure certifications and experience in related technologies strongly considered

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Comments

ptilsen

Now I have the option to say no to this or to propose something else. I could try to push for a more security-focused position, which I would enjoy, but I'm not as qualified for that and I don't think my organization is in a position where it values that just yet. An alternative that might give me some more room to spread out would be what follows:

Infrastructure Automation Engineer
Responsibilities:
Designs and implements systems to automate the deployment and configuration of endpoint, network, and server hardware, and software
Uses industry tools such as SCCM, Group Policy, and MDM solutions to automate and streamline deployment of endpoint devices and applications
Interfaces with support and operations personnel to develop processes, procedures, and standards for managing, maintaining, and supporting infrastructure using automation solutions where possible
Researches and analyzes configuration, security, and operational requirements to ensure predictable and reliable deployment and management solutions are in place

Required skills:
Deep knowledge of Windows operating systems and software, mobile devices, thin clients
Understanding of information and event management tools
Strong knowledge of infrastructure automation and management tools such as SCCM, SCOM, and Orchestrator
Practical knowledge of server, desktop, and session virtualization technologies such as vSphere, Hyper-V, ThinApp, and Remote Desktop/Terminal Services
Working knowledge of at least one of the following: RedHat Linux, HP-UX, Solaris, and Oracle databases
Reliable ability to research and work with new technologies using vendor documentation and support
Familiarity with common server technologies including Microsoft Exchange, IIS, Active Directory, DNS, MSSQL and MySQL, Apache
Expert scripting abilities with PowerShell and Windows batch scripts with working knowledge of WMI, .NET, and the Windows registry
Broad knowledge of TCP/IP networking and common protocols such as SMTP, SNMP, DNS, and DHCP
Solid understanding of server and storage hardware solutions

Preferred Qualifications:
5+ years in IT infrastructure roles
2+ years in systems engineering, automation, or similar role
Bachelor's degree in an IT-related field, especially computer science; other education and experience considered in lieu of a degree
Any combination of certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, or other industry-recognized certification and product vendors

ptilsen

Looking for feedback on what I should do with my decision and these job descriptions. I'd really like to present her with a couple of options and try to get something that makes sense for me and for the company.

paul78

It sounds like you have a nice opportunity ahead. You mentioned an interest in security, if so - the first option of an endpoint engineer sound enticing. The only piece that you left out is the mobile component. As an endpoint, that will likely be quite interesting. Just my quick observation.

DissonantData

I notice that for the "Senior Endpoint Engineer" position, you have a business OR computer-related degree listed as preferred. On the "Infrastructure Automation Engineer" one, you don't. Is there any reason for this? In what way would a business degree and technical skills be valuable for these positions?

ptilsen

@Paul, the endpoint description does mention mobile devices and MDM, though I should probably specify platforms further. The intent is very much to be all-encompassing, which is why it is an endpoint engineer and not a desktop engineer.

Dissonant, good catch and good question. I have very specific reasons for this. The endpoint engineer is going to be more focused on user experience and business requirements and making those happen. It is a primarily technical role, but a business or non-CS IT degree (IS/MIS/IT/etc) is more acceptable because of the different in roles. The automation engineer is meant to be more highly technical, primarily scripting, programming, and designing automation solutions across platforms. There is a lot of crossover between the positions, but some key differences. The endpoint engineer is also specifically only endpoints, and wouldn't be doing much on the back-end server or network side. The automation engineer would be expected to find solutions to virtually anything in the infrastructure.

But I am looking for criticism and input on these ideas. I made these up as I wrote those posts. This was a big brain ****. I want to actually present these, when they're down, to my boss Monday or Tuesday and figure out what the position or positions (they certainly aren't mutually exclusive) look like and what makes the most sense. What I don't want to do is let her write and scope them herself without my input, which she will do if I don't have something.

paul78

Opps - that's what I get for skimming posts. Yes, I see the reference to MDM.

Given that your Director has already hinted tye direction in which she wants you to go, you probably want to tailor your messgae to be inline with her strategy. If your organization doesn't yet have a dedicated security enineering or ops team - you could scatter those responsibilities in your proposal. I personally think that just the title alone with Senior Enpoint Engineer is better since it is broad. I have always favoured broad job titles instead of narrow siloed titles.

Some thing to consider in your proposal - when you say MDM, perhaps be specific about that aspects would be appropriate. For example, would it include training ops and people that provision mobile devices or just creating the procedures and policies.

Would you be senior enough to be part of product evaluation and vendor selection processes; would it include contract negotiations. What about things like asset control and inventory?

From a security perspective, would you be responsible for enpoint encryption, removal media controls, what about data loss prevention - stuff beyond antivirus.

Another way to convey the proposal that I was thinking. If you are the senior engineer and leading a team - instead of presenting the role and responsibilities as a job description. Present it as a department charter - remove the qualifications and skills section. It will show that you are thinking beyond just your individual contributor role. And it can demonstrate some thought-leadership.

This really does sound like a great opportunity. So good luck.

ptilsen

Wow, this is some great advice. I am going to have to put some more thought into it. I appreciate it. I will revise and possibly even look at a department charter. I know she is looking at actually writing job descriptions, specifically, though, so I'm going to tailor it towards that initially. I think this will be a productive exercise either way.

N2IT

PT I really like the second position. The automation solution engineer is a great title and you can add a lot of value to your organization and take that great experience and leverage it heavily down the road. The endpoint role is a dime of dozen imo, I have known quite a few of these types who do this job well, but that second role potentially delivers highly technical solutions and synchs into your CS degree, more so. The decision is yours obviously but I have to go with the second position, unless you spin off and do something else. Either way some nice options to have.

paul78

If you believe the salary survey at indeed.com - the average endpoint engineer (97k) has a higher salary than an automation engineer (90k).

An automation engineer, at least where I work, tend to be a supporting role to other lead engineering functions such as network, systems, and endpoint. Generally, since desktop/endpoint IT functions have a closer tie to the business, I view it as critical. Usually, my perception is that a good endpoint engineer can handle automation but not the other way around.

N2IT

paul78 wrote: »

If you believe the salary survey at indeed.com - the average endpoint engineer (97k) has a higher salary than an automation engineer (90k).

Paul I really don't, I don't have any confidence in those types of surveys.

paul78 wrote: »

An automation engineer, at least where I work, tend to be a supporting role to other lead engineering functions such as network, systems, and endpoint. Generally, since desktop/endpoint IT functions have a closer tie to the business, I view it as critical. Usually, my perception is that a good endpoint engineer can handle automation but not the other way around.

Just because the position is viewed as critical doesn't mean it's a better position to take. Service Desk is a great example of this. Very critical to the business - you know the saying, a great support desk can make an intermediate IT department look good, but a terrible helpdesk can make a good IT department look bad. I still wouldn't want to be on the desk. Either way it's just a matter of preference.