Senior Infrastructure Engineer in City of London

This job is a 12-month fixed-term staff contract (not freelance), with a strong potential for conversion to a permanent role. Location: This role is based in our office located in Hammersmith, London + 1 day remote work per week.

Assala Energy is a dynamic Oil and Gas Exploration and Production company committed to the sustainable development of its assets in Gabon. We value a collaborative approach, promote diversity, and prioritise safety and integrity in all our operations. We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced Senior Infrastructure Engineer to join our global IT team. The successful candidate will play a key role in designing, implementing, maintaining, and supporting our entire IT infrastructure, which supports our business operations across multiple international locations. This is a practical role requiring a combination of deep technical expertise in Microsoft, VMware, and Cloud technologies, strategic thinking, and the ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced, international setting. The ideal candidate will be a proactive problem‑solver, a mentor to junior team members, and a driving force in the ongoing improvement of our IT services.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain the company's global IT infrastructure, including on‑premises HPE/Dell server and storage hardware, co‑located data centres, and cloud‑based systems.
• Manage and administer our hybrid cloud environment, with a strong focus on Microsoft Azure, Entra ID, and Azure MDM for modern device management.
• Ensure the security of our infrastructure and data by managing on‑premises and cloud security controls, and working closely with the Security Operations Centre (SoC) to action vulnerability management and system patching.
• Manage and maintain our Windows and Linux (CentOS, Red Hat, Ubuntu) server estate, as well as core Microsoft services (AD, GPO, DNS, NPS/Radius, CA, SMTP Relay), and our extensive VMware vSphere/vCenter virtualisation platform.
• Administer and optimise our System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM) hierarchy, including Primary/Secondary sites, Distribution Points, Cloud Management Gateway (CMG), and Azure integration for global software deployment and updates.
• Manage and maintain our VDI environment (VMware Horizon / Citrix / OLVM), ensuring a reliable experience for our global user base.
• Take ownership of the company's backup and disaster recovery solutions, primarily using Veeam, and manage our tape library infrastructure.
• Provide 3rd line support for complex technical issues, acting as an escalation point for the service desk and junior engineers.
• Plan and execute infrastructure projects, including upgrades, migrations, and new implementations.

Global Operations & Strategy

• Collaborate with international teams to ensure the seamless delivery of IT services to all global employees.
• Address the challenges of a distributed workforce, utilising technologies like SCCM CMG, and VDI for remote access and device provisioning.
• Navigate the complexities of regional IT regulations and data sovereignty requirements (e.g., GDPR).
• Contribute to the development of the global IT roadmap and strategy, identifying opportunities for innovation and improvement.
• Manage relationships with third‑party vendors and service providers across different regions.

Leadership & Mentoring

• Act as a technical lead and mentor for junior infrastructure engineers, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and professional development.
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for infrastructure, systems, and procedures within our knowledge base to ensure accurate and up‑to‑date information.
• Lead by example in promoting best practices for IT security, service management (ITIL), and project management.

Requirements

• Extensive experience (typically 7+ years) in a senior infrastructure engineering role, preferably within a global or multi‑site SME.
• Expertise in the Microsoft Stack.
• In‑depth knowledge of Active Directory, Group Policy Objects (GPOs), DNS, NPS (Radius), Certificate Authorities (CA), and SMTP relays.
• Strong scripting and automation skills using PowerShell.
• Proven hands‑on experience with Microsoft Azure (IaaS & PaaS, E5).
• Strong understanding of Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) for identity and access management.
• Experience with cloud‑based device management, including Azure MDM and Windows Autopilot.
• Proficient in managing a complex SCCM environment, including Distribution Points (DPs), and Primary and Secondary sites over slow WAN links.
• Demonstrable experience with Cloud Management Gateway (CMG) configuration and Azure integration.
• Skilled in application packaging and deploying software, updates, and operating systems.
• Ability to troubleshoot and ensure replication between all sites is working as expected.
• Deep technical knowledge of VMware environments, including vSphere, vCenter, and ESXi host management.
• Commercial experience with at least one central VDI platform: VMware Horizon, Citrix, or OLVM.
• Hands‑on experience with enterprise server and storage hardware from HPE and Dell.
• Experience managing and maintaining physical tape libraries.
• Familiarity with managing a diverse estate of endpoint devices (Laptops/Desktops) from Dell, HPE, and Lenovo.
• A solid understanding of networking principles (TCP/IP, VLANs) and exposure to routing protocols such as OSPF.
• Experience using monitoring tools, specifically Zabbix.
• Direct experience with vulnerability management and patch management processes, working with security teams to ensure compliance.
• Proficiency in using asset discovery and management tools such as Lansweeper.
• Strong knowledge of various Linux distributions (CentOS, Red Hat, Ubuntu).
• Expertise in managing enterprise backup solutions, specifically Veeam Backup & Replication.
• Experience in ServiceNow administration and/or development would be a significant advantage.
• Relevant industry certifications, such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, VMware Certified Professional (VCP), or other Microsoft 365/Security certifications.
• Familiarity with ITIL & NIST frameworks for service management.
• Experience working in an agile environment.