IT Systems Engineer (Windows/VMware)

Location: Palo Alto, California, United States; onsite role

Salary: $162,000–$226,000 annual base salary

Company

xAI develops AI systems designed to understand the universe and support humanity’s pursuit of knowledge.

What you will do

• Build, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot complex application stacks on on-premises Windows Server infrastructure.
• Administer Active Directory, including domain controllers, Group Policy, identity, and access management.
• Deploy and support VMware vSphere, vCenter, ESXi, and VMware Horizon Windows VDI environments.
• Manage Windows virtual machines running Microsoft SQL Server, including patching, performance, availability, and storage.
• Automate Windows infrastructure and system management with PowerShell and Microsoft tooling.
• Monitor and optimize infrastructure performance, maintain operating procedures and technical documentation, collaborate with engineering, vendors, audit, and compliance teams, and participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation.

Requirements

• 3–5 years of experience in corporate Microsoft infrastructure and large-scale Windows Server environments.
• Experience administering on-premises Active Directory, VMware vSphere, VMware Horizon, SQL Server on Windows VMs, and scalable storage solutions such as NetApp.
• Strong understanding of Windows and VMware networking concepts, infrastructure management, automation, performance metrics, and system reliability.
• Proficiency with PowerShell, configuration management, technical design documentation, and source-controlled environments.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Must satisfy U.S. ITAR requirements: be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible to obtain the required U.S. authorizations.

Nice to have

• Experience with Windows Server clustering, failover, and high availability.
• Familiarity with SCCM/MECM, Intune, or equivalent Microsoft configuration and deployment tools.
• Knowledge of NetApp storage best practices for SQL Server and VDI workloads.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a small, hands-on organization with a flat structure and a focus on engineering excellence.
• Medical, vision, and dental coverage.
• Equity, 401(k) retirement plan, short- and long-term disability insurance, and life insurance.
• Additional discounts and employee perks.