Senior Systems Engineer

People 1st IT is looking for an experienced Level 3 Engineer / Senior Systems Engineer to join our technical team. This is a senior technical role focused primarily on project implementation, infrastructure improvements, migrations, advanced troubleshooting, and technical escalations within a managed services environment. The ideal candidate is comfortable taking ownership of complex technical projects from planning through implementation, working directly with clients, coordinating with vendors, documenting environments, and serving as an escalation resource for other technicians.

About People 1st….

People 1st IT Inc. is a San Francisco-based managed IT services provider serving small and mid-sized businesses throughout the greater Bay Area — including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma, and San Francisco counties. For nearly three decades, the company has served as a trusted technology partner across industries such as construction, law, financial services, real estate, and manufacturing, taking a proactive, relationship-driven approach rather than a reactive, ticket-based model. Its services span network administration, dedicated virtual CIO partnership, 24/7 centralized monitoring, and professional support, alongside cloud computing, cybersecurity, disaster recovery, and phone systems — all backed by a hands-on, on-site presence that complements its remote monitoring capabilities.

Your work as a Senior Systems Engineer will include several components:

Infrastructure Projects & Migrations

• Plan and execute client IT infrastructure projects from beginning to completion.
• Lead Microsoft 365 migrations, tenant configuration, and related cloud projects.
• Design, deploy, migrate, and troubleshoot Windows Server and Active Directory environments.
• Perform server migrations, upgrades, virtualization projects, and infrastructure modernization.

Cloud & Collaboration Platforms

• Implement and support Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365, Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive.

Networking & Security

• Design and troubleshoot networks, including firewalls, switches, wireless infrastructure, VLANs, VPNs, and site-to-site connectivity.
• Deploy and maintain backup and disaster recovery solutions.

Technical Escalation & Client Support

• Perform advanced troubleshooting and serve as an escalation point for Level 1 and Level 2 technicians.
• Perform client infrastructure assessments and recommend technical improvements.
• Coordinate with third-party vendors, ISPs, software providers, and other technology partners.
• Assist with critical incidents and complex technical issues when necessary.

Documentation & Communication

• Maintain accurate technical documentation, diagrams, credentials, configurations, and project notes.
• Create implementation plans, migration plans, and project documentation.
• Communicate technical issues and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical client contacts.
• Participate in occasional onsite client work throughout the Bay Area.

Our ideal Sr Systems Engineer has the following qualifications:

• Several years of senior-level IT infrastructure experience, preferably within an MSP environment.
• Ability to independently manage technical projects with limited supervision.
• Independently completed projects such as Microsoft 365 migrations, server and Active Directory migrations, file server and SharePoint migrations, office relocations and new-site deployments, firewall and network replacements, Wi-Fi deployments, cloud migrations, backup and disaster recovery implementations, infrastructure upgrades, tenant-to-tenant migrations, and security and identity improvements.
• Strong experience with several of the following: Microsoft 365 administration, Microsoft Entra ID / Azure AD, Exchange Online, SharePoint and OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams.
• Windows Server, Active Directory / Group Policy / DNS / DHCP, Microsoft Azure, and Hyper-V and/or VMware.
• Microsoft Intune / endpoint management, and endpoint security / EDR solutions.
• Firewalls, switches, VLANs, VPNs, and wireless networking, including Ubiquiti / UniFi environments.
• VOIP systems, backup and disaster recovery platforms, and remote monitoring and management platforms.
• MSP documentation and ticketing systems, and domain, DNS, SSL, and certificate management.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across servers, cloud platforms, networks, and endpoints.
• Comfortable working directly with executives, managers, vendors, and client IT contacts.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple client projects and technical issues simultaneously.
• Reliable transportation and ability to occasionally travel to client locations in the Bay Area.

This role is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and will operate on a hybrid basis, with a base compensation range of $135,000–$145,000.

We are seeking a candidate who goes beyond ticket-based support. The ideal candidate will be comfortable owning projects end-to-end, making sound technical decisions, solving complex problems, and taking full responsibility for client infrastructure. This includes the ability to receive a project objective, assess the existing environment, develop an implementation plan, coordinate the necessary resources, execute the work, test the solution, document it thoroughly, and hand it off successfully to the support team. If you are a motivated, detail-oriented professional seeking a senior role within a Managed Service Provider (MSP), we would welcome the opportunity to speak with you.