Developer - Infrastructure Automation Engineer

Job DescriptionJob Title: Developer - Infrastructure Automation EngineerPosition Description: Protingent Staffing has an exciting contract Developer - Infrastructure Automation Engineer opportunity.Job Description:Seeking an experienced Infrastructure Automation Engineer. The contractor will work within a mature, production VMware environment (5+ years in production, managing approximately 300TB of VM data across 1,500–2,000 on-premises VMs) to secure provisioning automation, ensure every workload is updated to meet our internal management policies for security and data integrity.The contractor will work closely with the internal infrastructure team and team leader throughout the engagement — proactively raising questions, flagging risks, as well as self-reviewing their work for key dependencies and edge cases before implementation.All code will be maintained in GitLab with regular check-ins, following standard software development practices.The opportunity will also collaborate on a VMware-to-Proxmox migration effort to ensure that initialSeeking an experienced Infrastructure Automation Engineer for a focused 90-day engagement.The contractor will work within a mature, production VMware environment (5+ years in production, managing approximately 300TB of VM data across 1,500–2,000 on-premises VMs) to secure provisioning automation, ensure every workload is updated to meet our internal management policies for security and data integrity.The contractor will work closely with the internal infrastructure team and team leader throughout the engagement — proactively raising questions, flagging risks, as well as self-reviewing their work for key dependencies and edge cases before implementation.All code will be maintained in GitLab with regular check-ins, following standard software development practices.The opportunity will also collaborate on a VMware-to-Proxmox migration effort to ensure that initial.Job Responsibilities: Aria Automation templates that provision VMs and self-register with AWS SSM and SentinelOne across Windows, Linux, and macOSGitLab CI pipelines to develop, test, validate, and deploy provisioning templates and migration script code.Security team collaboration: define and validate exclusions, token handling, and a documented exclusions process and technical implementation.VMware-to-Proxmox migration toolkit: robust, repeatable scripts and pipelines to migrate :1,500–2,000 on-premises VMs with SSM and SentinelOne registration to a proxmox-based environment.Proxmox platform readiness: collaborate on capacity planning input, environment validation, and migration tools and scripts.Provisioning & Templates:Extend existing production Aria Automation environment with new virtual machine templates for SSM and SentinelOne self-registrationBuild reusable, parameterized templates across Aria Automation, Terraform, and AnsibleSupport for all three OS types: Windows, Linux, and macOS (Intel-based)Integrate with existing CI-driven provisioning and deprovisioning workflows already in placeTreat the existing production environment with care — validate all changes in non-production before any production promotion. Attention to detail and clear team communication of possible clear assessment of production impact it imperative.AWS SSM Integration:Automate SSM Agent installation and registration as part of every provisioning workflowConfigure hybrid activation codes for all on-premises (non-EC2) targets across all OS typesValidate SSM registration before marking provisioning completeSentinelOne Integration:Automate SentinelOne agent installation and silent deployment for Windows, Linux, and macOS.Develop hands-off integration with SentinelOne so that any defined exclusions are in place at SentinelOne installation time.Confirm agent check-in as a provisioning completion gate.Security Team Collaboration:Work directly with the internal Security group to define and validate required exclusion sets.Work directly with internal security group to define system integration for up-front exclusions activation process.Collaborate with Security to develop and document a formal exclusions process — covering what exclusions are permissible, how they are requested, reviewed, and approved.GitLab & CI/CD Pipeline Development:Maintain all code in GitLab with regular, meaningful check-ins, pull requests and regular reviews with team.Follow generally accepted software development practices: branching strategies, merge requests, commit hygiene, and code reviewBuild and maintain GitLab CI pipelines for linting, validation, testing, and deployment of provisioning and migration codeImplement pipeline stages for Dev, Staging, and Production promotion with appropriate approval gatesUse Artifactory to store and retrieve binary dependencies.Organize repositories clearly so the internal team can understand, maintain, and extend the work after the engagement ends.VMware-to-Proxmox Migration:Work with the infrastructure team to inventory all :1,500–2,000 VMs — workload types, OS, network topology, storage layout, and VMware-specific dependencies (VMware Tools features, VMXNET3, paravirtual SCSI, VMware-specific drivers, etc.)Self-review all VMs and migration candidates for VMware-specific dependencies — proactively identify anything that may not translate cleanly to Proxmox and raise findings with the team leader before proceedingCoordinate with the infrastructure team on Proxmox capacity planning — advise on node count, storage sizing for :300TB of VM data, and network configurationDesign and develop a migration script toolkit (Bash, Python, PowerShell, and/or Ansible) to automate export from VMware and import/conversion to Proxmox-compatible formats using tools such as virt-v2v and qemu-imgAutomate post-migration configuration: network interface remapping, storage attachment, and VM hardware profile alignmentIntegrate SSM Agent and SentinelOne re-registration into the post-migration workflow so migrated VMs are immediately managed and protected on ProxmoxImplement pre- and post-migration validation checks — confirming VM boot, network connectivity, SSM registration, and SentinelOne check-in before marking a migration completePrefer live migration where feasible; where downtime is unavoidable, coordinate directly with end-users to agree on outage windows before proceedingSupport a phased migration approach: non-production and lower-risk workloads first, then production with change management gatesConsult freely and proactively with the team leader throughout — ask questions early, flag concerns immediately, and do not proceed with uncertain migrations without alignmentDeliver a migration runbook covering prerequisites, execution steps, rollback procedures, and known edge casesProxmox Platform Readiness:Advise the infrastructure team on capacity requirements based on current VMware inventory and :500TB data volumeAssist with validation of Proxmox-based self-service provisioning system. Develop and run test scripts and terraform and cloud-init templates for testing.Prototype VM provisioning using Terraform (Proxmox provider) and AnsibleValidate Proxmox networking, storage, and resource configuration against workload requirementsDocumentation & Handoff:Deliver runbooks for all provisioning templates, CI pipelines, and migration workflowsDocument integration architecture, secret/credential management with existing internal controls.Deliver the Security-approved exclusions process as a standalone documentDeliver the migration script toolkit with inline documentation and a standalone operations guide.Conduct a knowledge transfer session with the internal infrastructure team before engagement closeJob QualificationsAria Automation: Hands-on experience with production VMware Aria / vRealize Automation 8.x environments; Cloud Assembly, ABX or vROTerraform: Proficient with HCL, modules, state management; vSphere, AWS, and Proxmox providersAnsible: Experience writing playbooks and roles for OS configuration, agent deployment, and migration tasksAWS SSM: Hands-on with SSM Agent deployment, hybrid activations for on-premises targets, and IAM configurationSentinelOne: Experience with agent deployment across Windows, Linux, and macOS; Management Console APIProxmox: Familiarity with Proxmox VE administration, VM/template management, storage, and networkingVMware Migration: Experience exporting VMware VMs and converting to KVM/QEMU-compatible formatsMigration Tooling: Familiarity with virt-v2v, qemu-img, or equivalent VMware-to-KVM conversion toolingmacOS Automation: Experience automating agent deployment and configuration on Intel-based macOSGitLab: Comfortable with GitLab repo management, branching, merge requests, and regular check-in disciplineGitLab CI: Proficient building .gitlab-ci.yml pipelines with multi-stage, multi-environment deploymentsArtifactory: Familiarity with JFrog Artifactory for artifact storage and pipeline integrationSecret Management: Experience integrating with 1Password Vaults for secret retrieval in scripts and pipelinesScripting: Proficient in Bash, Python, and/or PowerShellCollaboration: Proactive communicator — comfortable asking questions, raising risks early, and working closely with a team leader and infrastructure teamSecurity Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with Security teams on exclusion processes and token governanceNice to Have:Experience with Packer for building Proxmox or VMware VM templatesFamiliarity with HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets ManagerPrior work in security-conscious environments (SOC 2, FedRAMP, etc.)Experience with large-scale VMware-to-KVM or VMware-to-Proxmox migrationsExperience with GitLab Environments and deployment trackingExperience integrating provisioning or migration workflows with ITSM tools (e.g., ServiceNow)Environment access; review of existing Aria Automation setup and CI workflows; full VM inventory and VMware dependency assessment begins; initial Security team meeting; GitLab repo and Artifactory structure establishedAria Automation templates with SSM + SentinelOne registration working in non-prod for Windows and Linux; first Security review checkpoint; GitLab CI pipeline validating templatesmacOS (Intel) provisioning integration complete; Terraform and Ansible equivalents with full GitLab CI pipeline promotion workflowExclusions process documented and approved by Security; all token handling via 1Password validated; artifacts managed through ArtifactoryProxmox capacity planning complete; Proxmox environment validated as migration target; migration script toolkit v1 complete; non-production migration runs executed and validatedMigration scripts hardened with error handling, rollback, and post-migration validation; production migration pipeline ready with change management gatesAll documentation and runbooks delivered; Proxmox platform readiness report; migration runbook finalized; knowledge transfer completed.Job Details:Job Type: ContractPay Range: $45 - $52 an hour.Location: Remote (California, Oregon, Washington)Benefits Package: Protingent offers competitive salaries, insurance plan options (HDHP plan or POS plan), education/certification reimbursement, pre-tax commuter benefits, Paid Time Off (PTO), and an administered 401k plan.About Protingent: Protingent is an Award-Winning provider of top-tier Engineering and IT talent, trusted by companies at the forefront of innovation — from Software and Aerospace to AI, Clean Tech, Medical Devices, and Connected Technologies. We’re passionate about making a positive impact by connecting exceptional talent with meaningful opportunities and helping our clients build the future.