Storage Engineer I

About Kirkland & Ellis

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a preeminent, full-service law firm with offices around the world and a staff as diverse as the practice areas we support. Our clients range from Fortune 100 companies to medium and small corporations, financial institutions, and private equity firms. Known for our commitment to excellence, Kirkland strives to provide superior service to our clients as well as our fellow employees. From Information Technology to Human Resources, Paralegal Services to Business Development, Kirkland offers non-attorney professionals challenging careers in a variety of functional areas. Whether starting or growing your career, Kirkland can offer a performance-driven culture filled with bright and innovative teams of co-workers.

Essential Job Functions

As a member of the Storage Operations team, provide day-to-day support for the global Kirkland & Ellis storage infrastructure. Daily activities include Project Coordination and Planning, Storage Operations following set PSPG's (Policies Standards Procedures Guidelines), Project Deployment, Storage Environment Provisioning, Analysis & Reports, Administrative Support, and Vendor Management & Coordination.

Essential Functions

• Deploy, maintain and upgrade NetApp, Nimble, Nutanix, Rubrik and Panzura infrastructure storage devices.
• Solid understanding of Microsoft Windows Server operating systems and technologies on either physical or virtual platforms such as VMWare (VDI), Hyper-V, and / or Nutanix Acropolis.
• Respond to Level 1 thru 3 support tickets and provide timely support to other IT groups.
• Experience supporting large Microsoft Windows file sharing and NAS implementations.
• Work on IT projects and be able to see project from planning stages to completion.
• Work with new hardware and software technologies and be able to understand and learn said technologies to become a Subject Matter Expert (SME) as needed or delegated by manager.
• Work with the Data Center Operations team to provide data center support as necessary for storage technologies.
• Work with and adhere to Change Control Management policies and implementation standards.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to think through the implications of specific deployment decisions.
• Ability to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written communication skills and the ability to build consensus across different stakeholders.
• A team player with a positive attitude and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work on complex problems where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of various factors.

Other Functions

Plan:

• Contributes to identifying new areas of opportunities, techniques and approaches.
• Demonstrates some advanced technical skills within technical specialty.
• Able to contribute to technology strategies and road maps.
• Able to develop simple financial models and project budgets.

Build:

• Able to coordinate engineering teams in a complex installation.
• Capable of developing documentation and works plans for a complex solution.
• Able to develop and execute routine test plans for a point solution.

Run:

• Provides intermediate Level 3 support. Investigates operational or systematic problems and provides resolution using intermediate analytical skills and tools as necessary.
• Coordinates and leads engineering teams in a matrixed environment.
• Able to use advanced tools to troubleshoot and diagnose complex issues.
• Displays vendor management skills.
• Able to develop and execute routine production maturity plans.
• Able to develop and execute routine capacity and performance plans.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education, Work Experience, Skills

The Storage Engineer 1 must have a BA/BS in computer science, related field, or equivalent experience. Must have 3+ years of overall technology experience along with 1+ years supporting major implementations in large scale NetApp and/or Nutanix storage in large scale multi-Hypervisor and MS SQL environments.

Communication

• Listening, understanding and articulating technical and non-technical information (both written and oral formats) to customers, peers and/or management in a one-on-one or team context with some oversight.
• Effective production support activities, including advanced technical writing.
• Documenting small to medium scale projects with some supervision, and is involved in developing and delivering presentation.

Decision Making

• Ability to solicit input from internal and external sources, including the ability to investigate and weigh best practices from other firms, analyze input and use sound judgment.
• Is required to make decisions or communicate across organizational boundaries.
• Involved in anticipating problem troubleshooting scenarios and analyzing ways in which to avoid the problem completely or greatly mitigate its risk. The goal is to minimize the trade-offs between cost containment and/or timeliness of service so that both are somewhat achievable.

Interpersonal Skills

• Does "whatever it takes" to support the tactical and strategic goals of the team and in the Firm.
• Recognized as a positive and motivational force on the team.
• Recognizes and Defuses complex interpersonal issues effectively while managing customer expectations. Sets follow up steps in accordance with best practices.
• Negotiates skillfully and compromises in very difficult situations to build relationships internally and externally for the team.

Strategic/Change Leadership

• Managing organizational development by dissecting complex situations and refocusing on the most critical technology tasks.
• Contributes through a high degree of technical expertise/professional mastery in solving critical and complex problems or opportunities facing the team or group.
• Provides feedback to management on strategic recommendations. Fosters environment of innovation and change.
• Aligns changes with the organization's strategic direction and objectives and customer expectations.
• Recognizes the scope of problems and understands the impact of changes on others.
• Identifies short and long range organizational needs.
• Articulates the vision and strategic plan.
• Creates a clear focus on internal and external customer needs.
• Coaches and mentors.
• Ability to delegate responsibility.
• Promotes cooperation.
• Encourages and rewards risk-taking.

Program/Project Management

• Develops small intra-team program and leads small to medium projects.
• Proficient in the use of project management software.
• Reports on progress and project milestones.
• Frequently updates teams and management via formal presentations.
• Focuses on outcomes and achieves results.

Technical Ability

• Expert level knowledge of at least one technology (e.g., architecture, design).
• Understands multiple projects in order to integrate them into business solutions.

Technologies/Software

• Solid understanding of the NetApp storage platform and software suite, Deduplication, and Data Replication.
• Experience in supporting large Microsoft Windows file sharing and NAS implementations.
• Solid understanding of Microsoft Windows Server operating systems and technologies on either physical or virtual platforms such as VMWare (VDI), Hyper-V and/or Nutanix AHV.
• Knowledge of scripting and automation techniques.
• Understanding of Ransomware detection, remediation and tools.
• Basic coding techniques (PowerShell) and the ability to automate processes to implement and manage the server environment effectively.
• Knowledge of networking and load balancing and fail over systems.
• Knowledge of the application of system concepts such as DNS, VMWare vMotion, VMware Storage vMotion, Hyper-V and other server technologies.
• Knowledge of hardware vendors and the tools associated with selected vendor products.
• Ability to install, configure and implement hardware (rack, stack, and cabling).
• Capable of interpreting messages/alerts from multiples systems to identify potential problems.
• Have worked with and adhered to Change Control Management policies and implementation standards.

Current K&E Server Infrastructure Technologies

• NetApp: FAS/AFF Series, Flexclone, SnapMirror, SnapVault, SnapLock, SnapManager for Exchange, Unified Manager
• Nutanix: Prism Central/Element, Leap, Flow, Acropolis Hypervisor
• Panzura Cloud Gateway for Archive
• Rubrik: CDM, Polaris, multi-Hypervisor VM Backup system
• Varonis Security and Detection Suite
• Microsoft Active Directory DFS
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 / 2012 R2 / 2016, Red Hat Linux, other Unix Variant Vendor Appliances
• Fiber Channel, NFS, CIFS
• VBScript, Powershell
• Cisco MDS switches
• VMware Virtual Center and ESXi v6.x
• Microsoft Hyper-V 2012 and 2016

Work Environment

• This job may operate in a hybrid workplace model. In office work is in a professional office environment and a high-speed internet connection is required to connect to our systems when working in a home office. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and photocopiers.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Closing Statement

The www.kirkland.com job postings and recruiting mailbox are for candidates only. If you are a recruiter, search firm or employment agency, and do not have a signed contract with Kirkland & Ellis LLP ("K&E") and have not been asked specifically to submit candidates, you will not be compensated in any way for your referral of a candidate even if K&E hires the candidate. Direct contact with K&E employees in an attempt to present candidates is inappropriate and will be a factor in determining any future professional relationship with the Firm.