Joel Hammond
Verona,Pennsylvania
Summary
Strategic and execution-driven Infrastructure Engineer with 25+ years of experience architecting, securing, and optimizing enterprise IT environments across finance, healthcare, government, and SMB sectors. Known for blending deep technical expertise with leadership influence—guiding infrastructure teams, aligning cross-functional stakeholders, and delivering mission-critical systems with a focus on compliance, resilience, and cost-efficiency. Proven ability to lead Windows Server modernization, Active Directory architecture, disaster recovery planning, and automation initiatives with minimal oversight. Currently pursuing AZ-104 and AZ-305 certifications to strengthen cloud leadership capabilities and prepare for infrastructure leadership roles in hybrid enterprise environments.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Infrastructure Engineer II – (Function as Technical Lead / Acting Infrastructure Architect)
Ford Office Technologies
08.2023 - Current
- Provided technical oversight and informal leadership to a team of 3–5 infrastructure engineers; served as the escalation point for critical issues and guided team members through architectural decisions and deployment strategies.
- Advised and implemented migration plans for 5 clients transitioning from VMware vSphere (6.0–8.0) to Hyper-V, aligning solutions with client budget, scalability needs, and technical goals; achieved
- Directed multi-client Windows Server modernization programs, coordinating with stakeholders to align on migration timelines, resource planning, and upgrade strategies; optimized infrastructure design and reduced costs across four environments.
- Presented technical project updates and risk mitigation plans to client executives, ensuring alignment with project timelines and making cost-conscious recommendations to support fiscal planning and procurement decisions.
- Made cost-conscious infrastructure recommendations that helped clients align large-scale upgrades with fiscal year planning; reduced project hardware costs by 30–40% through virtualization and lifecycle planning.
- Led migration of Linux-based systems to Windows Server 2022, aligning with organizational standardization goals and improving manageability, patch compliance, and supportability.
- Orchestrated disaster recovery planning and rollback architecture, providing technical leadership and stakeholder alignment to ensure a 95% reduction in migration-related risk across critical systems.
- Oversaw redesign of Active Directory topology across client environments, aligning DNS/DHCP/GPO strategies with enterprise scalability needs and reducing disruptions by 40%.
- Directed creation of architectural documentation and operational SOPs to standardize infrastructure delivery and ensure regulatory compliance across business units.
- Coordinated efforts across internal teams and external vendors during infrastructure upgrades and migrations, ensuring aligned execution and quality standards.
- Mentored infrastructure engineers on complex issue resolution, establishing an informal leadership role and fostering a collaborative problem-solving culture within the IT team.
- Coordinated with external teams to resolve scope-adjacent infrastructure issues, ensuring smooth project delivery across departments and maintaining project velocity.
- Dell PowerEdge Servers (various), Dell EMC Storage.
Corporate Trainer
Berlitz Japan
10.2011 - 09.2023
- Delivered executive-level training to primarily C-suite clients across diverse industries including technology, finance, pharmaceuticals, and more; provided guidance on cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity best practices, and Agile transformation to support enterprise modernization at the strategic level.
- Designed and facilitated customized workshops for multinational tech teams, including Hitachi; enabled alignment of technical strategy with cross-cultural communication best practices.
Infrastructure Engineer III – (Server Architect – Global Trading System)
BNP Paribas
11.2011 - 03.2012
- Implemented a globally integrated 60-server infrastructure as part of a financial trading system node in Tokyo, delivering 99.99% uptime; collaborated across time zones to align server security, replication, and compliance with international trading and IT operations standards.
- Implementation was on 4 VMWare vSphere Enterprise 4.1 servers in a DRS/HA dual cluster on Dell R710 servers utilizing NetApp FAS6200 NAS Storage.
- Provided technical oversight and informal leadership to a team of 3–5 infrastructure engineers serving as the escalation point for critical issues.
- Coordinated efforts across internal teams and external vendors during infrastructure upgrades and migrations, ensuring aligned execution and quality standards.
- Led Active Directory hardening initiative, coordinating with internal security teams to implement RBAC and audit logging policies that reduced unauthorized access by 35%.
- Directed deployment automation initiative using SCCM, enabling consistent configuration management and reducing manual workload by 50% across operational teams.
- Led cross-functional coordination for SOX readiness, overseeing internal IT risk assessments and aligning infrastructure controls with enterprise compliance frameworks.
Infrastructure Engineer III – (Team Lead – Enterprise Infrastructure & Citrix Services)
ASHP
06.1999 - 12.2010
- Provided architectural leadership for a 200+ Windows Server enterprise environment supporting mission-critical healthcare systems; led four full infrastructure lifecycle implementations—including hardware refresh, OS upgrades, and capacity planning—and partnered with IT leadership to develop long-term roadmaps aligned with HIPAA compliance, business continuity, and modernization priorities.
- Designed and standardized scalable SCCM architecture for enterprise-wide deployment; developed HIPAA-compliant gold images and automated COTS application installations using PowerShell, reducing deployment times by 35% and minimizing user disruption across all endpoints.
- Defined enterprise-wide infrastructure standards in collaboration with the architecting team, evaluating server platforms based on technical fit, licensing models, and vendor SLAs; led development of HIPAA-compliant gold images and high-availability migration strategies that reduced infrastructure costs by 30% and improved long-term supportability.
- Spearheaded the design and operation of large-scale virtualization of 200+ server workloads using VMware, deprecating legacy hardware and reducing infrastructure costs by 80% while enhancing system resilience.
- Supported and maintained Cisco Unified Communications systems (CallManager, Unity, Unity Connection) for 250+ users, ensuring high-availability voice services across departments; administered phone provisioning and routing, configured VLANs and QoS on Cisco switching infrastructure, and supported VoIP workloads hosted on HP-based Windows Server environments.
- Utilized Linux-based systems to manage near-line storage environments, supporting SAN/NAS operations, automating archival workflows, and optimizing data retention strategies for performance and cost-efficiency.
- Dell PE R810, R710, R610, 2950, 6850, 1955(Blade Server), 1950, 855(Blade Server), 1850, Latitude, Optiplex.
- Worked in tandem with cross-functional teams to design and implement a comprehensive disaster recovery and business continuity strategy, contributing to on offsite replication architecture, verified backup workflows, and automated failover systems to protect critical healthcare applications.
- Provided technical oversight and informal leadership to a team of 3–5 infrastructure engineers; served as an escalation point for critical issues and guided team members through architectural decisions and deployment strategies. Mentored new hires to accelerate onboarding and build team capability.
- Supported hiring efforts by reviewing candidate technical assessments and providing feedback to management.
- Coordinated efforts across internal teams and external vendors during infrastructure upgrades and migrations, ensuring aligned execution and quality standards.
- Designed and implemented a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) environment to centralize patch management for all onsite devices, improving update compliance and reducing security exposure.
- Partnered with IT leadership to define project priorities aligned with capital budgets and compliance goals; authored and maintained core IT governance policies for configuration management, change control, and asset lifecycle standards to support audit readiness and enterprise accountability.
- Took initiative in automating recurring administrative tasks with scripting, improving efficiency and reducing human error in systems management.
- Led Citrix-based remote engineering infrastructure for 12 years at ASHP, supporting secure access and seamless delivery of virtualized apps to enterprise users; experience includes integration with Active Directory and endpoint policy enforcement, forming the basis for today’s hybrid access frameworks like Azure Virtual Desktop and VMware Horizon.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PASkills
- Infrastructure Architecture & Modernization – Windows Server (2003–2022), Active Directory, DNS/DHCP, GPOs
- Cloud & Hybrid IT – AWS (Cloud Practitioner Certified), (Foundational), On-Prem
- Virtualization & Storage – VMware vSphere, Hyper-V, SAN/NAS consolidation
- Disaster Recovery & BCP – Failover planning, offsite replication, rollback strategy, uptime assurance
- Security & Compliance – HIPAA, SOX, NIST 800-171; AD Hardening, RBAC, encryption
- Patch & Configuration Management – SCCM, WSUS, gold image standardization
- Network & Infrastructure Security – Cisco Firewalls & switches
- Automation & Scripting – PowerShell, policy enforcement, admin task automation
- Project Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement – Executive reporting, vendor coordination, cross-functional team guidance
- Mentorship & Technical Oversight – Peer coaching, onboarding, escalation point for infrastructure engineers
- Cross-Industry Versatility – Finance, healthcare, government, pharma, education, SMB
Certification
- Microsoft Certified Solutions Engineer (MCSE)
- Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud Practitioner
- In Progress: Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
- In Progress: Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
Languages
Japanese
Limited Working
Work Preference
Work Type
Full TimeContract WorkGig WorkWork Location
On-SiteRemoteHybridImportant To Me
Paid sick leavePaid time offWork-life balanceCareer advancementHealthcare benefits401k match4-day work weekStock Options / Equity / Profit SharingCompany CultureWork Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
swipe to browse
Timeline
Infrastructure Engineer II – (Function as Technical Lead / Acting Infrastructure Architect)
Ford Office Technologies
08.2023 - Current
Infrastructure Engineer III – (Server Architect – Global Trading System)
BNP Paribas
11.2011 - 03.2012
Corporate Trainer
Berlitz Japan
10.2011 - 09.2023
Infrastructure Engineer III – (Team Lead – Enterprise Infrastructure & Citrix Services)
ASHP
06.1999 - 12.2010
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Similar Profiles
Devon PopeDevon Pope
Network Engineer at Ford Office TechnologiesNetwork Engineer at Ford Office Technologies
SENECA HAGERSENECA HAGER
IT Helpdesk Manager at Ford Office TechnologiesIT Helpdesk Manager at Ford Office Technologies
Leo ArnaudovLeo Arnaudov
Jr. Cyber Security Analyst at Ford Office TechnologiesJr. Cyber Security Analyst at Ford Office Technologies
Jesicelina NelsonJesicelina Nelson
Registered Nurse at Concordia of MonroevilleRegistered Nurse at Concordia of Monroeville
Ke LamKe Lam
Pharmacy Technician at Rite-Aid PharmacyPharmacy Technician at Rite-Aid Pharmacy