APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: September 12th 2025 The Human Technopole Foundation (HT) is an interdisciplinary research institute, created and supported by the Italian government, whose aim is to develop innovative strategies to promote human health and healthy aging through a multidisciplinary and integrated approach, combining genomics, computational biology, structural biology, neuroscience and health data science. HT scientists work together to enable interdisciplinary research and to create an open, collaborative environment to help promote life science research nationally and internationally. In line with its mission to serve the research community at large, HT operates National Facilities, specifically aimed at making HT’s technologies, methods and tools available to the national scientific community.
The Human Technopole Foundation is looking for a
Senior Virtualization Engineer
to work within the Data Centre Facility. Reporting to the Core Services Manager, the successful candidate will be responsible for the design, implementation, and optimization of the institute's virtualization and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environments. This role ensures the performance, availability, security, and scalability of virtualization platforms, supporting business-critical applications, research, and enterprise ICT operations. The engineer leads strategic initiatives, automation efforts, and cross-functional collaboration to enhance infrastructure efficiency and resilience.
Your main tasks and responsibilities: Architect, deploy, and manage virtual infrastructure environments (hypervisors, orchestration, virtual storage, virtual desktop infrastructure); Ensure high availability, resource optimization, and disaster recovery (DR) strategies; Optimize hypervisor clusters, virtual networking, and storage for maximum efficiency; Define and enforce virtualization best practices for performance, security, and lifecycle management; Deploy and manage Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, including Connection Servers, Virtual Access Gateways and Application Volumes; Optimize desktop pools, image management, and user experience for VDI environments; Implement automation and scripting to streamline VDI operations; Troubleshoot VDI and Virtual Application performance issues, including latency, GPU acceleration, and storage bottlenecks; Develop automation for virtual infrastructure deployments, provisioning, and configuration management; Leverage scripting models such as PowerCLI, Terraform, and Ansible for infrastructure automation; Streamline VDI onboarding and scaling processes through scripting and orchestration tools; Ensure compliance with ICT security policies, regulatory standards, and virtualization vendors security hardening guidelines; Collaborate with CyberSecurity team to harden hypervisor hosts, and VDI access policies; Implement Zero Trust security models for VDI access and endpoint management; Lead virtualization and VDI infrastructure upgrades, migrations, and lifecycle management projects; Lead the diagnosis and resolution of complex virtualization-related incidents to minimize downtime; Conduct root cause analysis (RCA) and implement proactive measures to prevent recurring issues; Monitor hypervisor clusters, VDI resource utilization, and capacity trends to optimize performance; Maintain up-to-date virtualization and VDI documentation, configurations, and operational procedures; Establish and enforce VDI deployment standards, policies, and operational guidelines; Conduct training sessions and mentor members of the ICT team to enhance team capabilities.
Requirements
Mandatory requirements: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field; Minimum of 5 years in VMware infrastructure engineering, virtualization architecture, or end-user computing (EUC); Expert-level knowledge of virtualization systems (VMware, KVM, OpenStack, Citrix, Hyper-V or others); Strong experience with VDI infrastructure and Application Volumes (Horizon, OpenShift, XenApp, XenDesktop); Proficiency in PowerCLI, vRealize Automation (vRA), Terraform, Ansible for automation; Deep understanding of networking (NSX, VLANs) and storage (vSAN, NFS, iSCSI) technologies; Ability to lead VDI strategy, architecture, and large-scale deployments; Fluency in English (written and spoken)
Preferred requirements: Master’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field; VMware Certified (VCAP) – Data Center Virtualization (VCAP-DCV); Citrix Certified Associate, Virtualization (CCA-V); Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104); Red Hat Certified Specialist in Virtualization; ITIL certified.
Organizational and social skills: Strong problem-solving skills with a proactive approach to issue resolution; Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and meet deadlines; Excellent written and verbal communication skills for cross-departmental collaboration; Proactive, self-motivated approach to continuous improvement; Strong team player with a collaborative mindset; Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced environment and willingness to embrace new challenges.
Application Instructions Please apply online sending: a full CV in English a motivation letter in English
Any questions concerning the role and/or queries regarding the relevant terms and conditions should be addressed to recruitment@fht.org.
WHY HUMAN TECHNOPOLE? Our working environment is international, friendly and inclusive. We work together across disciplines leveraging synergies between their diverse skill sets and methodological approaches. We believe that highly diverse teams yield the best and most innovative results.
Main benefits Welfare plans Canteen service Work-life balance provisions Italian language training for foreigners Parental leave up to 1 year and other support for new parents Counseling
Special consideration will be given to candidates who are part of the protected categories list, according to L. 68/99.
Number of positions offered : 1 Contract offered : CCNL Chimico Farmaceutico, permanent- employee level. Salary range : € 50 - € 54k depending on candidate’s seniority. Location:
Milan
The Foundation reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to extend, suspend, modify, revoke, or cancel this job posting without giving rise to any rights or claims whatsoever in favour of the candidates; the Foundation reserves, however, the right not to proceed with the awarding of the above-described assignment due to the effect of supervening regulatory provisions and/or obstructive circumstances.