Product Engineer II - Configuration

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.   At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD.    We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.    We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.  As a Product Engineer II – Configuration Services, you will be instrumental in implementing enterprise-level system configurations for data center and edge hardware. You will own the process from hardware arrival through power-on, configuration, validation, and documentation, ensuring accurate and efficient delivery of configured systems to internal teams and customers. Your responsibilities include creating system configuration plans, defining and executing power-on and burn-in procedures, performing firmware and BIOS/UEFI updates, and implementing OS/hypervisor images and automation. You will collaborate closely with Program Management, Account Coordinators, Production Engineering, Manufacturing, System Verification, Sales Engineering, and clients to provide a high-quality project experience. Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

General Functions

• Collaborate on quoting requests with other Product Engineers, Sales Engineers, Project Managers, external client facing teams, and directly with the client as necessary for complete and accurate quotes.

• Collaborate on cross training with the Product Engineering Team.

• Collaborate with the Sales Engineering team to scope and design Foundry services as necessary.

• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering, System Verification engineering, to ensure proper documentation and automation in in place for projects.

• Support Production as needed throughout the course of projects by collaborating with Program Management, Account Coordinators and Production Engineering.

• Participate in the launch of new solutions, ensuring successful delivery to customers.

• Diagnose and resolve hardware, firmware, and software compatibility issues in coordination with customers and vendors.

• Conduct research on emerging technologies, including performance evaluations and benchmark testing.

• Respond to and resolve advanced customer technical inquiries in a timely manner.

• Mentor and provide guidance to other Product Engineers to support team development.

Configuration Engineering Functions

• Own the bench-level configuration process for enterprise servers, storage, and networking platforms from incoming inspection through final configuration sign-off.

• Develop and maintain system configuration plans and port mapping for single systems and small clusters, including IP addressing, VLAN assignments, and logical connectivity.

• Perform initial power-on, firmware/BIOS/UEFI updates, and hardware validation per project standards.

• Install and configure Linux and Windows operating systems, hypervisors, and base software images according to customer or internal build standards.

• Develop and maintain golden images, automation scripts, and configuration checklists for repeatable, high-quality builds.

• Diagnose and resolve hardware, firmware, and software compatibility issues in coordination with customers and vendors, escalating when appropriate.

• Capture and maintain configuration documentation (as-built configs, inventories, serials, IP plans, port maps) in the appropriate systems of record.

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