Derek Wirch

Senior Systems Engineer, Infrastructure Specialist

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Summary

Senior individual contributor with decades of experience designing, stabilizing, and modernizing Windows-centric enterprise environments. Deep expertise in Active Directory, identity, endpoint management, virtualization, and automation. Known for calm execution in complex environments, clear documentation, and building systems that hold up under real-world pressure.

Seeking a full-time senior IC role where experience, ownership, and long-term thinking matter.

Experience

Senior Windows Client Engineer, Amazon AWS, 1/2024 - 1/2026

  • Modernized severely outdated MECM infrastructure across three enterprise environments, restoring reliability and supportability
  • Designed and implemented Group Policy baselines exceeding customer security and compliance requirements
  • Delivered MFA proof-of-concept enabling secure endpoint authentication at scale
  • Led Windows 11 readiness through targeted GPO design, supporting enterprise migration from Windows 10
  • Built automation for deployment and validation of Hyper-V virtual machines and supporting services

Senior Service Engineering Manager, Microsoft, 12/2017 - 1/2024

  • While holding a management title, this role remained deeply technical and execution-focused.
  • Designed and maintained highly secure, disconnected Azure administration environments
  • Built and operated hybrid deployment systems used by cloud engineers across multiple regions
  • Architected Hydra, a multi-site information dissemination platform supporting distributed operations
  • Automated provisioning of secure virtualized admin workspaces
  • Owned administration, monitoring, and security of multiple isolated regions
  • Acted as escalation point for Tier 2–4 issues
  • Subject matter expert for Windows hardening, Active Directory architecture, Hyper-V, and PowerShell automation

Senior Windows Systems Engineer, Amazon AWS, 4/2015 - 12/2017

  • Technical lead for Windows-based infrastructure and lab environments
  • Designed secure EC2-based Windows lab platforms
  • Built PowerShell-driven monitoring and automation systems leveraging WMI and Event Logs
  • Implemented highly available, remotely managed services
  • Led capacity planning, system monitoring design, and automation initiatives
  • Mentored junior engineers while remaining a primary hands-on contributor

Senior Systems Engineer, Satori Software, 11/2013 - 4/2015

  • Designed and operated self-hosted private cloud services across geographically dispersed sites
  • Built Hyper-V clusters and self-service VM deployment platforms
  • Repaired and stabilized SharePoint 2013 environments
  • Served as automation and scripting SME (PowerShell, VBScript, batch)
  • Delivered detailed technical documentation and operational runbooks

IT Infrastructure Architect, TrueBlue, Inc., 4/2007 - 11/2013

  • Architected fully virtualized enterprise infrastructure (VMware and Hyper-V)
  • Designed and operated System Center monitoring platforms (SCOM 2007–2012)
  • Standardized server builds, OS configurations, and operational processes
  • Built internal tooling for inventory, monitoring, task management, and automation
  • Led large-scale virtualization initiatives reducing power, cooling, and hardware costs
  • Acted as senior escalation engineer and technical mentor

Earlier Career (Condensed)

Senior Systems Administrator / Engineer — EDS, Microsoft (Contract), Siemens, Anteon

IT Manager / Network Services Manager — American Medical Response, MACROSystems

Senior Systems Engineer / Administrator — Laplink.com, Avandel, ProtoStar

Communications & Systems Specialist — United States Marine Corps

Roles spanning enterprise messaging (Exchange), Active Directory migrations, virtualization, automation, security hardening, and large-scale Windows operations.

Training

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

Microsoft Certified Professional + Internet (MCP+I)

CompTIA Cloud+ CE

Additional technical training: SQLSoft, Productivity Point International, Marine Corps Institute

Personal Projects

FortyPoundHead.com

Whether you're troubleshooting a server, looking for tech career help, or just looking for a subnet calculator - this is your toolbox.

Ophion Time Tracking

OphionTT is a fast, keyboard-friendly time tracker built for real technical work: interruptions, tickets, follow-ups, and context switching.

Chrontiq

Your Windows PC didn’t slow down for no reason. Something changed: an update, a driver, a background task, a new app. Chrontiq shows you what changed and helps explain why.

Harmony Reader

HarmonyReader is a personal RSS reader built for people who want clarity instead of clutter. Follow your favorite sites, organize feeds into folders, save articles for later, and work through unread items at your own pace.

No algorithm. No outrage machine. No endless social noise. Just the articles you chose, in one clean place.

Torqio

Taking care of your vehicle doesn’t have to be a headache. With torqio, you get one simple place to keep track of everything your ride needs, from routine maintenance to fuel usage, repairs, and even purchases.

RVMDB

This RV Maintenance Database (RVMDB) allows you track many aspects of not just RV maintenance, like repairs, warranties, vendor lists, purchases, and more.