Infrastructure and systems
Hire systems engineers and administrators
Systems engineers keep the servers, identity and Microsoft 365 tenant that everything else depends on, and the job now includes rolling out Copilot and locking down who can see what. Systems engineer is one of the most-posted tech roles in the US. Madrone places systems engineers, administrators and Microsoft 365 specialists for MSPs and for companies that run IT themselves.
How the job changed
| Role | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Systems engineer | Racked and patched servers | Builds infrastructure as code and keeps cloud identity locked down |
| Microsoft 365 admin | Managed mailboxes | Runs the Copilot rollout and decides what it's allowed to see |
| Endpoint admin | Imaged laptops one at a time | Manages every device through Intune, from anywhere |
| Data center technician | Swapped failed drives | Runs dense, liquid-cooled AI racks on three shifts |
Roles we place
- Systems engineers (Windows, Linux, VMware)
- Systems administrators
- Microsoft 365, Entra ID and Intune administrators
- Azure administrators
- Backup and storage engineers
- Data center technicians
Typical pay
| Role | Pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Network and computer systems administrators | Median $99,130 a year | BLS |
National figures. Pay varies by location and seniority; a Role Review gives you the number for your market.
Contract or hire?
Contract a migration, a tenant cleanup or a Copilot rollout. Hire the admin who will run the environment every day.
How we find them
We don't post jobs. We map who is doing this work today, reach out with a message written for each person, and draw on a database we've built since 2007. A recruiter screens every candidate and verifies identity and work history before you see them. Most roles are filled in one to three weeks.
Sources: CompTIA, Oct 2026, BLS Occupational Outlook: network and computer systems administrators.
Questions
Do we need a systems engineer or an MSP?
Often both. An MSP covers the routine work; a systems engineer on your team owns the decisions. We'll tell you honestly which you need.
Can you fill on-site roles?
Yes, anywhere in the US: on site, hybrid or remote.
What about Copilot?
A Copilot rollout is mostly a permissions project. Hire an admin who has cleaned up SharePoint and Teams access before.