Patch Management & Automation Consultant

MetroSys is seeking an experienced Patch Management & Automation Consultant to support a regional credit union organization in assessing, improving, and modernizing its enterprise patch management program.

The consultant will evaluate the client's existing patching processes, technology, policies, and compliance posture, with a primary focus on Microsoft SCCM / Microsoft Configuration Manager. The environment is predominantly Microsoft-based but also includes Linux systems and infrastructure supporting banking and security operations.

This is not strictly an SCCM administration position. The consultant will be expected to take a broader look at the organization's patch and vulnerability management lifecycle, identify gaps and manual processes, recommend best practices, and determine where automation and AI-assisted capabilities can improve efficiency, visibility, compliance, and risk reduction.

The initial engagement is expected to last approximately three months, with the potential for an extended engagement and/or permanent employment based on project needs.

• Perform a comprehensive assessment of the organization's existing patch management program, including processes, policies, tools, workflows, reporting, and governance.
• Review the current SCCM / Microsoft Configuration Manager environment and evaluate its configuration, collections, deployment rings, maintenance windows, Software Update Groups, ADRs, compliance reporting, and overall effectiveness.
• Assess patching processes across a primarily Microsoft environment, while also reviewing requirements and processes for Linux and other supported infrastructure.
• Review the existing asset and system inventory and determine whether all applicable infrastructure is properly incorporated into patch management and compliance reporting.
• Identify gaps in patch coverage, automation, testing, deployment, exception management, remediation, and reporting.
• Evaluate opportunities to automate manual patch-management activities, including patch identification, prioritization, testing, approvals, deployments, compliance validation, remediation, and reporting.
• Identify practical opportunities to incorporate AI and AI-assisted operations into the patch and vulnerability management lifecycle without introducing unnecessary security or operational risk.
• Develop recommendations for improving patch prioritization based on vulnerability severity, exploitability, business criticality, and infrastructure risk.
• Review patching practices for systems supporting banking, security, and regulated workloads, considering applicable PCI and financial-services security requirements.
• Establish or improve patching standards, deployment rings, maintenance windows, emergency/zero-day patching procedures, rollback procedures, and exception-management processes.
• Develop dashboards, reports, and measurable KPIs for patch compliance, outstanding vulnerabilities, failed deployments, exceptions, and remediation timelines.
• Work with infrastructure, security, compliance, and business stakeholders to ensure patch-management processes align with organizational requirements.
• Recommend a future-state patch-management architecture and create a prioritized roadmap for remediation, automation, and modernization.
• Where appropriate, assist with implementing approved improvements during the initial engagement rather than limiting the project to assessment and recommendations.
• Provide documentation and knowledge transfer to internal IT and security teams.

During the initial three-month engagement, the consultant will be expected to deliver:

• Current-State Assessment: Document the existing patch-management environment, processes, technologies, risks, and gaps.
• SCCM Health & Configuration Review: Evaluate the current SCCM patching architecture and identify configuration and operational improvements.
• Patch Coverage Assessment: Validate coverage across Microsoft, Linux, cloud, infrastructure, and other applicable systems.
• Risk & Compliance Gap Analysis: Identify patching practices that may create security, operational, PCI, or financial-services compliance concerns.
• Automation & AI Assessment: Identify manual activities that can be safely automated and practical areas where AI-assisted capabilities could provide value.
• Future-State Roadmap: Develop prioritized recommendations for improving patch management, including quick wins and longer-term initiatives.
• Implementation Support: Begin implementing approved improvements, automation, reporting, and process changes as time permits.
• Documentation & Knowledge Transfer: Establish repeatable processes that can be managed by the internal team after the engagement.

• 5 years of experience supporting enterprise infrastructure, patch management, endpoint management, vulnerability management, or related disciplines.
• Strong hands-on experience with Microsoft SCCM / Microsoft Configuration Manager and enterprise software update management.
• Experience designing and managing patch deployment strategies, including testing groups, deployment rings, maintenance windows, automated deployment rules, and production rollouts.
• Strong understanding of Windows Server and Microsoft enterprise environments.
• Working knowledge of Linux patching and lifecycle management.
• Experience assessing existing IT environments and developing actionable remediation and modernization plans.
• Experience with scripting and automation technologies such as PowerShell, APIs, Power Automate, Azure Automation, or similar tools.
• Understanding of vulnerability management and risk-based patch prioritization.
• Experience producing patch-compliance reporting, dashboards, KPIs, and audit evidence.
• Strong understanding of change management, testing, rollback, exception management, and emergency patching procedures.
• Ability to communicate effectively with infrastructure engineers, security teams, compliance personnel, and IT leadership.

• Previous experience within a credit union, bank, financial institution, or other highly regulated environment.
• Understanding of PCI DSS and financial-services security and compliance requirements.
• Familiarity with Microsoft cloud technologies such as Azure, Intune, Entra ID, Azure Automation, and Microsoft security platforms.
• Experience integrating SCCM with vulnerability-management, ITSM, security, or reporting platforms.
• Experience implementing automation within infrastructure or security operations.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted IT operations, Microsoft Copilot capabilities, or the application of AI to vulnerability and patch-management workflows.
• Experience developing patch-management SOPs, governance standards, and audit-ready documentation.
• Consulting experience and the ability to independently lead discovery sessions, assessments, recommendations, and implementation activities.

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