Lead - Patch Operations

The Big Picture  

Sysco LABS is the Global In-House Center of Sysco Corporation (NYSE: SYY), the world’s largest foodservice company. Sysco ranks 56th in the Fortune 500 list and is the global leader in the trillion-dollar foodservice industry.     

Sysco employs over 75,000 associates, has 337 smart distribution facilities worldwide and over 14,000 IoT-enabled trucks serving 730,000 customer locations. For fiscal year 2025 that ended June 29, 2025, the company generated sales of more than $81.4 billion.     

Sysco LABS Sri Lanka delivers the technology that powers Sysco’s end-to-end operations.     

Sysco LABS’ enterprise technology is present in the end-to-end foodservice journey, enabling the sourcing of food products, merchandising, storage and warehouse operations, order placement and pricing algorithms, the delivery of food and supplies to Sysco’s global network and the in-restaurant dining experience of the end-customer. 

Location: Sri Lanka 
Employment Type: Full-Time 
Department: Patching Operations 

Title : Lead – Patch Operations (Windows / Linux) 
Experience Level: 6+ Years 

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Team Lead to join our Patch Operations team. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading and developing a team of patch operations engineers, providing coaching, mentorship, and technical guidance while ensuring the effective delivery of patch management services across the enterprise. 

This role is responsible for maintaining operating system security compliance through vulnerability remediation, patch deployment, and advanced patch troubleshooting across large-scale hybrid cloud and on-premises infrastructure environments. The Team Lead will oversee patch operations for Windows and Linux server platforms hosted across datacenters and multi-cloud environments, ensuring security vulnerabilities are remediated within defined SLA targets while maintaining platform stability, availability, and operational excellence. 

The ideal candidate will combine strong technical expertise with proven leadership capabilities, driving continuous improvement, operational efficiency, and a culture of accountability within the team. 

Our Environment:

• Enterprise-scale Windows and Linux server infrastructure 

• Multi-Cloud Platforms: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) 

• Virtualization Platforms: Nutanix AHV and VMware vSphere 

• Patch Management Platform: Tanium 

• Vulnerability Management Tools: Qualys, Tenable, Rapid7, or equivalent 

• Infrastructure Automation: PowerShell, Bash, Ansible, Terraform 

• ITSM Platform: ServiceNow 

• Global 24x7 Operations Environment 

Key Responsibilities:

Patch Management & Remediation 

• Deploy monthly operating system security patches across Windows and Linux server environments. 

• Utilize Tanium to schedule, deploy, monitor, and validate patch compliance activities. 

• Coordinate emergency and Zero-Day vulnerability remediation activities. 

• Perform vulnerability remediation in accordance with organizational security policies and SLAs. 

• Validate successful installation of patches and security updates. 

• Investigate and resolve failed patch deployments. 

• Troubleshooting and resolving patching related server issues.  

Vulnerability Management 

• Analyze vulnerability reports and prioritize remediation activities based on risk ratings. 

• Collaborate with Cyber Security teams to address critical and high-risk vulnerabilities. 

• Track remediation progress and maintain compliance reporting. 

Infrastructure Operations 

• Support Windows Server (2012, 2016, 2019, 2022) and Linux (RHEL, Ubuntu, Amazon Linux) environments. 

• Coordinate patching activities across Nutanix, VMware, AWS, Azure, and GCP hosted workloads. 

• Participate in maintenance windows and change management activities. 

• Support server lifecycle management activities including build, migration, and decommissioning. 

• Troubleshot OS-related issues resulting from patch deployments. 

Automation & Reporting 

• Develop and maintain PowerShell and Bash scripts to automate operational tasks. 

• Create and maintain patch compliance dashboards and reporting metrics. 

• Contribute to infrastructure automation initiatives. 

• Identify opportunities to improve patching efficiency and reduce manual effort. 

Operational Excellence 

• Participate in patch planning, scheduling, and execution meetings. 

• Coordinate with application owners, infrastructure teams, and business stakeholders. 

• Maintain operational documentation, runbooks, and standard operating procedures. 

• Support audit and compliance requirements related to security patching. 

Required Skills & Experience: 

Technical Skills 

• Experience managing Windows or Linux server environments. 

• Experience using enterprise patch management solutions such as Tanium, SCCM, BigFix, or equivalent. 

• Understanding of vulnerability management and remediation processes. 

• Knowledge of Windows Update or Linux package management, and security patching practices. 

• Familiarity with VMware vSphere and Nutanix AHV platforms. 

• Understanding of AWS, Azure, and GCP infrastructure concepts. 

• Experience with PowerShell or Bash scripting. 

• Knowledge of Active Directory and Windows Server administration (Windows Engineers). 

• Understanding of networking fundamentals (DNS, TCP/IP, Firewall, Load Balancing). 

Operational Skills 

• Experience working in enterprise IT operations environments. 

• Understanding of Change Management and ITIL processes. 

• Ability to troubleshoot complex patching and vulnerability issues. 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, or related field. 

• 5–10 years of relevant industry experience, with at least 2–3 years in a leadership or supervisory role  

• Proven experience leading technical teams and managing day-to-day operations. 

• Demonstrated ability to manage priorities, allocate resources, and deliver projects within agreed timelines.  

• Experience with incident management, problem management, change management, and service delivery processes.  

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to make sound decisions under pressure.  

• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and interpersonal skills.  

• Experience with Tanium Patch Management or any other patching tool. 

• Experience with vulnerability management tools such as Qualys, Tenable, Rapid7, or Nessus would be an added advantage. 

• Familiarity with Azure Update Manager and AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager. 

• Experience supporting enterprise environments with 1,000+ servers would be an added advantage. 

• Red Hat, AWS, Azure, or GCP certifications (for Linux Engineers) 

Benefits:  

• Performance-based annual bonus   

• Performance rewards and recognition   

• Agile Benefits - special allowances for Health, Wellness & Academic purposes   

• Paid birthday leave Team engagement allowance   

• Comprehensive Health & Life Insurance Cover - extendable to parents and in-laws   

• Hybrid work arrangement   

Sysco LABS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.