Citrix Architect

Role Summary

The Citrix Architect is the technical authority for the organization's Citrix virtualization platform. This role investigates complex, high-severity issues, leads upgrade and migration projects (CVAD and Citrix DaaS), drives the Citrix Profile Management (UPM) vs FSLogix strategy, and evaluates and proves out new solutions through POCs before leading their production deployment.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

1. Architecture and Design

·       Design, document, and maintain the end-to-end Citrix architecture (CVAD on-prem, Citrix DaaS, hybrid, and multi-site/DR designs).

·       Produce high-level and low-level designs (HLD/LLD), reference architectures, standards, and build guides.

·       Define capacity planning, sizing, scalability, and high-availability strategies for Delivery Controllers, StoreFront, NetScaler/ADC, Cloud Connectors, and VDA workloads.

·       Design secure remote access using NetScaler Gateway/ADC, including authentication (SAML, MFA, Entra ID), aligned with Zero Trust principles.

·       Ensure the architecture aligns with security, compliance, and enterprise standards.

2. Complex Issue Investigation and Escalation

·       Serve as the Tier 3 / final technical escalation point for complex, high-impact Citrix incidents.

·       Perform deep-dive root cause analysis (RCA) on slow logons, session launch failures, black screens, session reliability/reconnects, HDX/graphics performance, VDA registration failures, and profile issues.

·       Use tools such as CDF Control, Citrix Director, WEM analytics, Wireshark, ProcMon, Event Logs, and Citrix Scout to diagnose problems.

·       Engage Citrix Support and vendors (Microsoft, hypervisor, storage, network) and drive cases to resolution.

·       Document RCA findings, implement permanent fixes, and create knowledge base articles and runbooks.

3. Upgrade and Project Delivery

·       Lead end-to-end delivery of CVAD upgrades (LTSR/CR): assessment, prerequisites, test plan, pilot, cutover, and rollback planning.

·       Lead Citrix DaaS migration, upgrade, or onboarding projects, including Cloud Connector deployment and hybrid/cloud transition.

·       Upgrade related components: StoreFront, NetScaler/ADC, Licensing Server, Director, WEM, PVS/MCS, and VDA/master images.

·       Develop project plans, timelines, risk registers, and communication plans; coordinate with Project Managers, infrastructure, security, and application teams.

·       Ensure minimal downtime and sound change management (CAB, change records, post-implementation reviews).

4. Profile Management Strategy (UPM vs FSLogix)

·       Evaluate Citrix Profile Management (UPM) vs Microsoft FSLogix on logon performance, scalability, storage impact, resilience, Office/OneDrive/Teams support, and supportability.

·       Design the profile architecture: storage (SMB, NetApp, Azure Files), Cloud Cache vs VHD(X) locations, redirection, and exclusions.

·       Lead profile migration projects, including pilot, tuning, and user acceptance testing.

·       Define best practices for profile size, antivirus exclusions, and monitoring.

5. New Solution Deployment and POC

·       Lead POCs and pilots for new technologies (e.g., Citrix DaaS, WEM, App Layering, Citrix Analytics, cloud-hosted VDAs, GPU/HDX 3D Pro, Windows 11 multi-session, Citrix Secure Private Access).

·       Define success criteria, test cases, and measurable outcomes; present findings with clear recommendations, cost, and risk analysis.

·       Lead production rollout of approved solutions through design, build, testing, and handover to operations.

·       Evaluate alternatives (e.g., Azure Virtual Desktop, VMware Horizon) and provide objective comparisons when required.

6. Operations, Automation, and Optimization

·       Optimize logon times, session performance, user experience, and resource utilization.

·       Automate deployment, image management, and configuration using PowerShell, REST APIs, Terraform/Ansible, and CI/CD pipelines.

·       Define monitoring and alerting strategy (Director, ControlUp, Splunk, SCOM, Azure Monitor, etc.).

·       Perform regular health checks, patching strategy reviews, and lifecycle/EOL planning.

·       Maintain golden image standards and application delivery/packaging strategy (MSIX, App-V, App Layering).

7. Governance, Security, and Compliance

·       Define and enforce Citrix security baselines, hardening standards, and certificate management.

·       Support audits and vulnerability remediation (NetScaler/ADC patching, Citrix security bulletins).

·       Maintain architecture documentation and DR/BCP plans, and test DR failovers.

8. Leadership and Collaboration

·       Provide technical leadership and mentorship to Citrix engineers and support teams.

·       Act as the primary technical liaison with Citrix, Microsoft, and other vendors.

·       Communicate technical concepts clearly to stakeholders, management, and non-technical audiences.

·       Contribute to roadmap planning, budget inputs, and vendor/licensing strategy.

9 Methodology Development & Knowledge Transfer

• Design and continuously refine the team's diagnostic playbook — a step-by-step, tool-by-tool guide that enables engineers at all levels to systematically diagnose logon performance issues in a structured, repeatable way
• Develop training materials, recorded sessions, and runbooks covering the full diagnostic toolchain: Logic Monitor, Citrix Director, Power BI (Citrix All, GPO dashboard, scatter plot), Azure Log Analytics, Wireshark, Citrix policies, and GPO auditing
• Create and maintain a library of "lessons learned” specific, documented findings from customer investigations that can be evaluated and applied across the entire install base
• Mentor Systems Engineers, reviewing their diagnostic approaches, providing guidance on complex cases, and building their technical depth over time
• Conduct knowledge-transfer sessions and training surges so that the team's collective expertise grows faster than any individual's

10 AI-Assisted Analysis & Tooling

• Lead the team's use of AI for large-scale analysis — including ingesting Citrix configuration exports, GPO data, ServiceNow knowledge articles, and public Citrix best practice documentation to generate actionable insights and surface configuration gaps at scale
• Develop or guide the development of scripts (PowerShell, Python) to automate GPO auditing, data extraction, and comparison across customer environments
• Work with internal tooling teams to refine and productionize AI-based GPO audit capabilities and Citrix policy analysis pipelines
• Able to work on CITRIX Automation – Can use GitHub for CITRIX innovation  

Required Skills and Qualifications

·       8–12+ years of experience in end-user computing, with 5+ years in Citrix CVAD architecture and engineering.

·       Expert knowledge of Citrix CVAD, Citrix DaaS, StoreFront, NetScaler/ADC, PVS/MCS, Director, and WEM.

·       Proven experience delivering major upgrades (CVAD LTSR/CR) and migrations.

·       Hands-on experience with UPM and FSLogix, including design, migration, and troubleshooting.

·       Strong knowledge of Windows Server/Client, Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, PKI, networking, and storage.

·       Experience with hypervisors and cloud platforms (VMware vSphere, Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, Azure, AWS).

·       Proficiency in PowerShell scripting and automation.

·       AI-enabled Citrix automation: able to use AI tools to build and troubleshoot PowerShell/REST/Terraform automation for Citrix (image builds, deployments, upgrades, health checks), with GitHub for source control, pull request review, and CI/CD workflows (e.g., GitHub Actions) and the main branch as the controlled, reviewed source of truth.

·       Demonstrated ability to lead POCs, solution deployments, and cross-functional projects.

·       Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

·       Citrix certifications (CCP-V, CCE-V, or current Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops certifications).

·       Microsoft certifications (Azure, Windows Server, Microsoft 365).

·       Experience with ITIL processes, change management, and Agile/hybrid project delivery.

·       Experience with Azure Virtual Desktop or VMware Horizon.

Key Performance Indicators

·       Reduction in critical incidents and mean time to resolve (MTTR).

·       On-time, on-budget delivery of upgrade and migration projects with minimal downtime.

·       Improved logon times and user experience metrics.

·       POC outcomes delivered with clear, actionable recommendations.

·       Quality and completeness of architecture documentation and knowledge transfer.