Citrix Migration Architect (Citrix XenApp, ELM & PVS SME) _ Remote

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Citrix Migration Architect to lead the migration and modernization of our Citrix infrastructure.

This individual will serve as the primary technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) responsible for guiding our internal team through the migration of Citrix XenApp, Citrix Enterprise Layer Manager (ELM), App Layering, and Provisioning Services (PVS) environments.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role for a consultant who has successfully delivered multiple enterprise Citrix transformation projects in real-world production environments.

The successful candidate will lead architecture, design, implementation, migration planning, knowledge transfer, and operational readiness activities while mentoring internal staff throughout the engagement.

The candidate must be comfortable working in organizations with limited in-house Citrix App Layering and ELM expertise and must have a proven track record of successfully delivering projects on time.

Expected engagement duration: 2 3 months.

Required Experience

• 15+ years of enterprise Citrix architecture, engineering, and virtualization experience.
• Extensive experience supporting large-scale Citrix environments with hundreds or thousands of users.
• Proven success leading multiple enterprise Citrix migration and modernization projects.
• Experience serving as the lead technical architect and trusted advisor during Citrix transformation initiatives.
• Strong consulting, mentoring, and knowledge transfer experience.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver projects on schedule and within scope.
• Experience building, coaching, and mentoring infrastructure and support teams.

Mandatory Citrix ELM / App Layering Experience

• Minimum 5+ years of hands-on experience with Citrix Enterprise Layer Manager (ELM) and Citrix App Layering.
• Experience designing, deploying, upgrading, and supporting Citrix ELM environments.
• Experience creating and managing: OS Layers, Platform Layers, Application Layers, Elastic Layers, User Layers.
• Experience maintaining and troubleshooting App Layering environments.
• Experience migrating Citrix ELM environments between virtualization platforms.
• Experience validating layered images and application functionality post-migration.
• Multiple successful production implementations and migrations of Citrix App Layering environments.

Citrix PVS Experience

• Extensive experience designing and deploying Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS).
• Proven experience supporting enterprise-scale PVS farms.
• Experience designing highly available PVS architectures.
• Strong understanding of vDisk management, image lifecycle management, and PVS performance optimization.
• Experience troubleshooting complex PVS environments.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

Serve as the primary Citrix SME throughout the engagement.

Provide technical leadership and guidance to internal engineering teams.

Review and validate architecture decisions.

Establish Citrix operational best practices.

Facilitate technical workshops and design reviews.

Assist leadership with risk identification and mitigation.

Citrix ELM & App Layering Migration

Lead the migration of Citrix Enterprise Layer Manager (ELM) environments currently operating on Windows Server 2016/R2.

Migrate ELM environments from VMware infrastructure to Nutanix AHV.

Assess and document all App Layering configurations.

Validate application functionality after migration.

Ensure image integrity and operational consistency throughout migration activities.

Create migration, validation, testing, and rollback procedures.

Optimize App Layering architecture and image management processes where appropriate.

Citrix PVS Architecture & Migration

Assess existing Citrix PVS environments.

Design and optimize PVS architecture.

Validate vDisks, streaming performance, and image delivery processes.

Ensure high availability and disaster recovery requirements are met.

Lead migration, upgrade, and remediation activities.

Citrix XenApp Environment Assessment

Assess existing Citrix XenApp infrastructure and dependencies.

Review published applications and user delivery requirements.

Identify opportunities for modernization and optimization.

Validate application compatibility and performance requirements.

VMware to Nutanix Migration Support

Work closely with the Nutanix migration team.

Ensure successful migration of Citrix infrastructure components from VMware to Nutanix AHV.

Validate Citrix services following migration activities.

Troubleshoot issues related to platform transitions.

Ensure Citrix best practices are followed during migration execution.

Required Technical Expertise

Citrix Technologies

Expert-level knowledge of: Citrix XenApp, Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, Citrix Enterprise Layer Manager (ELM), Citrix App Layering, Citrix Provisioning Services (PVS), Citrix StoreFront, Citrix Director, Citrix Studio, Citrix Profile Management, Citrix Policies, Citrix Workspace, Citrix Licensing, Published Applications, Published Desktops.

Citrix ADC / NetScaler

NetScaler Gateway, Load Balancing, SSL Offloading, Authentication Policies, High Availability Configurations.

Nutanix

Knowledge and experience with: Nutanix AHV, Prism Central, Prism Element, Nutanix Move, VMware to Nutanix migrations, Citrix integration with Nutanix platforms.

VMware

Advanced knowledge of: VMware ESXi, vCenter, Cluster Design, High Availability, Distributed Virtual Switches, Virtual Machine Migration.

Microsoft Technologies

Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, Active Directory, Group Policy, DNS, DHCP, DFS, FSLogix, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365 Integration.

Automation & Scripting

Preferred experience with: PowerShell, Automation Frameworks, Citrix Image Automation, Infrastructure as Code concepts.

Knowledge Transfer Responsibilities

The successful candidate must: Mentor infrastructure engineering teams throughout the engagement.

Deliver formal training sessions.

Conduct hands-on workshops.

Provide operational best practices and troubleshooting guidance.

Build in-house expertise to support the environment independently after project completion.

Transfer knowledge to engineering, operations, and support teams.

Required Deliverables

The consultant will be expected to provide: Assessment Phase, Current State Assessment, Application Dependency Review, Risk Assessment, Gap Analysis.

Design Phase

Future State Architecture, Citrix ELM Design Documentation, PVS Design Documentation, High Availability Design, Disaster Recovery Recommendations.

Migration Phase

Migration Runbook, Validation Plan, Testing Plan, Cutover Plan, Rollback Procedures.

Operational Readiness

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Operational Runbooks, Troubleshooting Guides, Support Documentation, Production Readiness Review.

Knowledge Transfer

Administrator Training, Engineering Workshops, Support Team Training, Handover Documentation, Final Knowledge Transfer Sessions.