Email Server Architect, Administrator & Support Specialist (Postfix/Dovecot/Exchange)

Overview:

We are seeking a highly experienced and security-conscious Senior Email Server Administrator to design, implement, and maintain a robust, scalable, and secure email server solution. Depending on our existing infrastructure and requirements, this could involve a Linux-based setup (Postfix/Dovecot) or a Windows-based Microsoft Exchange environment. The critical objective is to ensure high email deliverability, effective spam and virus filtering, reliable user management, and compliance with modern email security standards to support our organizational communication needs. The successful candidate will not only deliver a resilient initial setup but also provide ongoing support and expert guidance to ensure continuous, uninterrupted email services.

Responsibilities:

•  Architecture Design & Planning:
• Conduct a thorough assessment of current email infrastructure (if any) and gather comprehensive requirements for scalability, security, high availability, and specific features (e.g., archiving, compliance).
• Design a resilient and high-availability email server architecture (e.g., clustered Postfix/Dovecot with shared storage, Microsoft Exchange DAG, multi-node setup).
• Select appropriate hardware/VM resources, operating systems, and network configurations to support the email solution.
• Plan for seamless integration with existing directory services (e.g., LDAP, Active Directory) for user authentication and management.
•  Installation & Core Configuration:
• Perform a clean, secure, and production-ready installation of Postfix/Dovecot on Linux or Microsoft Exchange Server on Windows.
• Configure core email services (SMTP, POP3, IMAP) and ensure secure communication via SSL/TLS for all client and server connections.
• Set up virtual domains, mailboxes, aliases, distribution lists, and shared mailboxes according to organizational structure.
• Implement robust authentication mechanisms (e.g., SASL, OAUTH).
•  Security, Deliverability & Anti-Spam:
• Implement advanced spam filtering solutions (e.g., SpamAssassin, RBLs, greylisting, content filtering, DMARC enforcement) and integrate with leading antivirus solutions for email scanning.
• Configure critical DNS records for optimal email deliverability and authentication (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to prevent spoofing and ensure legitimate email reaches its destination.
• Implement comprehensive security best practices for email servers, including strong authentication policies, rate limiting, protection against common email attacks (e.g., spoofing, phishing, brute-force attacks), and regular vulnerability scanning.
• Set up email archiving, retention, and e-discovery policies if required for compliance and legal purposes.
• Monitoring, Troubleshooting & Documentation:
• Configure comprehensive monitoring for email server health, performance, mail queue status, and deliverability metrics using tools like Nagios, Zabbix, or cloud-native monitoring services.
• Proactively identify and resolve complex email delivery issues, blacklisting problems, performance bottlenecks, and security alerts.
• Provide detailed, actionable documentation of the email server architecture, configurations, security measures, operational procedures, and troubleshooting guides.
• Deliver in-depth training to internal IT staff on email server management, common issue resolution, and security best practices.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum 6+ years of extensive hands-on experience in administering and architecting enterprise-level email server solutions, with significant expertise in either Postfix/Dovecot on Linux or Microsoft Exchange Server on Windows.
• Deep understanding of email protocols (SMTP, POP3, IMAP) and their underlying mechanisms, including message flow and header analysis.
• Expert-level proficiency in configuring and troubleshooting DNS records critical for email deliverability and authentication (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
• Proven experience with implementing and tuning advanced anti-spam and antivirus solutions for email.
• Strong knowledge of email security best practices, common attack vectors, and compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS related to email data).
• Proficiency in Linux server administration (for Postfix/Dovecot) or Windows Server and Active Directory (for Exchange), including scripting for automation (Bash, PowerShell).
• Excellent troubleshooting, diagnostic, and problem-solving skills for complex email flow issues, performance degradation, and security incidents.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., MCSE: Messaging for Exchange, Linux Professional Institute Certification, CompTIA Security+) are highly beneficial.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.

Key Skills:

• Email Server
•  Postfix
•  Dovecot
•  Microsoft Exchange
•  SMTP
• POP3
•  IMAP
•  DNS (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
• Spam Filtering
• Antivirus
•  Email Security
•  Deliverability
•  Mail Queue Management
•  Linux Server Administration
•  Windows Server
• Active Directory
•  SSL/TLS
•  Troubleshooting
•  High Availability
•  Archiving
•  Compliance
•  Automation
•  PowerShell
• Bash
•  Monitoring

Client Expectations:

We require a highly reliable, secure, and performant email server that ensures seamless and uninterrupted communication for our organization. The freelancer should be a proactive problem-solver, capable of designing a future-proof solution, and committed to providing thorough documentation and knowledge transfer. We value a strong focus on security, email deliverability, and a willingness to provide ongoing support to maintain system health and adapt to evolving needs.

Expectations for Support from Freelancer:

• Responsiveness: Prompt communication and response to inquiries (within 2-4 hours for critical issues during business hours, and within 24 hours for non-critical issues).
• Availability: Willingness to be available for urgent issues, critical updates, or security incidents (e.g., email outages, major spam attacks), potentially outside standard business hours, with prior arrangement.
• Troubleshooting: Ability to quickly and accurately diagnose and resolve any post-implementation issues, performance degradation, or security concerns related to the email server.
• Documentation Updates: Proactively keep all documentation current with any changes, optimizations, or new configurations made during the support phase.
• Advisory: Provide ongoing expert advice on future scaling strategies, security enhancements, new feature implementations, and general best practices for email server management.

Project Goals:

• Uninterrupted Communication: Ensure high availability and reliability of email services, minimizing downtime for critical business communications.
• Enhanced Security & Compliance: Establish a highly secure email environment resistant to spam, phishing, malware, and other cyber threats, while ensuring compliance with relevant data protection regulations.
• Optimal Deliverability: Achieve and maintain excellent email deliverability rates, preventing legitimate emails from being marked as spam or rejected.
• Efficient Management: Provide an intuitive and fully functional email server environment that simplifies user management, mailbox provisioning, and policy enforcement.
• Scalability & Performance: Design and implement a solution that can scale to accommodate future growth in user base and email volume without compromising performance.
• Operational Transparency: Implement comprehensive monitoring and logging to provide clear visibility into email system health and performance.