IT Manager-Infrastructure (Compute)

The City of Houston is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking IT Manager - Infrastructure to lead a high-performing technical team supporting Data Center, Server, Storage, and Core Infrastructure operations. This leader will play a critical role in advancing the City’s digital transformation by strengthening on-premises capabilities while expanding our cloud infrastructure footprint. The ideal candidate brings strong technical expertise, practical leadership experience, and a passion for operational excellence, service reliability, and continuous improvement., Leadership & Team Management

• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and professional development to a technical team responsible for servers, storage, Active Directory, Microsoft 365 administration, and backup solutions.

• Assign tasks, set clear expectations, and maintain high standards for quality, accountability, and customer service.

• Conduct annual performance evaluations that align goals with department strategy, fostering skill development and succession planning.

• Promote a customer-centric culture focused on responsiveness, innovation, and operational excellence.

Operational Oversight

• Oversee administration of Data Center policies, documentation, and procedures-including development, updates, and enforcement of security, operational, and maintenance standards.

• Ensure effective 24/7 operational readiness through structured On-Call and remote support processes.

• Coordinate workload prioritization, monitor progress, and ensure timely delivery of operational and project commitments.

Strategic Planning & Execution

• Develop strategic and tactical plans for Infrastructure Services, including capacity planning, system design recommendations, lifecycle management, and modernization initiatives.

• Evaluate proposed projects and technology solutions to determine benefits, risks, and operational impact.

• Prepare cost estimates and resource plans to support ongoing operations and future initiatives.

Budget & Financial Management

• Participate in the development and ongoing management of the annual infrastructure budget covering hardware refresh cycles, software subscriptions, cloud services, maintenance agreements, and professional services.

• Track and optimize spending across servers, storage, backup systems, licensing, and support contracts; identify cost-savings through consolidation, optimization, or managed services.

• Contribute to scheduled budget updates, variance analyses, and justifications for capital expenditures and multi-year investments.

Contract, Licensing & Renewal Management

• Oversee annual and multi-year renewal cycles for software licenses, hardware maintenance, warranties, and managed service contracts.

• Ensure accurate tracking of entitlements, compliance with licensing terms, and readiness for vendor audits.

• Partner with divisions on negotiations, scope adjustments, SLAs, and vendor performance reviews.

• Maintain a centralized repository of key renewal dates, obligations, deliverables, and service-level requirements.

Lifecycle & Asset Management

• Establish and maintain lifecycle roadmaps for servers, storage platforms, operating systems, and related infrastructure technologies.

• Ensure timely refresh and decommissioning of end-of-life equipment to maintain security, supportability, and performance.

• Ensure that procurement planning, asset tagging, CMDB/inventory accuracy, and compliant disposal processes are properly executed and maintained.

Security, Compliance & Risk Management

• Collaborate with Cybersecurity and Compliance teams to enforce policies, conduct audits, and meet regulatory/standard requirements (e.g., configuration hardening, patching, logging, and access controls).

• Implement vulnerability remediation plans, patch cycles, and change-management controls for servers and infrastructure systems.

• Lead Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery planning, testing, and documentation for covered services.

Cloud & Modernization Initiatives

• Provide oversight for hybrid cloud operations, including cloud governance, tagging policies, cost optimization, and capacity controls.

• Drive modernization of legacy systems and adoption of infrastructure automation, infrastructure-as-code, and advanced monitoring/observability tools.

Operational Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Define and monitor service KPIs/SLAs (e.g., uptime, patch compliance, backup success rates, performance indicators).

• Lead post-incident reviews, root cause analysis, and corrective action plans; champion continuous improvement.

• Mature operational processes through documented SOPs, workflow automation, runbooks, and knowledge management.

Vendor Evaluation & Procurement Support

• Participate in reviews of vendor proposals for hardware, software, and professional services, ensuring alignment with technical standards, security requirements, and operational needs.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to support acquisition, contract compliance, and value realization across vendor engagements.

Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain accurate inventories, architectural documentation, operational reports, and performance metrics that enable data-driven decisions and transparent communication.

• Ensure documentation is current, accessible, and aligned with compliance and audit requirements., Have you managed cloud or hybrid infrastructure environments (Azure, AWS, etc.)?, Have you been responsible for enforcing cybersecurity or compliance requirements within an infrastructure team?

Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Management and Information Systems (MIS) or a closely related field., At least eight (8) years of technology experience supporting IT infrastructure of a department or enterprise IT environment that includes two (2) years supervising a technology team., + Experience leading enterprise server, storage, and backup operations in hybrid environments (on-prem and cloud).

• Hands-on expertise with Microsoft technologies (AD/Group Policy, Windows Server), Microsoft 365 administration, virtualization (VMware/Hyper-V), SAN/NAS storage, backup/DR platforms, and infrastructure automation/scripting.

• Knowledge of cloud governance, cost management, tagging, and security controls (e.g., Azure or AWS).

• Familiarity with ITIL practices (incident, change, problem), CMDB/asset management, and operational KPIs/SLAs.

• Strong vendor management, contract negotiation, and budget stewardship., + High School Diploma or GED

• Associate’s degree

• Bachelor’s Degree

• Master’s Degree

• None of the above

03

How many years of experience do you have supporting IT Infrastructure in managing enterprise level infrastructure environments?

• Less than 8 years of experience

• 8 years of experience

• 9 years of experience

• 10 years of experience

• 11 years of experience

• 12 years of experience

• 13 years of experience

• 14 years of experience

• 15 or more years of experience

• None of the above

04

How many years of supervising experience do you have?

• Less than 2 years of experience

• 2 years of experience

• 3 years of experience

• 4 years of experience

• 5 or more years of experience

• I have no experience

05

Do you have experience supervising technical staff responsible for enterprise infrastructure (such as servers, storage, networking, data center operations, or cloud platforms)?, Have you previously led major incident or outage response activities for critical systems or public safety related services?, Do you have experience managing vendors, contracts, or service level agreements for IT infrastructure services?, Do you have experience developing or managing budgets for IT infrastructure (hardware, software, licensing, or services)?, Do you have experience managing infrastructure changes using an ITIL or similar framework?, Do you have valid Driver’s License?

There are no major sources of discomfort, i.e., essentially normal office environment with acceptable lighting, temperature, and air conditioning. The position requires prolonged use of computers, monitors, keyboards, and related technology.