IT Infrastructure Manager

The Infrastructure Manager is responsible for the design, implementation, ownership, and ongoing management of the organization’s IT infrastructure, including network, cloud, identity, and security environments. This role ensures high availability, reliability, scalability, performance, and disaster recovery across corporate offices, retail locations, international sites, and remote environments.

The Infrastructure Manager leads both strategic and operational initiatives, supports and coordinates incident response and audits, manages vendors and service providers, and continuously improves infrastructure through automation, standardization, and documentation. The role includes direct supervision of the System Administrator and close collaboration with IT Support, Cybersecurity, and Technical Services teams.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic Planning and Design
• Analyze business and operational requirements to design infrastructure solutions that balance cost, risk, scalability, and performance.
• Develop, maintain, and execute short- and long-term infrastructure roadmaps aligned with business needs.

• Propose and evaluate alternative infrastructure solutions to the IT Director and CIO, considering operational impact, sustainability, and total cost of ownership.

• Implementation and Configuration
• Design, implement, and maintain enterprise network solutions including routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, and wireless networks (Meraki, Cisco, Fortinet).
• Support infrastructure requirements for store openings, store closures, international locations, and remote/inflight environments.
• Manage infrastructure lifecycle activities including new deployments, hardware refreshes, replacements, and configuration standardization.

• Support and manage Azure cloud environments and on-premises infrastructure hosted in an Equinix colocation data center.

• Monitoring, Incident Response, and Maintenance
• Establish and own monitoring platforms, alerting strategies, and intervention procedures to maintain defined service levels.
• Lead infrastructure incident response, including vendor escalation, recovery coordination, communication, and root-cause analysis.

• Perform ongoing maintenance to ensure resilience, redundancy, and operational stability across environments.

• Compliance and Documentation
• Ensure infrastructure services adhere to security and compliance requirements, including PCI.
• Actively support audits by providing technical input, evidence collection, remediation implementation, and compliance tracking.

• Create and maintain infrastructure documentation, including network topology diagrams, architecture diagrams, IP assignments, standards, procedures, and runbooks.

• Vendor and Service Management
• Manage relationships with MSPs, ISPs, cloud providers, hardware vendors, and service partners.
• Oversee vendor performance, service delivery, escalations, contract renewals, and licensing reviews.

• Identify and implement opportunities for cost optimization, reliability improvements, and service quality enhancements.

• Cloud, Identity, and Productivity Platforms
• Administer and optimize Microsoft 365, including identity and security platforms such as Active Directory, Entra ID, SSO, and Duo MFA.
• Support and manage Azure environments, including cost optimization and FinOps practices.

• Maintain hybrid identity and authentication architectures to support secure access.

• Automation and Continuous Improvement
• Develop and maintain scripts to automate operational tasks and improve efficiency.
• Perform infrastructure assessments, capacity planning, and continuous environment improvements.

• Stay informed about industry trends and apply improvements through process development, documentation, and standardization.

• Operational Visibility and Reporting
• Design, develop, and manage Jira dashboards to provide visibility into IT operations, ticket trends, and performance metrics.

• Configure and maintain Jira filters, reports, and automation to support operational reporting and decision-making.

• Support and Collaboration
• Provide Tier-3 / escalation support for infrastructure-related issues.

• Collaborate closely with IT Support, Cybersecurity, Technical Services, and external partners to resolve complex issues and deliver projects.

• Team Leadership
• Directly supervise the System Administrator, providing coaching, mentoring, and performance management.
• Lead cross-functional infrastructure initiatives, coordinating teams and vendors without direct reporting authority.

Do you have experience in Vendor relationship building?, * Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in enterprise infrastructure roles (network, systems, cloud, and security) within medium to large environments.

• Technical Knowledge
• Advanced understanding of enterprise networking, cabling infrastructure, telecommunications, and communication systems for data, voice, and video.

• Strong experience supporting hybrid infrastructure environments across cloud, colocation, and on-prem platforms.

• Core Technologies
• Azure & Equinix Colocation: Experience managing Azure workloads alongside on-premises infrastructure hosted in an Equinix data center.
• Meraki Management: Wireless design, heatmapping, VLANs, and network segmentation.
• Fortinet Devices: Firewall and switch configuration, management, and troubleshooting.
• Storage: Dell Unity SAN storage configuration, maintenance, and performance tuning.

• Identity & Security: Active Directory, Entra ID, SSO, Duo MFA.

• Technical Proficiencies
• Meraki, Cisco ASA, Fortinet, VMware, Microsoft 365, Jira, Kaseya, AWS, Azure, Active Directory, Veeam, Acronis, Windows Server 2012 R2 or later., + Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in fast-paced environments.

• Excellent documentation, communication, and training skills.

• Physical Requirements
• Ability to perform office functions and physical implementations in data centers, including lifting up to 45 lbs., * Integrity and Trust
• Demonstrates honesty and transparency, maintains confidentiality, and takes accountability for decisions and outcomes.
• Problem Solving
• Apply structured analysis and sound judgment to resolve complex infrastructure and operational challenges.
• Time Management
• Effectively prioritizes tasks and manages multiple initiatives concurrently.
• Decision Making
• Makes informed decisions under pressure, balancing urgency, risk, and long-term impact.