Manager, Operations Support

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Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Job Description

Job Summary

The IT Infrastructure Manager is responsible for the planning, organization, evaluation, and administration of IT infrastructure needs including management of the IT operations Engineers. This position will oversee IT operations for Western Governors University and reports to the Senior Manager of IT Infrastructure. As the IT Operations Manager, the selected candidate will be responsible for the secure and effective operation of all Microsoft, VMware, NetApp, and Red Hat systems

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Manages day to day process flow, department personnel, productivity; scheduling activities to meet objectives of the department.
• Directs department personnel to keep accurate and timely records, documents, tickets, invoices, logs and all other matters relating to the ITS department.
• Develops, implements, and maintains policies, procedures protocols and associated activities related to IT governance and security compliance.
• Plans IT projects and project budgets, and resource needs. Negotiates with vendors, outsourcers, and contractors to secure network products and services.
• Protects IT assets through disaster recovery, back-up procedures, information security protocols and change control.
• Designs and implements on-site, off-site, and international server infrastructure.
• Assesses, approves, and administers all equipment, hardware, and enterprise software upgrades.
• Practices in network asset management, including maintenance of network component inventory, life cycle management and documentation.
• Performs cost-benefit and return on investment analyses for proposed systems to aid management in making implementation decisions.
• Manages and ensures:
  • Optimal operation of all IT equipment (i.e. servers, storage, etc.)
  • Effectiveness of servers, including hardware, and associated operating systems and software.
  • Effectiveness of security, including firewalls, anti-virus solutions, and intrusion detection systems.
  • Cloud Infrastructure utilizing vMWare ESXi products Line.
• Manages Active Directory Infrastructure; Parent/Child domains, Group Policy Objects, security groups, and user accounts.
• Manages technical change control to ensure that all IT changes are implemented in a formal and controlled manner and the appropriate levels of communications are taken when implementing change.
• Ensures policies are well-documented and communicated for and to departmental personnel Manage, retain, provide feedback, training, administer performance reviews and career opportunities to staff as needed.
• Ensures systems are regularly patched and maintained to enhance the security of data, network access, and backup systems.
• Manages people. Retains, provides feedback, trains, administers performance reviews and career opportunities to staff as needed.
• Participates in the selection and staffing process by promoting the company and position in a positive manner through the interview process, objectively assess candidates and select the most qualified candidate.
• Ensures security of data, network access, and backup systems.
• Manages on-call team schedules and ensures proper 24 x 7 coverage. Be available for escalations as needed for critical incidents during on-call hours.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Knowledge of Microsoft platforms including Active Directory, Server, Office/365, and Azure.
• Skill to communicate professionally, both oral and written.
• Skill in planning such as identifying and organizing action steps to achieve a task.
• Skill to define a problem, identify root causes resulting in solutions.
• Skill at self-motivation and completing tasks in a timely manner.
• Skill at making oral presentations that are clear, concise, and easy to understand.
• Skill in managing and leading others.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and respond to multiple projects and deadlines.
• Ability to identify, implement, and document new procedures or identify when existing procedures are obsolete.
• Ability to work with interruptions as problems arise needing immediate attention.
• Knowledge of network security best practices and methodologies for securing company assets.
• Knowledge of enterprise infrastructure components such as servers, data centers, network, telephony, power, cooling, and storage area networks.
• Knowledge of standard operating procedures, establishing service level agreements, and managing end user support teams such as help desk operators.
• Knowledge of modern infrastructure service methodologies such as private & public cloud, virtual farms, software as a service (SaaS), and software defined networking (SDN, SD-WAN).
• Works proficiently within ITIL requirements for incident resolution, change requests, and problem management.
• Manages technology operations in on-premises, collation, and AWS, Axure and OCI public cloud environments.
• Manages a mix of individual contributor levels up through Staff Engineer.

Competencies:

Organizational Impact:

• Manages a team that focuses on executing the operational plans for the job area with measurable contribution to the achievement of results of the department, function, or office.
• Assigns and distributes work.

Problem Solving and Decision Making:

• Responsible for making moderate improvements of processes or systems to enhance performance of the job area.
• Assignments received and problems faced are broad and undefined, and occasionally require use of analytical concepts, investigation, and knowledge from prior experience.

Communication and Influence:

• Communicates within job area and occasionally with external groups. External facing professionals (i.e. Admissions) communicate more regularly with external groups on routine matters.

• Ensures compliance with University policies and procedures within job area and may influence others outside of job area to justify and gain cooperation for policies, practices, and procedures.

Leadership and Talent Management:

• Manages/Supervises a team of professionals. Manages the work of assigned employees and/or supervisors who generally exercise some latitude and independence in their assignments. Ensures proper training of team members, and participates in hiring, firing, and promotion decisions. Conducts performance reviews and may recommend salary reviews.
• May complete assignments that are technical in manner in addition to supervising others.

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in technology major or equivalent.

• In lieu of education, at least 5 years of experience in server engineering and administration.

• Broad management knowledge to lead the department.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 7 years of experience in server engineering and administration.
• Certifications Preferred: Windows Server (MCSA/MCSW/MCITIP on Windows 2008 or higher), VCP for vSpherev5 or v6.
• Experience in a SaaS environment desired. 5+ years' experience using Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Google Apps, mobile technologies, multiple computing platforms and database concepts.

Position & Application Details

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.