Data Center & Network - Group Lead, EIT

Associated Universities Inc.; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 124,000 - 153,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Health, dental & vision plans

Retirement plan (10% match)

Job summary

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a prestigious research and development organization that partners with Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) to operate NRAO facilities for the international scientific community.

The NRAO Enterprise Infrastructure Technology (EIT) group seeks a Group Lead/Manager for Network & Data Center Services. You will lead, set standards, manage budgets, and ensure reliable, secure infrastructure delivery across locations, with supervision of technical

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
• Minimum seven years of progressively responsible infrastructure experience.
• Minimum three years of supervisory experience managing technical teams.
• Experience supporting enterprise network and/or data center environments.
• Experience developing operational standards, service metrics, and reporting frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Directly supervise Network Services and Data Center personnel, including performance management, coaching, and professional development.
• Establish operational goals, service-level objectives, and team performance expectations.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce SOPs for network and data center operations.
• Standardize operational practices and documentation across organizational locations.
• Oversee plans to re-architect network services.
• Oversee enterprise network operations including routing, switching, wireless, WAN, internet connectivity, and network security infrastructure.
• Oversee data center operations including facilities coordination, rack management, power, cooling, capacity planning, and infrastructure lifecycle management.
• Develop and maintain service metrics, KPIs, dashboards, and performance reporting frameworks.
• Conduct monthly and quarterly service reviews and present results to leadership.
• Coordinate incident, problem, and change management activities.
• Develop annual operating budgets and participate in capital planning.
• Manage vendor relationships and contracts.
• Drive operational maturity and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Infrastructure experience

Supervisory experience

Enterprise network/data center

Operational standards and metrics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent experience

Job description

Position Description:

Position Summary

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) is a prestigious research and development organization that plays a vital role in the study of the universe. Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a nonprofit organization that manages and operates the NRAO under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. The Observatory is a hub for technological and scientific collaboration, operating state‑of‑the‑art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. The Observatory has been instrumental in the study of black holes, galaxies, and the early universe.

The NRAO Enterprise Infrastructure Technology (EIT) is seeking a Group Lead/Manager for their Network & Data Center Services to join the team. The manager is responsible for the leadership, management, operational performance, and strategic development of enterprise Network Services and Data Center Services. This position provides direct supervision of technical staff while establishing standards, procedures, service-level objectives, and performance metrics that ensure reliable, secure, and efficient delivery of infrastructure services across all organizational locations. The Manager is accountable for operational excellence, team performance, budget planning, resource allocation, service reliability, operational governance, and continuous improvement initiatives.

The position is based preferably at the NRAO headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia or Albuquerque, NM.

What You Will be Doing:

• Directly supervise Network Services and Data Center personnel, including performance management, coaching, and professional development.
• Establish operational goals, service-level objectives, and team performance expectations.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce SOPs for network and data center operations.
• Standardize operational practices and documentation across organizational locations.
• Oversee plans to re-architect network services.
• Oversee enterprise network operations including routing, switching, wireless, WAN, internet connectivity, and network security infrastructure.
• Oversee data center operations including facilities coordination, rack management, power, cooling, capacity planning, and infrastructure lifecycle management.
• Develop and maintain service metrics, KPIs, dashboards, and performance reporting frameworks.
• Conduct monthly and quarterly service reviews and present results to leadership.
• Coordinate incident, problem, and change management activities.
• Develop annual operating budgets and participate in capital planning.
• Manage vendor relationships and contracts.
• Drive operational maturity and continuous improvement initiatives.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Provides direct supervision of Network Engineers, Network Administrators, Data Center Technicians, Data Center Engineers, contractors, and related technical personnel.

Work Environment

Work is mission driven, team oriented and typically performed in an office setting within a research or development environment. There may be periodic visits to network and data center facilities. Occasional travel between organizational locations may be required. Participation in major incident reviews and maintenance activities may occur outside normal hours.

Who You Are:

You have:

• a bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent experience
• a minimum seven years of progressively responsible infrastructure experience
• a minimum of three years of supervisory experience managing technical teams
• experience supporting enterprise network and/or data center environments
• experience developing operational standards, service metrics, and reporting frameworks

Technical Knowledge:

• Network Operations
• Data Center Operations
• Infrastructure Management
• IT Service Management (ITSM)
• Incident Management
• Problem Management
• Change Management
• Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
• Capacity Planning
• Service Delivery Management
• Operational Metrics and KPIs
• Budget Planning and Financial Management
• Vendor and Contract Management
• Infrastructure Monitoring Platforms

While not required you may have:

• Experience supporting geographically distributed organizations.
• Experience developing operational maturity programs and governance frameworks.
• Experience within scientific, research, government, or higher education environments.
• Experience leading standardization and continuous improvement initiatives.

Certifications

• ITIL Foundation or ITIL Managing Professional
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Cisco CCNP or CCIE
• Certified Data Center Professional (CDCP)

Competency Summary

• Leadership
• Operational Excellence
• Strategic Thinking
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Problem Solving
• Accountability
• Continuous Improvement

Additional Requirement

Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States. The Observatory presently cannot sponsor new H-1B Visas for this position.

Total Rewards:

Compensation

The starting salary of this position is between $123,800 and $153,000. Factors which may affect starting pay may include; education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications of the successful candidate, as well as internal equity and labor market conditions.

Benefits:

Associated Universities, Inc (AUI) offers a comprehensive benefits package addressing the needs of employees and their families with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment, subject to eligibility requirements. AUI provides:

• Excellent paid time off (13 holidays, annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days)
• Medical, dental and vision plans are effective on the first day of employment.
• AUI’s retirement benefit contributes an amount equal to 10 percent of a qualified participant’s base pay with no required employee contribution.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement:

AUI is an equal opportunity employer. To view our complete statement, please visit https://public.nrao.edu/careers/. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, you may submit your request by sending an email to [e-mail]. PM20