IT Manager

Excelsior University; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Retirement

Health insurance

Job summary

Excelsior University, located in Albany, NY, is seeking an IT Manager for Infrastructure & Systems Operations. This role involves managing the daily operations of the IT infrastructure including servers and cloud resources, and overseeing technical support and vendors to ensure high-performance and reliability.

The ideal candidate will have significant experience in IT support, infrastructure management, and team supervision. The position offers a competitive salary with a range of $110,000 to $120,000, alongside a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in IT infrastructure or operations support.
• 2-3+ years of experience supervising technical staff.
• Hands-on experience with servers, storage, or cloud environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage daily operations of core IT infrastructure.
• Ensure the reliability of backend systems.
• Supervise infrastructure support staff.

Skills

IT infrastructure management

Incident management

Troubleshooting

Team supervision

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Windows and/or Linux environments

AWS

Azure

VMware

Active Directory

ITSM/ticketing systems

Job description

The IT Manager, Infrastructure & Systems Operations is responsible for the day-to-day management, support, and reliability of the university’s core IT infrastructure environment. This includes servers, cloud resources, storage, identity services, system monitoring, and related backend systems that support institutional operations. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Infrastructure, this role ensures stable, secure, and high-performing infrastructure services across the organization. The position provides hands‑on technical leadership, oversees infrastructure support staff and vendors, and ensures timely resolution of operational issues. This role is focused on execution, operational stability, and technical oversight in a complex higher education IT environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Infrastructure Operations & Reliability (30%)

• Manage daily operations of core IT infrastructure including servers, storage, virtualization, and cloud environments.
• Ensure high availability, performance, and reliability of backend systems.
• Oversee system monitoring, alerting, patching, and maintenance activities.
• Coordinate infrastructure troubleshooting and incident resolution.
• Maintain operational standards and configuration consistency.

Systems Administration & Backend Services (20%)

• Oversee administration of core infrastructure services including identity, directory services, and authentication systems.
• Support configuration, maintenance, and optimization of backend platforms.
• Ensure system documentation is current and accurate.
• Provide technical escalation support for infrastructure-related issues.
• Manage incident management and operational support processes.

Incident Management & Operational Support (15%)

• Serve as escalation point for infrastructure incidents and outages.
• Ensure timely response, resolution, and communication during service disruptions.
• Coordinate root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Support ITIL-based incident and problem management processes.

Infrastructure Team & Vendor Coordination (15%)

• Supervise technical staff and/or contractors supporting infrastructure operations.
• Assign work, manage priorities, and ensure timely task completion.
• Coordinate with external vendors for infrastructure hardware, cloud, and support services.
• Monitor vendor performance and service delivery commitments.

Systems Maintenance & Lifecycle Management (10%)

• Manage patching, upgrades, and lifecycle replacement for infrastructure systems.
• Ensure systems remain secure, supported, and compliant with standards.
• Plan and execute maintenance activities with minimal business disruption.
• Track hardware and software lifecycle status.

Enterprise Systems Support & Integration (5%)

• Support connectivity and integration between infrastructure systems and enterprise applications.
• Troubleshoot system connectivity and data flow issues.
• Collaborate with application teams to ensure reliable backend services.

Documentation & Process Improvement (5%)

• Maintain infrastructure documentation, diagrams, and operational procedures.
• Improve operational processes for efficiency, reliability, and consistency.
• Support cross‑training and knowledge sharing within the IT infrastructure team.

Professional Development & Technical Currency (5%)

• Maintain knowledge of infrastructure technologies, cloud platforms, and system tools.
• Stay current on industry best practices for IT operations and infrastructure management.
• Continuously develop technical and operational skills.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field required; equivalent combination of education and relevant experience considered.
• 5+ years of experience in IT infrastructure, systems administration, or operations support.
• 2–3+ years of experience supervising technical staff or contractors preferred.
• Hands‑on experience supporting servers, storage, virtualization, and/or cloud environments.
• Experience in production IT support or operations environment required.
• Higher education or complex enterprise environment experience preferred.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of IT infrastructure, systems administration, and backend operations.
• Experience with production support, incident management, and troubleshooting.
• Ability to manage multiple operational priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong communication skills with technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to coordinate across IT teams and external vendors.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.

Technical Skills

• Experience with Windows and/or Linux server environments.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or hybrid environments).
• Understanding of virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware or similar).
• Experience with identity and directory services (e.g., Active Directory).
• Experience with ITSM/ticketing systems.
• Scripting or automation experience preferred.

Supervision

Direct supervision of infrastructure support staff and/or contractors (typically 1 FTE equivalent). Responsible for task assignment, workload management, and performance oversight. Reports to Sr. Director of Infrastructure.

Financial Responsibility

Supports infrastructure operations budgeting and procurement activities. Provides input into hardware, software, and cloud service purchasing decisions.

Work Environment

Standard IT operations environment. Occasional work in data center or infrastructure facilities. Minimal physical requirements. Occasional after‑hours support required for maintenance or incident response.

Decision Making

Operates within defined operational standards and policies. Escalates strategic or high‑impact issues to Director of Infrastructure.

Interpersonal Relationships

Infrastructure and systems operations team; IT service desk and support teams; application and integration teams; external infrastructure vendors and service providers; IT leadership and operations management.

Salary Range

$110,000.00 – $120,000.00. This is the University’s good faith estimate at the time of posting.

Application Information

If you have problems with online submission, please call 518-608-8238.

Benefits

Excelsior University offers competitive compensation and a generous benefits package that includes paid time off, retirement, and excellent health insurance.

Interested candidates should submit a letter of application, resume, and the names of three professional references. Please submit requested information by clicking the “Apply Now” button on this page.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Excelsior University is an equal opportunity employer committed to ensuring all qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected characteristic. AA/EOE/ADA.