Senior Manager, IT Infrastructure and Engineering

Overview We are seeking an experienced, technically accomplished IT Infrastructure Senior Manager to lead on-premise infrastructure and endpoint management and continue to modernize the enterprise technology environment supporting our business, employees, and government customers. Responsibilities Reporting to the Director of IT Architecture, this position leads a dedicated team and collaborates with peer IT managers and technical staff to design, evaluate, implement, and transition secure, reliable, and supportable solutions. The role combines direct ownership of infrastructure and endpoint engineering with leadership of assigned enterprise technology evaluations and cross-functional technical initiatives. This position requires an informed perspective on emerging technologies, evolving engineering practices, and opportunities for continuous improvement. The successful candidate will be comfortable operating with autonomy within established priorities, working through ambiguous technical challenges, evaluating alternatives, and translating sound engineering decisions into practical results. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring the technical depth and intellectual curiosity to challenge designs, work alongside peers and senior system engineers, and resolve complex problems. Equally important is a commitment to continuous technical learning, self-directed leadership development, and the application of effective management practices to strengthen teams, develop talent, and build organizational capabilities for the future. Infrastructure Lead on-premise infrastructure engineering projects, complex system designs, internal infrastructure builds, major upgrades, and modernization efforts Identify aging technologies, capacity constraints, and resilience gaps; develop practical engineering roadmaps and replacement recommendations Direct proof-of-concept work, implementation designs, technical documentation, and operational handoffs to ensure new solutions are reliable, secure, and maintainable Provide advanced engineering support for complex infrastructure issues in partnership with the Systems team, which retains day-to-day operational responsibility Endpoint, VDI and Software Engineering Lead engineering standards and technical design for physical endpoints and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), including configuration, compatibility, performance, and lifecycle planning Direct software packaging and deployment engineering, product updates, application compatibility testing, version transitions, and software rationalization Identify unmanaged or unauthorized technologies and work with Compliance, business stakeholders, and operational teams to assess risks, develop approved alternatives, and coordinate remediation Partner with Systems, Helpdesk and PMO on deployment execution, end-user readiness, and ongoing support while maintaining clear engineering-to-operations handoffs Cybersecurity and Compliance Support Integrate security requirements into infrastructure, endpoint, VDI, and software engineering decisions from initial design through implementation Partner with Compliance and operational teams to translate company policies and applicable CMMC and NIST requirements into effective technical solutions and sustainable engineering practices Identify technical security gaps within assigned engineering areas, support remediation, and provide engineering documentation and expertise for security reviews and assessments Technology Evaluation and Enterprise Initiatives Lead assigned enterprise technology evaluations using defined technical, operational, security, integration, and lifecycle-cost criteria Coordinate proofs of concept, vendor and product reviews, subject matter expert input, and recommendations that clearly communicate alternatives and tradeoffs Serve as technical lead for selected cross-functional initiatives, working with peer managers and the PMO to coordinate dependencies, im lementation, and transition to operations Resolve technical issues within approved priorities and delegated authority; elevate decisions involving material risk, budget, staffing, or broader organizational priorities Proactively research and evaluate emerging technologies, architectural approaches, and industry practices to identify opportunities for modernization, improved efficiency, and long-term organizational value Apply structured problem-solving, sound technical judgment, and collaborative leadership to enterprise initiatives, challenging assumptions when appropriate and developing practical, well-supported recommendations Leadership and Collaboration Lead, coach, and develop a small team of engineers, building technical depth, cross-training, accountability, and succession capability Coordinate contributions from shared technical specialists through their functional managers, fostering strong working relationships across IT Represent the Director in designated technical discussions and help translate architectural direction into executable engineering work Skills Required What You Bring 12+ years of progressive enterprise IT experience, including substantial infrastructure engineering and architecture experience, with approximately 6-7 years of technical leadership or management experience Deep technical knowledge of enterprise on-premise infrastructure, networking, virtualization and VDI, endpoint engineering, software deployment, and technology lifecycle management Experience leading complex technical implementations, evaluating enterprise technologies, mentoring experienced engineers, and collaborating across organizational boundaries Demonstrated commitment to continuous technical learning, with an active interest in emerging technologies, evolving engineering practices, and enterprise IT trends Self-directed professional development, including an interest in studying and applying leadership principles, management frameworks, and organizational best practices Strong intellectual curiosity, analytical thinking, and independent judgment, with the ability to investigate complex problems, evaluate alternatives, and make well-reasoned recommendations A proactive, growth-oriented leadership approach that emphasizes personal accountability, cross-functional collaboration, mentoring others, and developing the capabilities needed to assume broader responsibilities over time Ability to communicate technical decisions, tradeoffs, and risks clearly to technical teams, business stakeholders Experience implementing security requirements in regulated environments; familiarity with CMMC, NIST SP 800-171, AWS GovCloud, and Microsoft 365 GCC High is preferred Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field preferred. Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance Education A bachelors degree in management information systems, math or engineering (or other relevant concentration) required. An additional three years of directly relevant information systems experience may substitute for the degree requirement. Benefits We offer competitive salaries commensurate with education and experience. We have an excellent benefits package that includes: Comprehensive health, dental, life, long and short-term disability insurance 100% Company funded Retirement Plans Generous vacation, holiday and sick pay plans Tuition assistance About Tecolote Research Tecolote Research is a private, employee-owned corporation where people are our primary resource. Our investments in technology and training give our employees the tools to ensure our clients are provided the solutions they need, and our very high employe