Data Center & Network - Group Lead, EIT

Associated Universities • CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA

8d

About The Position

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), managed and operated by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, is seeking a Group Lead/Manager for its Enterprise Infrastructure Technology (EIT) Network & Data Center Services. The position provides leadership, management, operational oversight, and strategic development for enterprise network and data center services. It directly supervises technical staff and establishes standards, procedures, service-level objectives, and performance metrics to support reliable, secure, and efficient infrastructure services across organizational locations.

The manager is accountable for operational excellence, team performance, budget planning, resource allocation, service reliability, operational governance, and continuous improvement. The position is preferably based at NRAO headquarters in Charlottesville, Virginia, or in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Work is typically performed in an office setting in a research or development environment, with periodic visits to network and data center facilities and occasional travel between organizational locations. Major incident reviews and maintenance activities may occur outside normal hours.

The starting salary is between $123,800 and $153,000. Starting pay may vary based on education, experience, skills, competencies, other qualifications, internal equity, and labor market conditions. AUI offers a comprehensive benefits package, with most benefits beginning on the first day of employment subject to eligibility requirements. Observatory employees must be authorized to work in the United States; the Observatory cannot currently sponsor new H-1B visas for this position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible infrastructure experience.
• At least 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.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States; the Observatory cannot sponsor new H-1B visas for this position.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting geographically distributed organizations.
• Experience developing operational maturity programs and governance frameworks.
• Experience in scientific, research, government, or higher education environments.
• Experience leading standardization and continuous improvement initiatives.
• ITIL Foundation or ITIL Managing Professional certification.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Cisco CCNP or CCIE certification.
• Certified Data Center Professional (CDCP) certification.

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 standard operating procedures 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.

Benefits

• Paid time off, including 13 holidays and annual accrual of up to 24 vacation days.
• Medical, dental, and vision plans effective on the first day of employment, subject to eligibility requirements.
• Retirement benefit equal to 10 percent of a qualified participant’s base pay, with no required employee contribution.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager