Manager, Applications and Data Operations

Vocate is a non-profit higher education and workforce solutions provider dedicated to closing the nation’s talent gaps in critical industries such as healthcare. Through its entities including Ultimate Medical Academy, American Institute, Nasium Training and Global Education Group, Vocate serves more than 20,000 adult learners nationwide, primarily in under-resourced populations. Backed by more than 130 years of combined experience in higher learning across its institutions, Vocate delivers accessible, career-aligned programs enhanced by employer partnerships and comprehensive student support services.

As a full-time team member, you will have access to the following benefits:

• Medical (including prescription), Dental, Vision (UMA subsidized)
• FSA/HSA (Depending on Medical Plan chosen)
• Basic Life Insurance (UMA paid)
• Additional Voluntary Life Insurance (Team Member paid)
• Employee Assistance Program – EAP (UMA paid)
• Long Term Disability (UMA paid)
• Short Term Disability (Team Member paid)
• Supplemental Insurance such as Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital (Team Member Paid)
• Paid Time Off – 15 days accrued in year 1, 9 holidays, and 1 day of Volunteering Time Off
• 401k (eligible upon completion of 90 days of employment and must be at least 18 years of age)
• Pet Insurance
• Identity Theft Protection

Purpose of the Position:

The Manager, Applications & Data Operations leads and supports the day-to-day delivery, reliability, and continuous improvement of software development, integrations, database administration, data engineering, and data operations. This is a hands-on, technical, people-management role responsible for coaching and developing a team of 8–10 software engineers, DBAs, and data engineers while providing practical technical guidance across applications, databases, data platforms, integrations, orchestration, and production support. The Manager ensures solutions and services are secure, reliable, scalable, supportable, and delivered with strong quality in a collaborative, lean, cost-conscious shared-services environment.

What You’ll Do:

1. People Leadership and Team Development: Directly manage, coach, and develop 8–10 software engineers, DBAs, and data engineers; set clear expectations, establish accountability, provide regular feedback, and support hiring, onboarding, performance management, and professional growth.
2. Hands-On Technical Leadership: Provide practical technical guidance, review designs and implementations, troubleshoot complex issues, and serve as a technical escalation point across software development, database administration, and data engineering. Maintain the ability to contribute directly to technical work when needed.
3. Software Engineering and Integration: Oversee support of cloud-native applications, APIs, SaaS integrations, orchestration workflows, CI/CD, and related services, ensuring solutions are maintainable, secure, testable, observable, and supportable.
4. Data and Database Operations: Manage day-to-day operations of databases and data platforms, including performance, availability, backup and recovery, monitoring, incident response, change management, production support, capacity, and operational resilience.
5. Delivery and Quality: Work with business analysts, architecture, quality assurance, governance, security, and delivery teams to translate business needs into practical solutions and ensure work meets expectations for scope, quality, functionality, timeliness, security, supportability, and cost.
6. Technical Problem Solving: Investigate complex application, database, integration, pipeline, and data issues; coordinate root-cause analysis and corrective actions; and remove blockers affecting delivery or operational stability.
7. Platform Improvement: Identify and implement opportunities to simplify, automate, consolidate, and optimize applications, databases, data platforms, integrations, and workflows to improve reliability and reduce operational overhead.
8. AI-Assisted Development and Modern Tools: Encourage responsible use of AI-assisted development tools and modern cloud-native practices to improve developer productivity, code quality, testing, documentation, and support outcomes.
9. Perform other duties as assigned .

Career Level Expectations:

• Typically manages a team or small unit.
• Owns short to mid-term (1-3 years) execution of functional strategy and the operational direction of a team.
• Handles often difficult and complex problems and that require extensive investigation and analysis.
• Requires ability to influence others to accept practices and approaches, and ability to communicate with executive leadership.
• Desire for growth and professional development.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, database administration, data engineering, data operations, or closely related technology functions, including experience leading or supervising technical staff.
• Demonstrated success managing and developing technical team members, setting expectations, providing feedback, driving accountability, and delivering results through people.
• Strong technical understanding of software development, SQL, databases, data engineering, data platforms, APIs, SaaS integration, orchestration, cloud-native architecture, pipelines, CI/CD, application of Artificial Intelligence, and Agile delivery practices.
• Ability to review, understand, troubleshoot, and if needed contribute to application code, database objects, data pipelines, integrations, and deployment automation, even when the role is not routinely writing them.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Azure services and cloud-native application and data patterns, including secure configuration, monitoring, identity, networking, and operational support.
• Experience with database administration and enterprise data platforms, including performance tuning, high availability, backup and recovery, monitoring, incident response, and production support.
• Strong understanding of data, including data architecture, modeling, quality, lineage, security, integration, lifecycle management, and analytics enablement.
• Ability to translate business needs into scalable, secure, maintainable technology and data solutions and communicate technical information clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, prioritization, communication, collaboration, and people-leadership skills in complex environments.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, Data Science, or a related field.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure application and data services, Azure SQL, Databricks, Azure Data Factory, Cosmos DB, AKS/Kubernetes, and API Management.
• Experience with SaaS integration, orchestration platforms, data integration, data warehousing, lakehouse architectures, BI/analytics enablement, and data observability tools.
• Experience with GitHub or Azure DevOps repositories, pipelines, CI/CD automation, infrastructure or configuration as code, and DevSecOps practices.
• Experience with AI-assisted software development tools and practices, including appropriate review, testing, security, and responsible-use controls.
• Experience with higher education technology and systems such as Anthology, Brightspace/D2L, or comparable student, learning, and business platforms.
• Relevant cloud, software development, database, data engineering, security, or Agile certifications, and proficiency with Microsoft Office and Teams.

Compliance:

• Demonstrate knowledge of, and carefully follows all applicable state laws and rules, federal and state compliance requirements and regulations including those prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education, accrediting agencies, state regulations and internal policies and procedures.
• Effectively communicate compliance requirements to other staff as appropriate and quickly escalate any compliance concerns to the Compliance department.

Work Environment/Physical Demands:

• This is a full-time remote position, with occasional onsite travel required.
• Home office set up, quiet place to work, ability to be on camera, and ability to hard wire into high-speed internet connection.
• May require setup of computer equipment; accommodation consideration available upon request.
• Flexibility to work evenings and weekends, as needed.

Anticipated starting salary is based on experience and qualifications.

Compensation Range

$150,000—$150,000 USD

OUR CORE VALUES

COLLABORATE

We achieve more together. By approaching challenges with insight and expertise, we create solutions that drive meaningful impact across our growing organization and for those we serve.

ADVOCATE

We boldly champion those we serve. With a deep understanding of our partners, and team members, we amplify and advance our shared goals and objectives to drive success.

RESPECT

We honor ourselves and each other. By fostering confidence in our own contributions, while creating space for all voices, we build stronger partnerships, better ideas, and a culture where everyone can belong and thrive.

EMPOWER

We unlock potential. We empower others by fostering continuous learning, activating strengths, and creating connections that enable opportunities — laying the foundation for transformative change.