IT Infrastructure Manager/ Lead

Job Description
Location: Dallas-Fort Worth, TX (primary)
Travel: ~10% to Monett, MO and Lewisburg, TN
Employment Type: Full-time
Environment: ManufacturingMulti-plantMSP-supported

Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Infrastructure Leader (player-coach) to stabilize and modernize our IT infrastructure across a multi-plant manufacturing environment. This role owns on-premises and hybrid Microsoft platforms, partners closely with multiple MSPs/MSSPs, and drives measurable reduction of technical debt and operational risk-while setting a pragmatic, scalable infrastructure strategy.

Key outcomes

The successful candidate will:

• Take a hands-on approach early to stabilize and improve core infrastructure operations.
• Own and operate on-premises and hybrid Microsoft infrastructure (including governance, reliability, and performance).
• Manage and partner with multiple MSPs/MSSPs, ensuring clear escalation paths and strong SLA delivery.
• Reduce technical debt and operational risk through disciplined remediation and standards.
• Define and execute infrastructure strategy with a practical, phased roadmap (avoiding unnecessary complexity).

This role is not

• A pure cloud architect position
• A network-only role
• A helpdesk management role

Requirements

Requirements

Infrastructure & Platforms

Hands-on experience with:

• Windows Server / Wintel environments (including legacy system remediation)
• VMware (VM lifecycle, performance tuning, patching, tooling hygiene)
• Backup & Recovery with Veeam
• Enterprise storage (SAN/NAS - HPE Nimble, StoreOnce, QNAP, or similar)
• Active Directory & Group Policy (identity hygiene)
• Operational ownership of Microsoft 365 / Exchange / SharePoint
• Azure infrastructure

Operating Model

• Experience working with MSPs / MSSPs (governance, escalation, SLAs)
• Multi-location infrastructure ownership (plants + HQ)
• Hands-on troubleshooting, plus leadership accountability

Nice to have

These matter, but do not require elite specialization.

• Networking (Cisco, WAN, SD-WAN) - operational leadership, vendor management
• Firewalls, VPN, security tooling - coordination with SOC/XDR/SIEM partners
• SQL Server administration (non-DBA) - able to collaborate with a DBA MSP
• Cloud exposure (Azure, Microsoft 365) - hybrid-first mindset
• BCDR strategy - planning, testing, confidence building