Sargent & Lundy is a global leader in power and energy consulting, where innovation meets integrity, diversity, and a commitment to quality. Our distinctive capabilities provide domestic and international clients and partners with a thoroughly reliable source of comprehensive expertise. Sargent & Lundy offers challenge, flexibility, competitive salaries and benefits.

The Infrastructure Engineering and Operations Manager will lead the management, strategy, and execution of all infrastructure-related activities, such as on-premises and co-located data center operations, cloud migration initiatives, and enterprise application support operations. This role is key to ensuring the organization’s infrastructure is reliable, scalable, and secure to support business growth and operations. The ideal candidate will have expertise in building, migrating and managing data centers, cloud environments, and enterprise application landscapes, along with a proven track record of driving cloud adoption, data center efficiency, and application support excellence.

The primary responsibilities for this position include but are not limited to:

Data Center Management & Colocation Oversight

• Oversee the management of data center facilities and colocation services, ensuring all critical systems are operating efficiently, securely, and with minimal downtime.
• Manage relationships with data center providers, ensuring SLAs are met and security standards are maintained.
• Plan and execute infrastructure upgrades or changes within the data center to ensure scalability, performance, and availability.
• Ensure disaster recovery and business continuity plans are in place and regularly tested.
• Monitor power, cooling, and physical security of data center assets to ensure compliance with best practices.
• Optimize operational costs related to data center colocation and internal infrastructure.

Cloud Migration and Integration

• Lead cloud migration initiatives by developing strategies for moving on-premises applications, data, and systems to cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Oracle Cloud etc.).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define cloud architecture, infrastructure requirements, and deployment plans.
• Ensure smooth and cost-effective transitions from legacy infrastructure to cloud environments, minimizing disruptions.
• Optimize cloud resource utilization, cost management, and performance through continuous monitoring and adjustments.
• Stay updated on cloud technologies, trends, and innovations, ensuring the organization is using best practices and keeping pace with industry standards.
• Manage hybrid cloud environments and ensure integration with on-premises systems and applications.

Enterprise Application Support Operations

• Oversee the deployment, maintenance, and support of critical enterprise applications (e.g., ERP, M365 Stack, Azure DevOps etc.).
• Ensure applications are aligned with business needs and provide high levels of performance, availability, and security.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts for enterprise applications, working with internal teams and vendors to resolve issues in a timely manner.
• Develop and enforce processes for application updates, patches, and version control to ensure that applications are always current and supported.
• Implement monitoring and alerting systems to proactively identify application issues before they impact end users.
• Collaborate with business units and IT teams to define application requirements, system configurations, and necessary customizations.

Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead a team of infrastructure engineers, cloud specialists, and application support personnel, providing guidance, mentorship, and career development.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with cross-functional teams (e.g., security, compliance, product development and engineering, and operations) to ensure infrastructure needs are met effectively.
• Drive continuous improvement by fostering a culture of innovation and efficiency across infrastructure and application support operations.
• Establish best practices for system monitoring, incident management, service request management and operational workflows to improve team performance and uptime.

Vendor and Stakeholder Management

• Manage relationships with third-party vendors, service providers, and contractors related to data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise applications.
• Negotiate contracts and service level agreements (SLAs) with cloud and data center providers, ensuring the organization’s needs are met and cost-effective solutions are implemented.
• Evaluate new technologies, tools, and services offered by vendors to enhance the organization’s infrastructure capabilities.
• Participate in demand review meetings with business group leads and respond to requests in a timely manner.

Security and Compliance Management

• Ensure infrastructure and cloud platforms meet security standards, including data protection, privacy regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Work closely with the security team to implement and maintain security protocols such as firewalls, encryption, and access controls.
• Conduct periodic risk assessments and vulnerability audits for both on-premises infrastructure and cloud environments.
• Ensure infrastructure operations and enterprise applications are compliant with relevant industry regulations and standards.

Budgeting and Cost Optimization

• Manage and optimize the infrastructure budget, focusing on cost-effective solutions for cloud services, and application support.
• Track and report on operational costs related to cloud services and data center operations, ensuring alignment with the organization’s financial goals.
• Implement strategies to optimize cloud resource utilization and reduce infrastructure costs while maintaining performance and scalability.

This position offers the flexibility of a hybrid schedule with the expectation of 3 days per week in our Chicago office, and 2 days remote from home. Some travel may be required for vendor meetings, data center visits, and project management.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
• Certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect or similar credentials are a plus.

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in IT infrastructure management, with a focus on data center colocation, cloud migration, and enterprise application support.
• Proven experience in managing data center operations and vendor relationships (colocation services, physical security, etc.).
• Extensive experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and cloud migration strategies.
• Demonstrated experience in supporting, upgrading, and maintaining enterprise applications (ERP, CRM, etc.).
• Strong experience with ITIL, change management, and project management methodologies.

Technical Skills

• In-depth knowledge of data center operations, colocation services, and server virtualization technologies (e.g., VMware, Hyper-V).
• Experience with cloud infrastructure management (e.g., AWS, Microsoft Azure, GCP).
• Familiarity with application support and monitoring tools (e.g., Nagios, SolarWinds, New Relic, Splunk).
• Strong understanding of network infrastructure, security protocols, and enterprise application integrations.

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Dependable and accountable for task commitments in individual and team settings.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills with a proactive approach to issue resolution.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Strategic thinker with a focus on long-term infrastructure planning and optimization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with hybrid cloud architectures and multi-cloud environments.
• Knowledge of enterprise-level disaster recovery, business continuity planning, and data replication technologies.
• Strong experience in managing enterprise application lifecycles and coordinating cross-functional teams for application upgrades.

We do not sponsor employees for work authorization in the U.S. for this position.

Sargent & Lundy is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any protected status as defined by law.

At Sargent & Lundy, we care about the health and well-being of our employees. Our commitment extends beyond the workplace, offering comprehensive healthcare plans and generous paid time off to support our team members in every aspect of their lives. We understand the importance of work-life balance, which is why we are proud to provide competitive, award-winning benefits. Our dedication to employee satisfaction has earned us the prestigious Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award for compensation and benefits in 2022, 2023, and 2024.