Lead Infrastructure Engineer

Lead Infrastructure Engineer

Location: Oakland, CA

Onsite - FTE

Salary: $143k - 185k per year

Lead Engineer (Infrastructure) is a key senior leadership role within the IT team, responsible for managing the Infrastructure team and strategic outsourcing partners, while contributing to the development of the organization's IT infrastructure strategy. Reporting to the VP of IS and Cloud Services, this role combines technical expertise with strategic and managerial responsibilities to ensure the delivery of a reliable, scalable, and secure IT infrastructure.
The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in working within infrastructure teams, delivering complex IT projects, and contributing to strategic initiatives. This role demands strong project leadership, technical depth, and the ability to align infrastructure capabilities with business objectives.

Team Leadership and Development: Lead project team on key milestones, provide technical and collaborative mentorship, and contribute to the development of the infrastructure team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Strategic Contribution: Collaborate with the VP of IS and Cloud Services to contribute to the development and execution of the organization's IT infrastructure strategy.
Vendor and Partner Management: Manage strategic outsourcing partners and third-party vendors, ensuring services meet organizational standards and strategic objectives.
Infrastructure Oversight: Oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of the organization's IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, storage systems, and cloud services.
Technical Escalation: Act as the senior escalation point for complex technical and security issues, ensuring effective and timely resolution.
Project Leadership: Oversee the delivery of infrastructure projects, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and timelines, and providing technical guidance to project teams.
Security and Compliance Management: Ensure robust security protocols, maintain compliance with policy and regulatory requirements, oversee disaster recovery and business continuity, and support ongoing improvements to security controls within the Information Security Program.
Performance and Optimization: Monitor system performance and drive improvements to enhance efficiency, scalability, and reliability.
Incident and Problem Management: Lead the response to high-severity security and operational incidents, coordinating cross-functional teams to minimize impact and ensure rapid resolution.
Documentation and Reporting: Maintain comprehensive documentation of infrastructure systems, processes, and changes, and provide regular updates to senior leadership.
Continuous Improvement: Stay informed about emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices, recommending and implementing improvements where appropriate.
Service Collaboration: Work closely with Service Desk management to identify and implement improvements to infrastructure and processes that enhance IT service delivery and user experience.

BS in a Computing Discipline, or Associates with significant comparable experience.
Extensive experience (10+ years) in IT infrastructure engineering and project leadership roles.
ITIL certification (v3 or 4)

• Expertise in:
  
  
  
  • Virtualization technologies (e.g., HyperV, VMware)
  
  
  • Cloud platforms, particularly Microsoft Azure
  
  
  • Identity management solutions, including Microsoft Entra ID and on-premises Active Directory
  
  
  • Microsoft 365 suite (Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive)
  
  
  • Cloud telephony and communication systems
  
  
  • Microsoft security and privacy products (Defender, Intune, Purview)
  
  
  • Managed Detection and Response (MDR) tools
  
  
  • Zero Trust Network Architecture (e.g., Zscaler ZPA and ZIA)
  
  
  • Cloud-managed network devices (e.g., Cisco Meraki, Fortinet)
  
  
  • End-user device management (e.g., Microsoft Intune, Autopilot)
  
  
  
  


• Proven ability to lead and develop technical teams, fostering a high-performance culture.


• Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles, including firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, and vulnerability management.


• Demonstrated experience in managing complex IT infrastructure projects and collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams.


• Excellent problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to make informed decisions in high-pressure situations.


• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, capable of engaging with technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels.


• Experience with ITIL framework and best practices for Change, Incident, and Problem Management.


• Relevant certifications (e.g., CISSP, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect) are highly desirable.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.