Manager, Infrastructure at Sunward Federal Credit Union – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Summary

The Manager, Infrastructure is responsible for the stability, maintenance, and operational health of the credit union’s core infrastructure platforms across on-premises and cloud environments. This role leads the team responsible for systems administration, hybrid infrastructure, identity services, virtualization, and infrastructure lifecycle management.

This is a hands-on leadership role that combines people management with active technical involvement. The Manager, Infrastructure participates in complex infrastructure work while ensuring the team maintains secure, well-maintained, and reliable platforms that support business systems across the organization.

This role focuses on infrastructure platform operations, distinct from the Site Reliability function, which focuses on production application reliability. The Manager, Infrastructure ensures the underlying platforms that applications depend on are stable, secure, and properly maintained.

Essential Functions

Infrastructure Platform Operations

• Lead the operational management of enterprise infrastructure platforms including:
• Windows and Linux server environments
• Virtualization platforms
• Cloud infrastructure platforms (AWS and hybrid environments)
• Identity and access infrastructure (Active Directory, Entra ID)
• Microsoft 365 infrastructure services
• Storage, backup, and disaster recovery platforms
• Ensure infrastructure platforms are secure, properly patched, and maintained according to organizational standards.
• Maintain system lifecycle management including upgrades, patching, and hardware refresh planning.
• Ensure monitoring and alerting for infrastructure systems are functioning and actionable.

Infrastructure Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of infrastructure engineers and administrators responsible for platform operations and engineering.
• Establish operational standards, procedures, and documentation for infrastructure platforms.
• Provide technical guidance and oversight for infrastructure maintenance and remediation work.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex infrastructure platform issues.

Hands-On Technical Contribution

• Participate directly in complex infrastructure troubleshooting, remediation, projects, and system improvements.
• Support implementation of infrastructure solutions designed by architecture teams.
• Assist with infrastructure upgrades, platform improvements, and system migrations.
• Contribute to automation or scripting efforts that improve operational efficiency.

Infrastructure Reliability and Lifecycle Management

• Oversee infrastructure patch management and vulnerability remediation.
• Ensure backup systems and disaster recovery capabilities are operational and regularly tested.
• Maintain operational visibility into infrastructure health, capacity, and system utilization.
• Lead root cause analysis related to infrastructure platform failures.

Collaboration with Engineering and Production Operations

• Partner with the Site Reliability and Production Operations teams to ensure infrastructure platforms support reliable application operations.
• Coordinate during incidents when application issues require infrastructure investigation or remediation.
• Support infrastructure readiness for new application deployments and platform changes.

Security and Compliance

• Ensure infrastructure systems comply with internal security standards and regulatory expectations (NCUA, FFIEC, GLBA).
• Support audits, regulatory exams, and security reviews related to infrastructure platforms.
• Ensure infrastructure configuration and operational controls align with organizational security policies.

Qualifications

Experience

• 6+ years of experience supporting enterprise infrastructure environments.
• 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with technologies such as:
• Windows Server environments
• Active Directory and identity infrastructure
• Microsoft 365 administration
• Virtualization platforms (HyperV preferred)
• Hybrid cloud environments (AWS preferred)
• Experience supporting infrastructure in regulated environments.
• The following experience is preferred:
• Operating hybrid cloud environments
• Infrastructure automation or scripting
• Enterprise monitoring platforms

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Relevant certifications such as AWS, Microsoft, DevOps, or security certifications preferred.

Leadership Competencies

Outcome & Results

Own your deliverables and KPIs-meet or exceed them by giving outcomes and overcoming obstacles.

Commitments

Treat W3s as promises – execute early, follow through consistently and renegotiate transparently when priorities shift. Reliability builds trust.

Business Maturity

Know your business – manage financials, operations and experiences with discipline and in full alignment with Sunward’s key results.

Growth Mindset

Be a learner now a knower – stay curious, ask questions, adapt quickly and embrace daily learning.

Preparation and Presence

Respect others by being early, prepared, and fully tuned in – never distracted or multitasking.

Feedback

Fuel growth by inviting, giving and acting on feedback – always candid, respectful and forward-focused.

Talent & Culture

Build culture through people – hire top talent, coach relentlessly, celebrate wins and manage performance though our Culture of Accountability. Model the culture and values of Sunward.

Experience and Craftsmanship

Set the bar at “the best” – deliver experiences that stand apart and never compromise on quality.

Knowledge

• In-depth knowledge of enterprise infrastructure platform operations, including how core infrastructure components (compute, identity, cloud services, virtualization, and productivity platforms) are designed, operated, integrated, and sustained in a hybrid enterprise environment.
• Strong understanding of systems administration best practices and how to lead teams responsible for availability, performance, and lifecycle management of infrastructure services.
• Working knowledge of infrastructure reliability and stability principles, including high availability, disaster recovery, capacity planning, patching, and performance tuning.
• Solid understanding of technical troubleshooting and escalation management, including root cause analysis, incident response, and coordination with cross-functional technical teams.
• Knowledge of operational process management, including ITIL-based practices such as incident, change, problem, and service request management.
• Awareness of security, compliance, and regulatory requirements affecting infrastructure environments, including access controls, audit readiness, data protection, and vulnerability management.
• Understanding of people leadership concepts, including coaching, mentoring, performance management, workforce planning, and building accountable, high-performing technical teams.

Skills/Abilities

• Ability to lead infrastructure platform operations to ensure stable, reliable, and secure systems that meet business requirements and service-level expectations.
• Strong systems administration leadership skills, balancing hands-on technical credibility with strategic oversight and delegation.
• Proven ability to drive infrastructure reliability and stability, proactively identifying risks, reducing technical debt, and preventing recurring issues.
• Demonstrated expertise in technical troubleshooting and escalation, guiding teams through complex issues, resolving high-impact incidents, and communicating clearly with stakeholders.
• Ability to design, enforce, and continuously improve operational processes, ensuring consistent execution, documentation, and measurement of outcomes.
• Strong security and compliance awareness, with the ability to integrate security best practices into day to day infrastructure operations and lead teams through audits or assessments.
• Effective team leadership and mentorship capabilities, including developing technical talent, providing clear direction, fostering collaboration, and modeling accountability and professionalism.
• Strong communication and decision-making skills, with the ability to translate technical issues into business impact and prioritize effectively under pressure.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• Primarily an office-based role with extended periods of sitting, working at a computer, and participating in meetings, both in person and virtually.
• Requires the ability to communicate effectively with team members, leadership, and stakeholders through verbal and written communication.
• May occasionally require standing, walking, bending, or reaching while supporting on-site infrastructure activities or participating in data center, equipment room, or facilities-related work.
• Occasional lifting or moving of equipment (generally up to 25 pounds) may be required; reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
• Work may involve after-hours, on-call, or emergency response during critical incidents, system outages, or maintenance windows.
• Environment may include exposure to server rooms or data centers, including background noise, cooling systems, and standard electrical or cabling infrastructure, in compliance with safety standards.
• Hybrid or remote work arrangements may be available based on business needs, with regular on-site presence as required for leadership, collaboration, or operational support.