IT Infrastructure Manager

As the nation’s first statewide, “transmission only” company, VELCO manages the safe, reliable, cost-effective transmission of electric power throughout Vermont and as a part of the integrated New England regional network.

VELCO plays a critical role in delivering safe, reliable electric transmission services across Vermont. As we modernize our systems and strengthen the state’s energy infrastructure, our enterprise technology platforms must be secure, resilient, and ready for the future.

We’re seeking an experienced Manager, IT Infrastructure to lead VELCO’s enterprise infrastructure strategy, ensuring the reliability, security, and performance of the systems that support both business operations and mission‑critical grid functions. This is a high‑impact leadership role for a strategic thinker who thrives at the intersection of technology, operations, and regulatory compliance.

Primary Purpose

The Manager, IT Infrastructure provides strategic leadership and operational oversight of VELCO's enterprise infrastructure, ensuring secure, resilient, and highly available technology platforms that support VELCO’s long-term business and operational technology objectives while consistently meeting regulatory requirements. This manager leads a team of infrastructure professionals and external partners in developing infrastructure strategy, establishing technical standards, managing capital investments, and driving technology modernization initiatives, including the design, implementation, operation, security, and lifecycle management of enterprise infrastructure, including data center technologies, cloud platforms, networking, servers and storage, virtualization, identity services, backup and disaster recovery, and other core infrastructure systems.

This role works closely with Enterprise Systems, Cybersecurity, Telecommunications, SCADA Operations, Engineering, and business leaders to support enterprise initiatives, operational reliability, and compliance with NERC CIP and other applicable regulatory requirements. Success in this role requires strong technical leadership, strategic thinking, sound financial management, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to translate business objectives into effective infrastructure solutions.

Responsibilities

Functional Management

• Lead the strategic planning, architecture, implementation, operation, and lifecycle management of VELCO's enterprise infrastructure and networking environments.

• Supervise employees, contractors, and managed service providers to ensure successful delivery of infrastructure projects and operational objectives in accordance with company standards and project requirements.

• Develop strong collaborative relationships with Enterprise Systems, Cybersecurity, Telecommunications, Engineering, and business leaders to align infrastructure investments with business priorities.

• Ensure the availability, resiliency, security, and performance of enterprise infrastructure, including:

  • Enterprise networking (LAN, WAN, wireless, VPN, firewalls, routing and switching)

  • Data center infrastructure

  • On-premises and cloud platforms

  • Virtualization platforms

  • Enterprise storage

  • Server infrastructure

  • Identity and access management services

  • Backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity solutions

• Develop and maintain enterprise infrastructure architecture, technical standards, operational procedures, and system documentation.

• Establish short- and long-term infrastructure strategy and technology roadmaps aligned with organizational objectives and emerging technology trends.

• Evaluate and implement infrastructure technologies that improve reliability, scalability, operational efficiency, cybersecurity, and business value.

• Develop infrastructure performance metrics and key performance indicators to measure system health, capacity, availability, and operational effectiveness.

• Lead infrastructure capacity planning, technology lifecycle management, and hardware/software refresh initiatives.

• Partner with Cybersecurity to implement secure infrastructure architectures, infrastructure hardening, identity management, and network segmentation strategies.

• Support SCADA Operations and operational technology infrastructure through collaboration with engineering and operations teams.

• Ensure infrastructure environments support compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, including NERC CIP and FERC.

• Lead infrastructure incident response, major outage restoration, root cause analysis, and implementation of corrective actions.

• Successfully deliver infrastructure projects through effective planning, resource management, risk management, and coordination with internal stakeholders.

• Foster innovation by evaluating emerging technologies and recommending solutions that improve operational performance and reliability.

• Manage departmental operating and capital budgets, including forecasting, procurement planning, asset lifecycle management, and financial reporting.

• Procure infrastructure hardware, software, cloud services, and related technologies in accordance with company procurement policies.

• Manage strategic vendor relationships and technology service providers to ensure contractual performance and delivery expectations are achieved.

Staff Management

• Lead, mentor, coach, and develop a high-performing infrastructure engineering and operations team.

• Establish performance expectations, goals, and development plans that support continuous improvement and technical excellence.

• Develop staffing plans, work assignments, resource allocation, succession planning, and technical training opportunities.

• Manage employee scheduling, on-call responsibilities, time reporting, and resource utilization.

• Promote knowledge sharing, cross-training, and continuous learning within the Infrastructure team.

• Respond to critical infrastructure incidents and emergency technical events as required.

• Develop annual operating and capital budgets, including staffing forecasts and technology investment plans.

• Participate in cross-functional project teams supporting strategic company initiatives.

• Support VELCO's mission, vision, values, and strategic objectives through collaborative leadership.

• Establish operational controls, governance processes, and performance measurements to ensure reliable and efficient infrastructure operations.

• Lead employees in accordance with corporate policies, safety standards, and continuous improvement principles.

• Maintain knowledge of applicable employment laws, company policies, and management practices.

• Partner with Human Resources to recruit, interview, hire, and onboard new employees.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education & Training

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience, is required.

Relevant technical certifications (Microsoft, VMware, Cisco, AWS, Azure, Palo Alto, ITIL, CISSP, or equivalent) are desirable.

Experience

• Minimum seven (7) years of progressive experience leading enterprise IT infrastructure organizations or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Demonstrated experience managing enterprise infrastructure, including enterprise networking, server platforms, virtualization, storage, cloud infrastructure, identity and access management, backup and disaster recovery, and enterprise monitoring solutions.

• Experience leading infrastructure architecture, technology modernization, and enterprise infrastructure projects.

• Experience managing operating and capital budgets, procurement activities, and strategic vendor relationships.

• Demonstrated success leading and developing technical teams responsible for highly available enterprise infrastructure.

• Experience supporting critical infrastructure or regulated industries is highly desirable.

• Experience supporting electric utility operations, operational technology (OT), SCADA environments, or NERC CIP compliance is preferred.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong technical knowledge of enterprise infrastructure technologies, including:

  • Enterprise networking (LAN, WAN, routing, switching, wireless, VPN, firewalls, DNS/DHCP)

  • Windows and Linux server platforms

  • Virtualization technologies

  • Enterprise storage systems

  • Cloud infrastructure (Azure, AWS, or hybrid cloud)

  • Identity and access management

  • Backup and disaster recovery

  • Infrastructure monitoring and systems management

• Understanding of modern enterprise networking concepts, including network segmentation, software-defined networking (SDN), load balancing, network resiliency, and secure remote connectivity.

• Working knowledge of cybersecurity principles, infrastructure hardening, vulnerability management, identity governance, and secure infrastructure architecture.

• Knowledge of disaster recovery, business continuity, high availability, and enterprise resiliency planning.

• Familiarity with NERC CIP compliance requirements and experience operating within regulated environments.

• Excellent project and program management skills with the ability to lead multiple concurrent initiatives.

• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis capabilities.

• Experience developing enterprise infrastructure standards, architecture, governance, and operational documentation.

• Strong financial management, budgeting, procurement, and vendor management skills.

• Superior written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present complex technical concepts to executives, technical teams, and business stakeholders.

• Strong leadership, collaboration, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.

• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize work in a mission-critical environment.

Physical/Mental Demands

• Must be able to perform typical administrative functions which may involve long periods of keyboarding and periodically of scanning, filing, copying, etc.

• Must be able to maintain fast pace while completing complex work, in potentially emotionally- fraught situations, with competing priorities, within tight timelines and with frequent interruptions.

• Must be able to work additional hours when necessary. 

• Must be able to maintain confidentiality of information.

Work Environment

• Collaborative, cross-functional team environment

• Open office setting and dog friendly

• Opportunity to work closely with engineering, IT, and operations

• Mission-driven organization supporting critical energy infrastructure

Compensation Range: 

This compensation range represents the minimum, midpoint and maximum pay for this position. Individual offers will be based on various factors including, but not limited to, qualifications, education, skills, competencies, and experience. Please note that most offers for new employees fall under the midpoint of the range, allowing room for continued salary growth.  Base pay is just one component of our total compensation package, which may also include comprehensive benefits, generous paid time off and incentive compensation (bonus) potential.