Systems Infrastructure Operations Manager

**We Put the World on Vacation** Travel + Leisure Co. is the world's leading vacation ownership and travel membership company, with a dynamic and growing portfolio of resort, travel club, and lifestyle travel brands. Our dedicated associates help the company achieve its mission to put the world on vacation. Innovation and growth keep our work interesting and fun. Every day is a chance to learn something new and turn vacation inspiration into exceptional experiences for millions of travelers worldwide. The **Manager, Systems Infrastructure Operations** leads day-to-day operations for the enterprise Windows, Linux, Active Directory, DDI (DNS, DHCP, and IP Address Management), Certificate Services (PKI), and VMware environment. This role owns operational execution and stability of the WINTEL platform, delivered by a hybrid team made up of full-time operations staff and a managed services provider (MSP), and is accountable for availability, performance, incident management, and operational compliance. This position partners with the Systems Infrastructure Engineering team and the Technical Architect, who own platform engineering strategy, design, and standards, to ensure the team executes operations reliably against those standards. This role also partners with Security, Network, Application, and Project Management teams, and drives adoption of automation across the team to reduce manual effort and improve consistency. This role carries direct people management responsibility for the Systems Infrastructure Operations team and is accountable for hiring, performance management, mentoring, vendor and managed services relationships. **How You'll Shine:** + **BAU Operations** Own day-to-day operational execution for the Windows, Linux, Active Directory, DDI, Certificate Services (PKI), and VMware environment, delivered by the team. This includes patching and maintenance windows, standard changes, service requests, and P3/P4 ticket resolution. Hold the team accountable for completing this work on schedule, within SLA, and in compliance with approved standards and change processes. + **Continuous Improvement and Automation** Drive continuous improvement across day-to-day operations, including identifying manual, repetitive, or error-prone processes and championing automation to reduce effort and improve consistency. Own the quality and currency of operational documentation, including knowledge base articles and runbooks, so that recurring issues and routine tasks can be resolved quickly and consistently across the team. + **Forward Planning** Lead forward-looking planning for the operations organization, including capacity planning, infrastructure resource right-sizing, and budget stewardship, including contract costs, tooling, and licensing spend. Partner with the Systems Infrastructure Engineering team and Technical Architect to ensure operational input feeds their longer-term platform planning. + **Escalation and Exception Management** Own escalation and exception handling for anything outside the normal day-to-day, including P1/P2 incidents as well as other non-standard operational issues that fall outside routine BAU work. Serve as incident command for business-critical issues, directing the team through detection, triage, and resolution. Escalate design-level or architectural root causes to the Systems Infrastructure Engineering team and Technical Architect, and drive post-incident review and remediation tracking. + **Other Duties as Assigned** Perform additional operational or cross-functional duties as assigned by IT leadership, including support for audits and compliance activities such as SOX, PCI, and PII, and special projects outside the standard scope of this role. **Travel Requirements** + Occasional travel may be required to support datacenter activities, vendor engagements, or enterprise infrastructure projects. Expected travel: 0% to 15%. **What You'll Bring:** + Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related technical field preferred. + Equivalent professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the education requirement. + At least one current or previously held certification, formal training credential, or equivalent demonstrated experience in IT operations, Windows Server, Active Directory, virtualization, or infrastructure operations leadership. + ITIL 4 Foundation or higher ITIL certification preferred + Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate or equivalent Windows Server / Active Directory credential a plus + VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) preferred + Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate preferred + Training or hands-on experience with enterprise PKI / certificate lifecycle management platforms preferred + Project Management certification (e.g., PMP or equivalent) or comparable project delivery experience a plus + **People Leadership and Team Management** + Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop a hybrid team made up of full-time operations staff and managed services resources. + Ability to set team objectives, manage performance, and build a positive, accountable working environment. + **Operations Management and Incident Command** + Demonstrated ability to run 24x7 operations, including monitoring, alerting, and incident command for business-critical platforms. + Strong working knowledge of ITIL-aligned incident, problem, and change management processes. + Ability to execute change, patch, and maintenance operations in alignment with standards defined by an engineering or architecture function. + **WINTEL Platform Operational Knowledge** + Strong working knowledge of Windows Server, Linux, Active Directory, DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM), Certificate Services (PKI), and VMware virtualization sufficient to direct operational execution. + Ability to connect platform-level operational issues to business risk, availability, and security requirements. + **Continuous Improvement and Automation** + Ability to identify manual, repetitive, or error-prone operational processes and drive the team toward automation that improves speed, consistency, and accuracy. + Ability to champion adoption of scripting and automation tooling (such as PowerShell, Python, Bash, Terraform, or Ansible) across the team. + Ability to own the quality and currency of operational documentation, including knowledge base articles and runbooks. + **Vendor Management and Budget Stewardship** + Ability to manage the managed services provider (MSP) relationship, including SLA management, performance reviews, and escalation handling, as part of leading one team. + Ability to manage additional vendor relationships to ensure quality, cost-effective delivery. + Ability to serve as a key steward and advisor for an operations budget, including tracking and providing input on contract costs, tooling, and licensing spend. + **Communication and Collaboration** + Excellent written and verbal communication skills. + Ability to partner with an engineering or architecture function to translate designs and standards into operational execution. + Ability to work with cross-functional teams, business stakeholders, and outsourced vendors to align operations with business needs. + **Core Platforms** + Windows Server infrastructure + Linux + Active Directory (multi-forest, multi-domain) and Group Policy + DDI (DNS, DHCP, IP Address Management) + Certificate Services (PKI, certificate authority hierarchy, certificate lifecycle management) + VMware ESXi / vSphere + **Operations and Monitoring Tools** + ServiceNow (incident, problem, and change management) + Monitoring and alerting platforms + **Automation and Scripting Tools** + PowerShell + Python + Bash + Terraform + Ansible + Minimum of 12 years of experience in IT infrastructure operations, engineering, or administration in a mid-size to large environment. + Minimum of 5 years of experience leading, coordinating, or managing a technology operations team. + Experience managing a hybrid team made up of full-time operations staff and a managed services provider (MSP) in a 24x7 operations environment, including SLA management and performance oversight. + Working knowledge across Windows Server, Linux, Active Directory, DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM), Certificate Services (PKI), and VMware virtualization sufficient to direct operational execution. + Experience with ITIL-aligned incident, problem, and change management processes. + Experience executing infrastructure changes, patching, and maintenance in partnership with an engineering or architecture function. + Experience with capacity planning, infrastructure resource right-sizing, and budget stewardship. + Experience supporting compliance and audit requirements such as SOX, PCI, and PII. + Experience championing automation and process improvement across an operations team. + Experience working in a multiple-site, multiple-vendor team environment. _Experience equivalent to the education requirement may be accepted in lieu of the education requirement._ **How You'll Be Rewarded:** We offer a diverse range of comprehensive health and welfare benefits to associates who work 30 or more hours per week to meet your needs and support you throughout your career with us. Certain benefits may be available to associates working fewer hours where required by applicable law. Travel + Leisure Co. benefits include: **_Note: Temporary and/or seasonal associates are ineligible for Paid Time Off._** + Medical + Dental + Vision + Flexible spending accounts + Life and accident coverage + Disability + Depending on position, paid time off, parental leave and holidays (speak to your recruiter for additional information) + Wish day paid time to volunteer at an approved organization of your choice + 401k with employer match (subject to eligibility requirements, including tenure - speak to your recruiter for additional information) + Legal and identify theft plan + Voluntary income protection benefits + Wellness program (subject to provider availability) + Employee Assistance Program **Where Memories Start with You** Hospitality is at the heart of all we do at Travel + Leisure Co. Here, you'll find an inclusive environment where we deliver excellence and take time to have fun, celebrate together, and support one another. We're always looking ahead to what's next and how we can strengthen our business, its neighboring communities, and the customer experience. Join our global team and build a career where memories start with you. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all applications will be considered for employment without attention to their membership in any protected class. If you require any reasonable accommodation to complete your application or any part of the recruiting process, please email your request to [email protected] , including the title and location of the position for which you are applying.