Mgr Sr, Cloud Infrastructure & Orchestration

 

GCI's Mgr Sr, Cloud Infrastructure & Orchestration will lead a team of engineers that provide critical cloud services for the Enterprise Cloud Platform (ECP), ensuring smooth operation, optimal performance, and security while maintaining business continuity and efficiency across the cloud environment. Manage the day-to-day operations and essential services of the ECPdata centers and platform foundations, working with key stakeholders, internal support teams, and third-party suppliers to ensure optimal service delivery.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AT ALL LEVELS:

This leadership position requires the following non-delegable responsibilities: Fully own the mission, goals, operations, and results of the team and areas of responsibility.  Provide strong leadership to span of control (direct and indirect reports); demonstrate effective leadership in all interactions companywide.    This leadership includes generating enthusiasm and shared commitment; identifying and setting direction; teaching, growing, and empowering; owning outcomes; and leading by example. Specific leadership duties include: Establishing the vision and tone for the department, consistent with company culture and mission. Establishing clear, measurable, and achievable goals and performance expectations and following up appropriately.  Hiring individuals who can accomplish those goals and meet those expectations; providing them the open communication, training, tools, and mentoring needed to be successful and develop professionally; establishing a development path commensurate with capabilities and potential. Providing clear and accurate feedback to individuals and teams on a timely and consistent basis. Identifying and addressing performance problems early and effectively before they damage GCI’s interests and demoralize other employees. Effectively managing processes including annual performance reviews, compensation adjustments, promotions, demotions, transfers, and disciplinary actions up to and including termination in an unbiased and consistent manner.   Strategic Alignment Monitor and maintain the health and performance of ECP data centers and platform foundations across multiple platforms, ensuring they are well-designed, supported, and reliable.  Ensure ECP data centers and platform foundations adhere to relevant industry regulations and compliance standards.  Ensure ECP data centers and platform foundations adhere to established security policies and compliance regulations. Work with solution architects and technical product owners on capacity planning to develop asset lifecycle management plans. Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment on cloud strategy and to uncover cloud opportunities that improve efficiency, drive innovation, and enhance service delivery. Facilitate clear communication between team, stakeholders, and leadership, ensuring everyone is aligned on goals and deliverables. Manage team capacity, assigning tasks based on individual skills and availability, and optimizing resource utilization. Continuously monitor cloud performance, cost management, and security compliance, implementing optimization strategies as needed to enhance service delivery. Manage incident response processes and escalate critical issues to appropriate teams. Ensure that repeated issues are outengineered in partnership with other ECP teams. Assist with forecasting future cloud resource needs and scaling infrastructure accordingly to accommodate growth.

• Develop and maintain a resilient infrastructure to reduce failures.
• Support applicable products and services with a focus on security and user experience.
• Proactively identify, troubleshoot, and resolve issues to minimize downtime and impact on business operations. 
• Provide data center installation, configuration, and support of Compute, Storage, and Network assets.
• Provide Virtualization Layer patching, upgrades, and support.
• Support Campus, network security (firewalls, WAF, VPN, virtual/physical/cloud, internal DNS), network peering and integrations.
• Track key metrics to identify potential issues and optimize performance. 
• Ensure security procedures are in place to protect sensitive data stored in the cloud. 
• Monitor intra-day and historical performance trends and regularly report any changes or discrepancies.
• Monitor issues and contact reason trends and regularly report any changes or discrepancies.
• Report performance challenges and wins, including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Maintain relationships with key business members and core vendors to facilitate intra-team communication and business support.
• Provide senior-level support for escalated and complex data center and platform foundations issues.

Team Development

• Identify staff training needs and provide the opportunity to attend relevant training programs, workshops, and online courses to enhance skills and knowledge. 
• Regularly assess the effectiveness of training programs and content, adjusting as needed.

Administrative

• Manage timecards, budgets, expense reports, etc.       

COMPETENCIES:

• ACCOUNTABILITY- Takes ownership for actions, decisions, and results; openly accepts feedback and demonstrates a willingness to improve.
• BASIC PRINCIPLES - Interacts with people in a way that builds mutual trust, confidence, and respect; adheres to GCI’s Code of Conduct for Employees – the Basic Principles.
• COLLABORATION - Works effectively with others to accomplish common goals and objectives; maintains positive relationships even under difficult circumstances.
  • Collaborates effectively with internal and external stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.
  • Fosters a collaborative environment and builds strong relationships across departments to ensure alignment and seamless integration of ECP processes.
  • Works effectively with engineering, operations, and other technical teams to ensure successful project delivery.
• COMMUNICATION- Conveys thoughts and expresses ideas appropriately and professionally.
  • Ability to accurately communicate information virtually (i.e., Teams), over the phone, and in-person in a clear and concise manner to a range of audiences.
  • Ability to accurately read, write, and respond to business correspondence such as emails, chat messages, policies, procedures, reports.
  • Ability to articulate technical information in presentation/training format in front of internal and external customers.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• COMPLIANCE - Follows internal controls; protects confidential information; abides by GCI’s Code of Business Conduct & Ethics.
• CUSTOMER FOCUS - Demonstrates commitment to service excellence; gives high priority to customer satisfaction.
  • Consistently prioritizes customer satisfaction, ensuring the team provides timely, efficient, and professional services.
  • Takes ownership of customer-related issues and works to enhance overall customer experience.
• RELIABILITY - Consistently follows through on assigned tasks as expected; demonstrates timely attendance at meetings, training, and other work obligations.
• Ability to handle multiple assignments and meet deadlines.
• Ability to adapt to a rapid pace of change and expectations.
• RESULTS - Uses a combination of job knowledge, initiative, sound decision making, innovation, adaptability, and problem solving.
  • Knowledge and understanding of cloud management tools and monitoring platforms 
  • Strong understanding of cloud computing platforms and their core services.
  • Strong understanding of cloud security best practices and compliance regulations. 
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and resolve complex cloud issues. 
  • Strong decision-making skills and ability to prioritize competing needs and resources.
  • Demonstrated expertise in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and related technologies.
  • Demonstrated experience in leading cross-functional teams to deliver technical solutions.
  • Excellent administrative and organizational skills, with the ability to thoroughly document procedures and technical processes across multiple applications.
  • Ability to discern and resolve the root cause of problems in complex environments.
  • Ability to analyze the impact of changes on systems and take the necessary steps to ensure successful implementation.
  • Familiarity with enterprise-wide systems such as ticketing, finance, inventory, content management systems, web applications, intranets, etc.
• SAFETY & SECURITY - Supports a safe work environment by following all workplace safety rules and guidelines; complies with applicable Security policies and procedures.
• CHANGE MANAGEMENT: champions and supports department and company change.
  • Ability to adapt to and lead through change, guiding the team through evolving technologies, business processes, and organizational priorities.
  • Encourages flexibility and openness to new approaches, methods, and technologies.
  • Champions Lean/Agile methodologies to improve team efficiency, effectiveness, and workflow.
• DECISION MAKING: uses sound, logical judgment based on data, research, and experience to choose an appropriate course of action.
  • Ability to think strategically, align team efforts with organizational goals, and execute plans that deliver long-term value.
  • Ability to balance technical innovation with practical business needs and resource constraints.
• PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION: analyzes workload and establishes appropriate priorities; sets measurable and achievable goals and objectives for the team.
• MENTORING & DEVELOPMENT: utilizes interpersonal skills to guide, direct, and influence others to achieve results.
  • Demonstrates strong leadership skills in managing, developing, and retaining a team of technical professionals.
  • Focuses on coaching and mentoring team members to grow their technical and professional capabilities.
  • Promotes a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and collaboration.
• PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: sets clear performance expectations for team.
  • Holds the team accountable to deliver high-quality outcomes on time and within budget.
• TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY - Proficient computer skills and MS Office knowledge (e.g., Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel) to complete job duties effectively, such as using the company intranet and to accurately retrieve and input information into database or equivalents.

This is a senior level leadership position that performs complex tasks with little to no assistance and demonstrates advanced proficiency and working knowledge in areas of responsibility. Receives minimal to no instructions on routine work and new assignments. Works under minimal supervision with wide latitude for independent judgment.

• Advanced knowledge and understanding of cloud management tools and monitoring platforms 
• Advanced expertise in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and related technologies.
• Expert understanding of cloud computing platforms and their core services.
• Expert understanding of cloud security best practices and compliance regulations. 

• Experience with cloud infrastructure (public and private), DevOps, or software development.
• Telecommunications experience. 
• Vendor certifications (VMware, Cisco, F5, Aruba, etc.).
• Cloud Infrastructure or Agile certifications.
• Other relevant telecom industry or job specific certifications. 

DRIVING REQUIREMENTS: 

• This position may require access to reliable transportation for occasional travel between retail store locations, offices, worksites, or other locations as needed.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS and WORKING CONDITIONS:  

• Work is primarily sedentary, requiring daily routine computer usage.
• Ability to work shifts as assigned, work in standard office/home office setting, and operate standard office equipment.
• Ability to accurately communicate information and ideas to others effectively.
• Physical agility and effort sufficiently to perform job duties safely and effectively.
• Ability to make valid judgments and decisions. 
• Available to work additional time on weekends, holidays, before or after normal work hours when necessary. 
• Must work well in a team environment and be able to work with a diverse group of people and customers.
• Virtual workers must comply with remote work policies and agreements.

The company and its subsidiaries operate in a 24/7 environment providing critical services to Alaskans and may need to respond to public health and safety matters or other business emergencies. Due to business needs employees may be contacted outside of the core business hours to respond to the immediate emergency. As such, you will be requested to provide emergency after-hour contact numbers, to include your home and cell phone numbers if you have those services. Culture, Engagement, and Connection: At GCI, we foster an environment where the unique perspectives of our employees, customers, and fellow Alaskans are celebrated. We add value to our community by nurturing and empowering each member of our workforce, ensuring equal opportunities for every Trailblazer. EEO: GCI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, veteran status, or any other status or classification protected under applicable state or federal law.  DISCLAIMER:  The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. All employees of GCI work in support of the GCI Mission Statement and Declaration of Principles which are located on the GCI Career page and Employee portal.