Manager of IT Infrastructure

ABOUT SLATE

At Slate were building safe reliable vehicles that people can afford personalize and loveand doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate because people should have control over how their trucks look feel and represent them.

Slate is looking for an experienced and driven Manager of IT Infrastructure to lead our Systems and Network Engineering teams at our Warsaw manufacturing plant. This leader will be responsible for the strategy execution and continuous improvement of Slates infrastructure across server network cloud and operational technology (OT) environments.

The ideal candidate is a technically credible manager who has hands-on roots in infrastructure and has grown into a leadership role. They are equally comfortable reviewing architecture decisions mentoring engineers and engaging with plant operations and business stakeholders. This person will play a critical role in building the infrastructure foundation that powers Slates manufacturing and corporate operations.

At Slate we are committed to providing our employees and candidates with access to information about our compensation practices. The expected base salary range offered for this role is $114000-$143000. Compensation may vary based on relevant experience skills and competencies as well as geographic location. (Warsaw IN)

Team Leadership & Development:

• Directly manage and develop a team of Systems Engineers and Network Engineers providing clear direction coaching and career growth opportunities.
• Set team priorities manage workload distribution and ensure consistent high-quality delivery across infrastructure disciplines.
• Foster a culture of accountability documentation and continuous improvement within the team.
• Conduct regular 1:1s performance reviews and goal-setting aligned with departmental objectives.

Infrastructure Strategy & Execution:

• Own the overall infrastructure roadmap for the Warsaw plant covering server network cloud and OT/ICS environments.
• Lead planning and execution of infrastructure projects including new deployments upgrades migrations and capacity expansion.
• Ensure infrastructure reliability security and scalability to meet the demands of a growing manufacturing operation.
• Drive adoption of automation monitoring and infrastructure-as-code practices across the team.

Operations & Incident Management:

• Establish and maintain operational standards runbooks and change management processes.
• Serve as the escalation point for critical infrastructure incidents; lead post-incident reviews and drive resolution of systemic issues.
• Oversee on-call rotations and after-hours maintenance coverage to ensure 24/7 operational readiness.
• Partner with plant operations to minimize downtime and ensure IT/OT systems support production continuity.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management:

• Manage relationships with infrastructure vendors service providers and managed service partners.
• Collaborate with IT leadership plant management and engineering teams to align infrastructure initiatives with business priorities.
• Support budgeting procurement and asset lifecycle management for infrastructure hardware and software.

Education:

• Bachelors degree in Information Technology Computer Science or a related field required. Advanced degree a plus.

Experience:

• 812 years of progressive experience in IT infrastructure with at least 3 years in a people management role.
• Proven track record leading infrastructure teams in complex multi-site or manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on background in systems engineering (Linux/Windows server administration) and/or network engineering.
• Experience managing infrastructure in mixed IT/OT environments is strongly preferred.

Technical Knowledge:

• Strong working knowledge of Linux server administration (RHEL/Rocky) virtualization platforms (Proxmox VMware or Hyper-V) and containerization (Docker Kubernetes).
• Solid understanding of enterprise networking: routing switching VLANs firewalling VPNs and network segmentation.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure particularly AWS (EC2 RDS VPC IAM security groups).
• Familiarity with infrastructure automation and monitoring tools (Ansible Terraform Zabbix Prometheus/Grafana).
• Working knowledge of OT/ICS environments and industrial networking concepts is a strong plus.

Certifications (Preferred):

• ITIL Foundation or equivalent service management certification.
• AWS Solutions Architect Certified SysOps Administrator or equivalent cloud certification.
• RHCSA/RHCE CCNA/CCNP or other relevant infrastructure certifications.

Leadership & Soft Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to lead motivate and develop high-performing technical teams.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize and execute in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication skills able to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders.
• Data-driven decision-maker with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and capable of building structure in a high-growth greenfield environment.

• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development in an innovative automotive environment.
• Work in a collaborative multidisciplinary team at the forefront of automotive technology.
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and tooling.
• Paid training and certification support for continued professional development.

WHY JOIN TEAM SLATE

At Slate were fueled by grit determination and attention to detail. The start-up spirit of ingenuity and resourcefulness move our business forward. Team Slate fosters a culture of excellence innovation and mutual respect and is motivated by shared principles.

• Safety First

• Delight Customers

• One Team

• Relentless Improvement

• Fast Frugal and Scrappy

• Respectful Collaboration

• Positive Legacy

WE WANT TO WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT REFLECT THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE OPERATE.

Slate is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race color religion gender gender identity or expression sexual orientation national origin genetics disability age veteran status marital status parental status cultural background organizational level work styles tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason.

Slate is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability you may contact us at