Manager, IT Systems Engineering

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms.

Job Overview

We are seeking an IT Manager, Systems Engineering to lead the team responsible for the reliability, security and scale of our servers, storage and cloud infrastructure, as well as the PLM and CAD platforms and the operational and manufacturing technology systems that support engineering and production. You will manage a team of systems engineers, own the infrastructure roadmap across on-premises data centers, edge and hybrid cloud, and serve as the main escalation point for high-severity systems incidents. You will also drive our shift toward infrastructure as code and automation.

You are a hands-on leader who combines technical depth with people management and strategic planning. As Saronic grows, you will build the team, processes and standards that keep our systems optimized and secure at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of systems engineers ranging from associate to staff level, with full accountability for hiring, development, performance and retention.

• Set goals and expectations, run regular 1:1s and performance reviews, and make compensation and leveling recommendations.

• Own operational delivery and KPIs for systems engineering, including SLAs, uptime, change success rate and project delivery.

• Own the infrastructure roadmap across on-premises data centers, colocation, edge and hybrid cloud, including capacity planning, lifecycle management and modernization.

• Lead architecture and operations for enterprise systems, including Windows and Linux servers, virtualization, enterprise storage, core infrastructure services and engineering compute.

• Lead the infrastructure that supports PLM and CAD platforms, including servers, storage, licensing, performance and availability, in partnership with engineering and application owners.

• Lead systems infrastructure for operational and manufacturing technology, including edge, lab and shop-floor compute and storage, in partnership with OT, manufacturing and engineering teams.

• Lead cloud infrastructure strategy and operations across hybrid environments, including migrations and workload placement.

• Develop and test backup, disaster recovery and business continuity plans for systems and services.

• Drive adoption of infrastructure as code and automation using tools like Terraform and Ansible (or similar), and drive standardization, observability and reduction of technical debt to improve reliability, security and speed.

• Serve as the main escalation point for high-severity systems incidents, and lead incident response, root-cause analysis, change governance and patching, with clear escalation paths, runbooks and post-incident reviews.

• Partner with Information Security to enforce controls aligned to NIST 800-171, DFARS, CMMC and ITAR, and support audits.

• Partner with Network Operations, Facilities, the Service Desk, Information Security and engineering teams, including on new facility build-outs and on coordinating changes to minimize disruption.

• Manage the team budget, vendor relationships and procurement within delegated authority.

• Maintain documentation, including system designs, runbooks and operating procedures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• 7+ years of progressive IT infrastructure or systems engineering experience, including experience leading engineers or technical teams.

• Experience with hiring, performance management and developing engineers at a range of experience levels.

• Deep technical skill in Windows Server, Linux, virtualization, enterprise storage, and backup and disaster recovery.

• Experience owning hybrid cloud infrastructure, including government cloud environments such as AWS GovCloud or equivalent FedRAMP-aligned environments.

• Experience supporting data centers, colocation, labs or manufacturing environments.

• Experience supporting PLM and CAD environments or other engineering design and data management platforms.

• Experience with high availability, capacity planning and lifecycle management, and leading modernization, migrations and recovery testing.

• Hands-on experience with scripting, automation and infrastructure as code.

• Working knowledge of defense compliance frameworks, such as NIST 800-171, DFARS, CMMC and ITAR.

• Track record managing budgets, vendors and multi-quarter roadmaps.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including explaining technical concepts to executive and non-technical audiences.

• Strong operational rigor and sound judgment when problem solving under pressure.

• Ability to travel periodically and to support after-hours work and incident response.

Desired Qualifications

• Industry certifications such as ITIL, AWS or Azure Solutions Architect, or CISSP.

• Experience with HPC, GPU clusters or other engineering compute environments.

• Experience administering PLM platforms and engineering data management.

• Experience supporting operational and manufacturing technology systems, such as shop-floor and manufacturing execution systems.

• Familiarity with declarative, reproducible system configuration.

• Experience in classified or air-gapped environments and handling of controlled unclassified information (CUI).

• Experience working in a defense, aerospace or other regulated environment.

• Experience scaling teams and processes in a rapidly growing organization.

• Willingness and eligibility to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Physical Demands:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer

• Occasional standing and walking within the office

• Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other office equipment

• Visual acuity to read screens, documents, and reports

• Occasional reaching, bending, or stooping to access file drawers, cabinets, or office supplies

• Lifting and carrying items up to 20 pounds occasionally (e.g., office supplies, packages)

Benefits:

Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans covering a range of services

Saronic pays 100% of the premium for employees and 80% for dependents

Dental and Vision Insurance: Coverage for routine dental check-ups, orthodontics, and vision care

Saronic pays 100% of the premium under the basic plan for employees and 80% for dependents

Time Off: Generous PTO and Holidays

Parental Leave: Paid maternity and paternity leave to support new parents

Competitive Salary: Industry-standard salaries with opportunities for performance-based bonuses

Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan with company match

Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company’s success

Life and Disability Insurance: Basic life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage

Pet Insurance: Discounted pet insurance options including 24/7 Telehealth helpline

Additional Perks: Free lunch benefit and unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office

Saronic CCPA Notice for Candidates and California Employees

If this role is based in the United States, it requires access to export-controlled information or items that require “U.S. Person” status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a “U.S. Person”: (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Saronic does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.