AHEAD · 1 day ago
Manager, Operational Technology
Libertyville, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$150K/yr - $200K/yrAHEAD builds platforms for digital business, focusing on cloud infrastructure, automation, and analytics. The Manager of Operational Technology will lead a team to manage operational networks and security, ensuring the Foundry's efficiency and security while collaborating with various stakeholders.
Cloud ComputingInformation TechnologySoftwareStaffing AgencyVirtualization
Responsibilities
Lead and mentor an OT engineering team across U.S. and European integration centers. Start with two direct reports and hire direct and dotted line team members to support our global expansion
Partner closely with corporate IT & international Foundry P&L owners on OT roadmaps, budgets, and run books for Foundry needs
Build a client outcome focused on team culture obsessed with operational excellence
Own roadmap, uptime, and feature velocity for Forge, the automated test and verification platform powering Foundry
Direct custom OS builds, kernel compilation, and tooling that power imaging and test with development focused on Python
Operate the imaging environment, including cross site file synchronization and golden image governance
Operate a multi campus core: 100 plus switches, thousands of ports, multiple IDFs, fiber and copper, structured cabling standards, and thousands of ever-changing devices to keep secure
Deliver rock solid remote client connectivity with VPNs, custom network creation, and VM provisioning for staging
Manage on premises Nutanix clusters which host production tooling & remote access platform
Maintain and manage the Jira and Confluence environments used by the Foundry team
Harden Foundry networks and platforms following best practices using network segmentation, Palo Alto Firewalls along with centralized Panorama management and Cisco DNA
Maintain rules, licensing, client updates, and VPN resilience
Operate GitLab for CI and source control with permissions, updates, and availability monitoring
Own backup policy and execution across OT systems
Plan, implement, and test DR to agreed RPO and RTO
Operate within an ISO certified facility, including ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 quality systems. ISO experience is a plus
Partner with Foundry Operations on capacity planning, capital investments, and facility layout optimization
Collaborate with Product and Software teams to extend automation and integrate emerging technologies such as liquid cooling controls and AI/HPC performance benchmarking
Coordinate with telecom connectivity providers, construction partners, and enterprise clients to deliver circuits, cross connects, and building pathways on schedule
Collaborating with internal engineering and systems verifications teams on testing standards and new hardware introduction
Qualification
Required
Deep networking and security expertise at scale: firewalls, routing, BGP and EVPN-VXLAN fabrics, VPNs, segmentation, and policy design for environments with thousands of ports and rapidly changing device populations
Very strong Linux proficiency and virtualization background, including KVM & Nutanix
AWS or hybrid cloud operations experience for test harnesses, workload simulation and application hosting
Experience building or operating OT or IT automation platforms for imaging and configuration at high volume. Familiarity with Puppet, Ansible, and CI/CD pipelines
Leadership of technical teams in high volume integration or manufacturing environments
Proven record creating repeatable processes that lift throughput without sacrificing quality
Clear, decisive communication with a habit of holding teams accountable
Amazing troubleshooting experience with the ability to quickly understand complex systems to drive to quick solutions
Exposure to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 quality systems
Familiarity with liquid cooling and building management systems, AI/ML hardware, and power dense rack design
GitLab administration and CI operations
Palo Alto Firewalls and Panorama at scale
Experience with Cisco DNA
Benefits
Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
401(k)
Paid company holidays
Paid time off
Paid parental and caregiver leave
Plus more! See benefits https://www.aheadbenefits.com/ for additional details.
Company
AHEAD
AHEAD is a solutions-based company that helps clients move to an optimized IT service delivery model.
Founded in 2007
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
AHEAD has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (24)
2024 (19)
2023 (22)
2022 (20)
2021 (18)
2020 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$97.72M2024-05-06Series Unknown· $5.7M
2024-02-15Series Unknown· $43.6M
2023-11-02Series Unknown· $5.77M
Leadership Team
Daniel Adamany
Founder and CEO
S
Stephen Ayoub
Co-Founder and President
Recent News
2025-11-19
Company data provided by crunchbase