Senior Manager, Digital Networks and Data Centre Services

at  Macewan University

ABOUT US

MacEwan University is where caring faculty help people connect their passions to their future paths. Located in the heart of Edmonton’s diverse and dynamic downtown community, and on the traditional lands of Treaty 6 First Nations and homelands of the Métis people, MacEwan is known for exceptional undergraduate learning. With its dedication to teaching excellence, informed by scholarly research, innovation, and creative activity, MacEwan provides an exceptional collaborative and supportive learning environment with a commitment to human rights, environmental sustainability, and opportunities for community engagement. We are committed to creating an equitable, diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community for all peoples, cultures, and identities.
Our comprehensive undergraduate university offers 55 programs to more than 19,000 full- and part-time students in business, communications, community and human services, design, fine and performing arts, health, humanities, natural science, nursing, public safety, and social science. Through a wide array of experiential learning opportunities, and strategic relationships in the community, we partner with others to produce graduates of stature. Along with a robust grounding in their chosen disciplines, MacEwan students are given durable life skills that prepare them to take on the world.

OPPORTUNITY

MacEwan University is seeking a Senior Manager, Digital Networks and Data Centre Services for a full-time continuing opportunity with the Information Technology Services Department. Reporting to The Director, Digital Platforms and Delivery, you will be responsible for overseeing the delivery, management, and support of data centre operations, network architecture and delivery at MacEwan. This position plays a key role in ensuring the availability, performance, and security of digital services that support day-to-day institutional operations. Additionally, you will drive operational excellence, scalability, and security across MacEwan’s network and data centre environments.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and managing staff in the Digital Network and Data Centre Services team, including assigning and monitoring workload, preparing schedules, responding to emerging issues, approving timesheets and time off requests;
• Fostering an environment of continuous learning and improvement, and encouraging team members to share ideas and feedback;
• Managing employee labour relations and employee/overall team performance, including conducting ongoing workforce engagement conversations, mediating and/or resolving conflicts between staff, initiating/monitoring progress during performance improvement process, imposing progressive discipline, and conducting employee terminations in collaboration with HR, and in alignment with university policy and MacEwan Staff Association Collective Agreement;
• Planning, budgeting, scheduling, and implementing projects and tasks related to the data centre infrastructure, such as installing, upgrading, or repairing hardware and software, configuring networks and servers, monitoring performance and availability, and ensuring compliance with standards and regulations;
• Establishing and managing policies for network device configurations, including routers, switches, and firewalls, to ensure consistency and adherence to best practices;
• Driving data governance practices to ensure data accuracy, security, and compliance with institutional policies and regulations;
• Leading the response to major incidents within the area of oversight, ensuring that escalations and critical issues are appropriately prioritized and addressed with a timely response, quick resolution, and minimal disruption to university operations;
• Monitoring productivity, recurring issues, and other operational variables and recommending and implementing improvements as necessary;
• Maintaining and sharing currency of knowledge with respect to relevant technologies and systems;
• Coordinating with other IT departments to ensure seamless support for cross-functional projects and initiatives; and
• Implementing continuous improvement initiatives based on performance data and user feedback.

SKILLS

You will have:

• Proven expertise in network design, routing, switching, VPNs, and firewalls;
• A solid knowledge of data centre architecture, design, and best practices, as well as the tools and technologies used to manage and monitor the data centre environment, such as cloud computing, virtualization, automation, and security;
• Familiarity with the standards and regulations that apply to data centres, knowledge of network protocols, routing, switching, firewalls, and cloud networking (AWS, Azure, etc.);
• Advanced knowledge of network and server virtualization technologies (VMware, Hyper-V, etc.);
• Experience with hybrid networking solutions and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), including integration, monitoring, and security for multi-cloud environments;
• Proficiency in using tools like SolarWinds, Wireshark, or Nagios to monitor, analyze, and optimize network and data centre performance;
• Strong project management skills with experience leading complex infrastructure initiatives;
• A strong understanding of cybersecurity principles and practices to protect network and data centre assets;
• Proficiency in implementing and managing virtualization platforms, such as VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and KVM, ensuring optimal resource utilization and system performance;
• A deep knowledge of server operating systems (Windows Server, Linux distributions such as Red Hat, Ubuntu, and CentOS);
• Technical proficiency coupled with a customer-focused approach;
• Proven leadership and management skills, including the ability to lead, mentor and develop staff and foster a positive, productive, and cohesive team environment;
• A commitment to delivering high-quality customer service and improving user satisfaction;
• Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills to work with an extensive array of individuals both internal and external to the University;
• Excellent analytical, planning, organizational, time management, decision making and problem-solving skills with keen attention to detail;
• The ability to lead by example and serve as a positive role model;
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to convey complex technical information to non-technical end-users;
• The ability to evaluate and formulate recommendations, implementation, and integration;
• The ability to work both independently and in a team-oriented collaborative environment;
• Knowledge and understanding of change management and process techniques, with the ability to lead/direct change management activities related to Network and Data Centre Services; and
• Proficiency in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).

QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in Computing Science, Information Technology or related field.
• Cisco’s CCNA/CCNP, Cloud platform certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Administrator), CompTIA Network+, or ITIL or equivalent would be considered assets.
• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in IT with a focus in network engineering, data centre operations or IT infrastructure management, including a minimum of 5 years of leadership experience.
• Experience managing on-premises, hybrid, and cloud-based data centre operations.
• Leadership experience in a unionized environment would be considered an asset.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• This position works 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday. However, the nature of the position requires the Senior Manager to participate in support, coverage and escalations for the ITS On-call schedule as well as work some weekends and evenings to support the operations.

• Leading and managing staff in the Digital Network and Data Centre Services team, including assigning and monitoring workload, preparing schedules, responding to emerging issues, approving timesheets and time off requests;
• Fostering an environment of continuous learning and improvement, and encouraging team members to share ideas and feedback;
• Managing employee labour relations and employee/overall team performance, including conducting ongoing workforce engagement conversations, mediating and/or resolving conflicts between staff, initiating/monitoring progress during performance improvement process, imposing progressive discipline, and conducting employee terminations in collaboration with HR, and in alignment with university policy and MacEwan Staff Association Collective Agreement;
• Planning, budgeting, scheduling, and implementing projects and tasks related to the data centre infrastructure, such as installing, upgrading, or repairing hardware and software, configuring networks and servers, monitoring performance and availability, and ensuring compliance with standards and regulations;
• Establishing and managing policies for network device configurations, including routers, switches, and firewalls, to ensure consistency and adherence to best practices;
• Driving data governance practices to ensure data accuracy, security, and compliance with institutional policies and regulations;
• Leading the response to major incidents within the area of oversight, ensuring that escalations and critical issues are appropriately prioritized and addressed with a timely response, quick resolution, and minimal disruption to university operations;
• Monitoring productivity, recurring issues, and other operational variables and recommending and implementing improvements as necessary;
• Maintaining and sharing currency of knowledge with respect to relevant technologies and systems;
• Coordinating with other IT departments to ensure seamless support for cross-functional projects and initiatives; and
• Implementing continuous improvement initiatives based on performance data and user feedback