How to Apply
A cover letter is highly recommended for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.
Job Summary
The Director of Data Center Infrastructure is responsible for the strategic leadership and operational management of Michigan Medicine's on-premise data center environments, ensuring high availability, security, and performance for mission-critical applications and systems. This role oversees the management and optimization of Windows, Unix, and Linux operating systems, as well as the VMware and OpenShift hypervisor and container platforms. The Director plays a crucial role in sustaining the reliability of traditional data center operations while strategically supporting the transition of applications, platforms, and workloads to the cloud in alignment with the organization's long-term IT strategy.
The Cloud Center of Excellence (CcoE) at Michigan Medicine is a strategic division dedicated to driving cloud adoption, governance, and operational excellence across the organization. The CcoE serves as the central hub for cloud expertise, ensuring the secure, efficient, and scalable use of cloud technologies to support clinical, research, and administrative initiatives.
With a focus on innovation, best practices, and compliance, the CcoE is responsible for establishing cloud strategies, architecture standards, and operational frameworks that align with the institution's mission. The division collaborates closely with IT, security, and business stakeholders to optimize cloud environments, enabling high-performance computing, data analytics, and mission-critical applications including the management and optimization of Epic EHR and Sectra PACS in the public cloud.
By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, automation, and cloud-native solutions, the CcoE ensures that Michigan Medicine remains at the forefront of digital transformation, delivering reliable, cost-effective, and cutting-edge cloud services that enhance patient care, research advancements, and operational efficiencies.
Mission Statement
Michigan Medicine improves the health of patients, populations and communities through excellence in education, patient care, community service, research and technology development, and through leadership activities in Michigan, nationally and internationally. Our mission is guided by our Strategic Principles and has three critical components; patient care, education and research that together enhance our contribution to society.
Responsibilities*
Infrastructure Strategy and Management:
- Develop and implement a strategic roadmap for data center infrastructure, ensuring alignment with Michigan Medicine's IT strategy and industry best practices.
- Oversee the server, storage, and virtualization environments , ensuring high availability, scalability, and performance of critical systems.
- Provide leadership in modernizing and optimizing on-premise infrastructure while collaborating with cloud teams to support migration efforts for legacy systems.
- Establish and maintain best practices for system performance, disaster recovery, and business continuity planning to minimize downtime and service disruptions.
Operational Oversight and Performance Optimization:
- Lead the management and administration of Windows, Unix, and Linux environments, ensuring consistent performance, security, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Oversee the VMware and OpenShift hypervisor and container platforms , ensuring efficient resource utilization and supporting application teams with deployment strategies.
- Implement automation, orchestration, and configuration management tools to improve operational efficiency and reduce manual intervention.
- Drive performance monitoring, capacity planning, and lifecycle management for on-premise infrastructure to ensure proactive maintenance and optimization .
Team Leadership and Development:
- Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of infrastructure engineers and administrators, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning.
- Define team objectives, establish performance metrics, and conduct regular evaluations to drive success and professional growth.
- Promote cross-functional collaboration with cloud, security, and application teams to ensure a smooth transition of workloads to the cloud.
Security, Compliance, and Risk Management:
- Ensure compliance with security policies, HIPAA, NIST, and other regulatory frameworks governing healthcare IT infrastructure.
- Partner with security teams to implement and maintain security controls , vulnerability management, and incident response measures.
- Continuously assess and mitigate risks related to on-premise infrastructure while planning for long-term sustainability and cloud migration.
Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:
- Work closely with IT, security, application, and business teams to align infrastructure initiatives with institutional objectives.
- Collaborate with the Cloud Center of Excellence (CCoE) to ensure a seamless integration between on-premise and cloud environments .
- Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and service level agreements (SLAs) to ensure high-quality support and cost-effective solutions .
Required Qualifications*
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, Information Technology, or related field.
- 7 to 10 years of increasingly responsible experience in the operation and management of IT services with a focus on data center infrastructure, server/storage management, and virtualization technologies.
- Expertise in Windows, Unix, and Linux operating systems administration and optimization.
- Strong experience with VMware and OpenShift hypervisors and container platforms in enterprise environments.
- Proven ability to manage large-scale, mission-critical IT infrastructure in a high-availability setting.
- Experience developing and executing infrastructure migration strategies, particularly in transitioning on-premise environments to cloud platforms.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to drive collaboration across teams.
Desired Qualifications*
- Master's degree preferred.
- Certifications in VMware, OpenShift, or related enterprise infrastructure technologies.
- Experience with hybrid cloud models, including integration between on-premise infrastructure and public cloud environments (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).
- Knowledge of automation tools, infrastructure as code (IaC), and DevOps principles for modernizing infrastructure management.
Work Locations
This position is being offered as a Hybrid position. We support work/life balance through various flexible work scheduling options. Apply to be part of a strong team that partners with our institution, community, and each other.
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Additional Information
Diversity Statement:
HITS is firmly committed to advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and belonging, which are core to the culture and values of Michigan Medicine. Our community supports recruiting and cultivating a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the diverse people of Michigan and the world. We strive to create a work culture where each team member feels respected, valued, and safe.
Benefits:
We offer a benefits package that includes comprehensive training and career development opportunities, generous retirement savings plans, ample paid time off, and a wealth of family care support: https://careers.umich.edu/benefits/ .
Background Screening
Michigan Medicine conducts background screening and pre-employment drug testing on job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent job offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background screenings. Background screenings are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Report Act. Pre-employment drug testing applies to all selected candidates, including new or additional faculty and staff appointments, as well as transfers from other U-M campuses.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.
U-M EEO/AA Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.


