Senior Manager IT - Middleware Operations

Job Description Summary

Senior Manager, Middleware Platforms responsible for strategic leadership, direction, and management of enterprise middleware platform services including Web Platforms, Messaging Queue (MQ), File Transfer Processing, and PKI Certificate Management.

• Leadership and Team Management:
  Provides strategic leadership, guidance, and mentorship to managers and colleagues; defines roadmaps, develops team members.
• Budget Management:
  Identifies, drives, and delivers cost initiatives; manages colleague, training, travel, and team budgets.
• Governance and Operational Excellence:
  Leads development and implementation of platform operating practices, standards, and controls; ensures compliance and maintains documentation.
• Culture:
  Fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration; drives efficiency and shares best practices.
• Compliance:
  Manages data privacy risks and ensures compliance with company policy regarding processing of personal or sensitive data.
• Platform Service Delivery:
  Owns end‑to‑end service health, reliability, and lifecycle management for Web Platforms, MQ, File Transfer Processing, and PKI Certificate Management.
• Dev Ops and Automation:
  Oversees build/release processes and drives automation for deployment, configuration, compliance, and environment provisioning.
• Stakeholder and Vendor Management:
  Acts as escalation point for major incidents, manages vendor partners, and builds strong partnerships across teams.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• 10+ years of relevant experience in platform engineering, middleware, infrastructure services, and/or operations in enterprise environments.
• Proven people‑leadership experience, including leading managers, coaching, performance management, and workforce/resource planning.
• Technical depth and track record owning enterprise platforms such as web platforms, messaging middleware (e.g., IBM MQ or equivalent), managed file transfer, and certificate lifecycle management/PKI.
• Experience owning end‑to‑end service health (SLAs/SLOs, incident/problem/change management, capacity, patching, upgrades, DR/BCP) and partnering with security/risk teams to meet control, audit, and compliance requirements.
• Strong command of platform engineering and operations best practices, including monitoring/observability, resiliency patterns, vulnerability management, and secure‑by‑design principles.
• Ability to set platform strategy and roadmaps and drive execution aligned to enterprise architecture and business outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve complex, high‑impact issues that span teams; make timely decisions with incomplete information; and adapt priorities to address resource, reliability, and delivery constraints.
• Experience leading cross‑functional programs from inception to completion (modernization, standardization, automation), including vendor/partner delivery governance and stakeholder communications.

• Strong executive communication and stakeholder‑management skills, with demonstrated ability to influence decisions and drive alignment across infrastructure, application, security, risk, and vendor partners.
• Technical depth to dive into architecture, configuration/code reviews, and complex troubleshooting as needed; experience operating large‑scale, high‑volume, highly available platforms.

• Hybrid Office Environment – requires three days in office per week at one of our hub locations (Cedar Rapids, Philadelphia, Denver).
• No relocation assistance provided.
• Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.; no visa sponsorship.

• Salary range: $138,000 – $160,000 (starting pay determined by qualifications, experience, geography, and operational needs).
• Eligible for an annual bonus based on the Company Bonus Plan/Individual Performance, at the company’s discretion.

• Competitive Pay and Bonus.
• Pension Plan, 401(k) Match, Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Tuition Reimbursement, Disability Insurance, Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance.
• Employee Discounts, Career Training & Development Opportunities.
• Paid Time Off starting at 160 hours annually for first‑year employees; 10 paid holidays per year.
• Be Well Company holistic wellness program and Wellness Coaching.
• Paid parental leave (15 days) for eligible employees.
• Adoption Assistance, Employee Assistance Program, Back‑Up Care Program.
• PTO for Volunteer Hours, Employee Matching Gifts Program, Employee Resource Groups.
• Inclusion and Diversity Programs, Employee Recognition Program, Referral Bonus Programs.