Manager of IT Infrastructure

About Slate

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

Slate is looking for an experienced and driven Manager of IT Infrastructure to lead our Systems and Network Engineering teams at our Warsaw manufacturing plant. This leader will be responsible for the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of Slate’s infrastructure across server, network, cloud, and operational technology (OT) environments.

This ideal candidate is a technically credible manager who has hands‑on roots in infrastructure and has grown into a leadership role. They are equally comfortable reviewing architecture decisions, mentoring engineers, and engaging with plant operations and business stakeholders. This person will play a critical role in building the infrastructure foundation that powers Slate’s manufacturing and corporate operations.

At Slate, we are committed to providing our employees and candidates with access to information about our compensation practices. The expected base salary range offered for this role is $114,000–$143,000. Compensation may vary based on relevant experience, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location. (Warsaw, IN)

• Directly manage and develop a team of Systems Engineers and Network Engineers, providing clear direction, coaching, and career growth opportunities.
• Set team priorities, manage workload distribution, and ensure consistent, high‑quality delivery across infrastructure disciplines.
• Foster a culture of accountability, documentation, and continuous improvement within the team.
• Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and goal‑setting aligned with departmental objectives.

• Own the overall infrastructure roadmap for the Warsaw plant, covering server, network, cloud, and OT/ICS environments.
• Lead planning and execution of infrastructure projects including new deployments, upgrades, migrations, and capacity expansion.
• Ensure infrastructure reliability, security, and scalability to meet the demands of a growing manufacturing operation.
• Drive adoption of automation, monitoring, and infrastructure‑as‑code practices across the team.

• Establish and maintain operational standards, runbooks, and change management processes.
• Serve as the escalation point for critical infrastructure incidents; lead post‑incident reviews and drive resolution of systemic issues.
• Oversee on‑call rotations and after‑hours maintenance coverage to ensure 24/7 operational readiness.
• Partner with plant operations to minimize downtime and ensure IT/OT systems support production continuity.

• Manage relationships with infrastructure vendors, service providers, and managed service partners.
• Collaborate with IT leadership, plant management, and engineering teams to align infrastructure initiatives with business priorities.
• Support budgeting, procurement, and asset lifecycle management for infrastructure hardware and software.

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field required. Advanced degree a plus.

• 8–12 years of progressive experience in IT infrastructure, with at least 3 years in a people management role.
• Proven track record leading infrastructure teams in complex, multi‑site or manufacturing environments.
• Hands‑on background in systems engineering (Linux/Windows server administration) and/or network engineering.
• Experience managing infrastructure in mixed IT/OT environments is strongly preferred.

• Strong working knowledge of Linux server administration (RHEL/Rocky), virtualization platforms (Proxmox, VMware, or Hyper‑V), and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Solid understanding of enterprise networking: routing, switching, VLANs, firewalling, VPNs, and network…