IT Manager, Business Systems (TS/SCI) {S}

ARKA Group L.P. (“ARKA”) is an advanced technologies company serving the U.S. military, intelligence community, and commercial space industry delivering next-generation solutions to support the national security space enterprise. Built on more than six decades of excellence, ARKA brings modern approaches and a culture of innovation to the challenges of today.

Join the ARKA team to learn how Beyond Begins Here. Discover your next career opportunity now!

Position Overview:

Reporting to the IT Director, this role will be responsible for acting as a hands-on manager and business liaison, supporting the local site’s day-to-day operations of IT systems and deliverables.  You will partner with local functional and program management on identifying their IT needs and developing and implementing technical solutions that align to overall ARKA IT.  You will lead a small, talented team of IT professionals who support the daily implementation, migration, maintenance and security of system applications and network infrastructure, including both classified and unclassified.  You will be self-motivated, proactive, and composed within a dynamic IT landscape with technical solutions that drive mission success.  

Responsibilities:

• Daily hands-on management and direction of a local IT team within a complex technical landscape, including both classified and unclassified environments
• Partner with local business stakeholders and other ARKA IT managers to support technical initiatives aligned to ARKA’s overall business and best practices
• Proactively identify enhancements and/or gaps to technical solutions
• Maintain oversight of local IT projects, ensuring that commitments are properly planned, staffed, monitored, and reported
• Manage and prioritize a substantial and diverse workload with ever-changing priorities
• Motivate, mentor and train team members with varying levels of expertise, while identifying areas of individual growth and development
• Establish metrics for measuring local IT effectiveness
• Partner with Information Assurance team to ensure IT compliance and security is maintained per industry standards
• Communicate to the end-user community on IT changes and/or updates as far in advance as possible to mitigate downtime
• Provide hands-on escalated support and jump in to assist team as required

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in information technology or related subject or equivalent experience
• A minimum of 7 years of hands-on system and/or network administration and/or business application development/maintenance
• A minimum of 0-3 years of leadership experience, can include project or other indirect leadership assignments
• Proven experience in leading, motivating, coaching, and training others with a can-do positive attitude
• Previous experience working on classified systems
• Strong prioritization and organization skills with the ability to manage multiple projects concurrently while maintaining a high degree of flexibility
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and present clear, concise objectives to all levels of the organization while identifying and sharing risks and opportunities
• Proven ability to unravel complex technical solutions and provide recommendations to the business, identifying risks and opportunities
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with various system applications, network, and cloud infrastructure with proven success in implementation across the enterprise including:
  • Microsoft and other Cloud environments (Azure, GCC High, AWS preferred)
  • Enterprise systems including VMWare, Windows, Linux
  • Monitoring, diagnostic, analytic and administration tools
  • System integrations and automation tools
  • Patching and monitoring tools
  • Security tools deployment such as MS Defender
  • Networking infrastructure experience, such as Palo Alto and Cisco
  • Knowledge of DevSecOps principles, and tooling (Gitlab preferred)
• Ability to draft and write reports to show KPIs such as uptime, SLDC, and patching results

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in merger and acquisition (M&A) environment is a plus
• Proven experience in understanding system and network protocols within a highly regulated environment; experience working in the Aerospace and Defense industry is a plus

ITC & Clearance/Certification Requirements:

• CompTIA Security+ required or obtained within first 6 months
• Required: Active TS/SCI security clearance with ability to obtain and maintain higher level clearances including a CI poly (will consider candidates within 24 months of a clearance debrief who can be crossed over within 3 months)

Pay Range: $140,000 - $180,000

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

The application window will close in 120 days for this position. 

Location: Aurora, CO

Being situated at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Aurora provides opportunities to enjoy all the beautiful nature that Colorado has to offer, while also being a 20-minute drive from downtown Denver and 15-minutes to the Denver International Airport.

What We Offer:

• Comprehensive medical/vision/dental insurance packages
• Company contributions to qualified HSA accounts
• 401k retirement plan with industry leading company contributions
• 3 weeks of vacation accrual per year plus time off for sick leave and unscheduled life events
• 13 paid holidays
• Upfront tuition assistance for approved degree programs
• Annual bonus program based on company and employee performance
• Company paid life insurance, AD&D, Short-Term and Long-Term disability insurance
• 4 weeks paid Parental Leave
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

EHS/Environmental Requirements:

This job operates in a professional office environment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee routinely is required to use hands to keyboard, communicate, listen to, and interpret instructions and remain stationary for extended periods of the time. This would require the ability to move around the campus and occasionally move/lift items weighing up to 25 lbs. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Applicants are invited to apply for a reasonable accommodation to perform the essential duties of the job. To apply, send a request to staffing@arka.org or contact 203-797-5000 and press 2 for Human Resources.

ITC & Security Clearance Requirements:

This position requires an active TS/SCI U.S. Government Security Clearance with the ability to obtain higher clearance levels including a CI Polygraph.

Visa Restrictions:

No visa sponsorship is available for this position.

Pre-employment Screenings:

Employment with any ARKA companies in the U.S. is contingent upon satisfactory completion of several pre-employment requirements to include a credit check, background check, and drug screen.