Manager Hybrid Infrastructure & Hosting, Ford Energy

Responsibilities

• GCP Governance: Design, deploy, and manage Ford Energy’s cloud environments.
• Cloud Economics: Monitor and optimize cloud consumption to ensure cost-effectiveness while maintaining high performance.
• Identity & Security: Implement and maintain robust Identity and Access Management policies and security configurations within the cloud environment.
• On-Premises & Edge Infrastructure:
  • Physical Hosting: Lead the design and setup of the plant’s local data center/server rooms, including rack layouts, power requirements, and cooling coordination.
  • Edge Computing: Implement high-availability edge compute solutions to support real-time manufacturing data and low-latency production requirements.
  • Virtualization: Manage the on-site virtualization layer to ensure maximum hardware utilization and resilience.
• Operational Reliability & Data Integrity:
  • Business Continuity: Develop and implement comprehensive backup and disaster recovery strategies that span both physical hardware and cloud workloads.
  • Monitoring & Observability: Implement advanced monitoring tools to ensure 24/7 visibility into system health.
  • Storage Management: Architect and manage scalable storage solutions for massive manufacturing datasets, ensuring data is available for analysis and long-term retention.
• Project & Vendor Leadership:
  • Deployment: Lead the technical execution of infrastructure projects during the plant’s construction and "go-live" phases.
  • Hardware Sourcing: Work with vendors to specify and procure the physical infrastructure needed for the facility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor Degree or relevant work experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Professional Cloud Architect or Cloud Engineer certification is highly preferred.
• 8+ years in IT infrastructure with at least 3 years in a leadership or lead engineering role.
• Proven experience managing "hybrid" environments where cloud and physical hardware must work in sync.
• Deep understanding of server hardware, enterprise storage, and data center physical infrastructure.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools to automate environment deployment.

Preferred Skills & Attributes

• Experience supporting a 24/7 production environment where system uptime directly impacts manufacturing throughput.
• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes and Docker, particularly in a manufacturing or IIoT context.
• A "get-it-done" mindset with the ability to troubleshoot complex issues across the full stack (from a physical cable to a cloud API).
• Ability to work closely with the Network and Security teams to ensure a seamless and hardened infrastructure.