Systems Engineering Team Lead - City of Chesapeake

The City of Chesapeake's Department of Information Technology (IT) Infrastructure Operations Team is searching for a Systems Engineering Team Lead. The Systems Engineering Team is responsible for server infrastructure, virtualization platforms, storage solutions, messaging and directory services, cloud services, cybersecurity coordination, remote work technologies, and IT customer service.

The Team Lead serves as the primary leader for the Systems Engineering function and is responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, operation, and continuous improvement of the City's enterprise compute infrastructure environment. This position provides leadership and oversight for technical staff, projects, operational support services, vendor relationships, and technology modernization initiatives while ensuring alignment with City goals and service delivery requirements.

The Systems Engineering Team Lead leads a team of engineers and technical specialists responsible for projects, operational support, troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrades, and expansion of the City's foundational on-premises and cloud infrastructure. This position reports to the Infrastructure Operations Administrator and works closely with other IT teams, City departments, public safety stakeholders, and external technology partners.

Leadership and Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly supervise systems engineers, administrators, and technical support personnel.
• Establish work priorities, assign projects and operational responsibilities, and evaluate staff performance.
• Participate in recruitment, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, coaching, disciplinary actions, and succession planning.
• Develop employee training plans and promote professional development and certification achievement.
• Establish team goals, performance expectations, and accountability measures.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, customer service, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Technical and Operational Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction for enterprise infrastructure, virtualization, storage, cloud services, identity management, backup and disaster recovery platforms.
• Oversee technology projects from planning and budgeting through implementation and operational transition.
• Manage operational support processes including incident, problem, change, and configuration management.
• Ensure infrastructure availability, reliability, scalability, and security.
• Develop and maintain technology standards, architecture documentation, policies, and procedures.
• Coordinate vendor installations, maintenance activities, and technology refresh initiatives.
• Support CJIS , HIPAA , cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Lead emergency response and major incident management activities.

Vendor Management

• Maintain and manage relationships with the City's IT vendors and partners.
• Prepare business cases, cost estimates, procurement documentation, and technology funding requests.
• Monitor expenditures and ensure responsible stewardship of public resources.
• Evaluate vendor proposals.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization, consolidation, and operational efficiency.

Performance Metrics and Leadership Expectations

• Maintain infrastructure availability and reliability targets for critical systems and services.
• Deliver projects on schedule, within scope, and within approved budget parameters.
• Improve service delivery through measurable reductions in incidents, outages, and operational risks.
• Ensure timely completion of employee performance evaluations and development plans.
• Maintain current documentation, disaster recovery procedures, and operational standards.
• Promote customer satisfaction through responsive and effective service delivery.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives through automation, modernization, and process optimization.

Required Qualifications
Vocational/Educational Requirement:Requires any combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, or a closely related field.

Experience:In addition to satisfying the vocational/education standards, this class requires a minimum of four years of related, full-time equivalent experience.

Special Certifications and Licenses:Requires a valid driver's license and a driving record in compliance with City Driving Standards .

Special Requirements:Employees may be expected to work hours in excess of their normally scheduled hours in response to short-term department needs and/or City-wide emergencies. Emergency operations support work and work locations may be outside of normal job duties.

Preferred Qualifications

• Public sector or local government IT experience.
• Experience with Nutanix, AWS , VMware Cloud Foundation, NSX -T, vSAN, and automation platforms.
• Knowledge of ITIL service management practices.
• Professional certifications such as ITIL , VCP , AWS Solutions Architect or equivalent.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible IT infrastructure experience.
• Three or more years of supervisory, management, or team leadership experience.
• Experience managing enterprise Microsoft servers, Entra/M365, VMware, cloud, storage, identity management, and backup technologies.
• Strong project management, communication, budgeting, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage competing priorities, and build effective stakeholder relationships.