What are the responsibilities and job description for the IT Manager position at Ideal Concepts, Inc.?
We're seeking an experienced, hands-on IT Manager to lead the design, implementation, and operation of our IT/IS environment. You will oversee a complex, multi-site infrastructure with 24x7 uptime requirements, manage a small IT team, and drive the adoption of modern technologies that enhance security, reliability, and user experience. If you're a strategic thinker with a proven track record in Windows-heavy environments, strong DevOps interests, and a passion for building scalable, user-friendly systems, we'd love to meet you.
What You'll Do
- Lead and mentor a 3-5 person IT team; drive staffing, training, and performance to deliver reliable IT services
- Own disaster recovery, business continuity, and high-availability strategies (Microsoft Hyper-V with Storage Spaces Direct, offsite backups, tertiary redundancy)
- Design, deploy, and maintain core infrastructure: LAN/WAN, routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs, virtualization, file services, AD, Exchange, SQL Server, IIS, and telephony (Asterisk on Linux)
- Manage both physical and virtual servers, endpoint devices, printers, phones, and copiers; oversee asset management and lifecycle planning
- Lead the strategic planning and governance of the organization's Azure tenancy (Azure AD, Azure VMs, Azure Blob storage, and Enterprise applications), ensuring alignment with security, compliance, and business goals
- Manage service providers contracts and relationships for the IT management function, including contract negotiation, vendor performance oversight, SOWs/RAs, renewals, and alignment with cost and service level objectives
- Implement, enforce, and document IT policies and procedures covering security, backup, change management, incident response, and compliance
- Administer user accounts, directories, access controls, and security hardening across on-prem and cloud environments
- Lead software and hardware upgrades, patches, and migrations; test and validate upgrades with minimal downtime
- Monitor, analyze, and optimize performance and capacity; implement automation and DevOps practices to shorten delivery cycles and improve reliability
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support multi-platform back-end integrations and front-end applications
- Plan and execute infrastructure updates during off-peak hours to minimize disruption
- Support and coordinate IT operations across two data centers, two office locations, and cloud resources
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Technology, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, or related field
- 10 years in complex IT administration; 5 years in IT leadership/management with proven people management experience
- Strong Windows Server expertise (2019 ), AD, DNS/DHCP, Group Policy, MS Exchange, MS SQL Server (2014 ), IIS and Azure Environment
- Deep knowledge of disaster recovery and high-availability technologies, especially Hyper-V and Storage Spaces Direct
- Experience with desktop software ecosystems (Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Acrobat, Visio, etc.)
- Familiarity with Linux/UNIX-based systems and networking/firewall gear (e.g. Juniper, SonicWall, HP/Aruba switches)
- Solid understanding of virtualization, storage, backups, and cloud integration
- DevOps mindset with comfort in automation, scripting, and modern CI/CD practices
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; strong problem-solving and leadership abilities
- Self-starter who works well independently and within a team; thrives in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment
- Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution
Nice to Have
- Certifications e.g. MCSE/MCITP, VMware, PMP, CCNA/CCNP, Microsoft 365, Cybersecurity certificates
- Experience with MS Storage Spaces Direct, Asterisk administration, and multi-site IT operations
Benefits
- Health, dental, vision, and life insurance; premiums paid by the company
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) option
- Competitive 401(k) with company match
- Generous PTO and observed holidays
- Hybrid work options; scheduled in-office collaboration
About Us
Ideal Concepts, Inc. has impacted the insurance industry for over 20 years by simplifying the sale of insurance products from carrier to agents to client through cutting edge technology. Through this effort, we stand by our mission to provide flawless solutions with remarkable service to every client. Today, Ideal Concepts is established with over 100 carrier partners in 50 states selling Health, Medicare, Life, Property & Causality as well as a suite of supplemental insurance products.
As an employee of Ideal Concepts, Inc., you will enter a growing and changing environment that is motivated and shaped by our core values of integrity, ingenuity. tenacity, mastery and simplicity. Ideal Concepts, Inc. has been recognized for its prestigious growth many times, including 6 consecutive years on the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing companies in America and 4 consecutive years on the local accolade of Lehigh Valley Business Fastest Growing Companies.
As part of taking care of our employees, Ideal Concepts provides an excellent benefits package that will take care of you inside and outside the workplace. Beyond the opportunity to prosper in your career, Ideal Concepts will cover 100% of your premium for major medical, dental, vision and life insurance, this will allow you to take care of yourself and family without worrying about increasing healthcare costs. You will also have access to a competitive 401k program where the company matches a portion of your employee contributions. Additionally, enjoying a generous amount of paid time off.
Equal Opportunity Ideal Concepts, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any type. We support hybrid work arrangements and are committed to building a diverse, inclusive team.