Senior IT Manager - Strategic Networks

ABOUT NOOKS

Nooks is pioneering Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) — designing, building, and operating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) and other secured, classified environments for the defense and national security community. We work with the agencies, contractors, and mission-driven organizations that keep the nation safe, delivering the physical infrastructure that makes classified work possible. We’re growing fast, operating across multiple markets, and building a company that takes both the mission and the business seriously.

About the Role

As the Senior IT Manager, you will own all classified wide area network (WAN) activities across Nooks — setting the strategy, standards, and operating model for how our classified networks are delivered, maintained, and scaled. You will oversee the management and maintenance of the network end to end, establish and own the relationships with the carriers, integrators, and technology vendors that underpin it, and keep our systems in continuous compliance with NIST SP 800-53 and positive on their Authority to Operate (ATO) across the enterprise. You will serve as the senior technical and program authority for classified network operations, coordinating engineers, vendors, government stakeholders, and remote teams across many accredited sites.

This is a builder’s role. You will start by leading projects and individual contributors directly, and you will be charged with growing the organization — hiring, developing leads, and ultimately managing managers as we stand up teams to support multiple WANs. At Nooks, we move at startup speed. You will own your domain outright and be expected to set direction where none exists, thriving in a fast-paced environment where priorities shift and a proactive, problem-solving attitude is required to win.

Key Responsibilities

WAN Strategy, Operations & Compliance

• Own all classified WAN activities across Nooks — setting the technical direction, standards, and operating model for how classified networks are delivered, operated, and scaled.
• Oversee the day-to-day management, maintenance, health, and performance of the classified WAN environment, keeping connectivity reliable and secure across every accredited site.
• Sustain a positive Authority to Operate (ATO) posture across classified systems through continuous monitoring, timely remediation of findings, and readiness for reaccreditation.
• Maintain continuous compliance with NIST SP 800-53 controls and the Risk Management Framework (RMF), partnering with security stakeholders on assessment, authorization, and POA&M management.
• Monitor the classified environment for risk, mitigate issues before they escalate, and enforce configuration and control baselines aligned to government requirements.
• Keep audit-ready documentation of network architecture, configurations, and compliance artifacts to support continuity, inspections, and scale.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Establish, own, and grow relationships with carriers, integrators, hardware/software vendors, and service providers that underpin the classified WAN.
• Lead vendor selection, evaluation, and negotiation; manage contracts, SLAs, renewals, and performance to keep partners accountable to cost, schedule, and mission outcomes.
• Serve as the escalation point for vendor-impacting issues, driving them to resolution while protecting the security and compliance posture of the environment.

Program & Project Delivery

• Keep classified network projects on schedule and within budget, managing scope, milestones, and dependencies from planning through delivery.
• Lead and coordinate geographically distributed engineers and support staff, holding the team aligned and accountable across multiple sites.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for government sponsors and accrediting authorities, translating their requirements into executable technical plans.
• Report status, budget, and compliance to leadership and stakeholders on a regular cadence, surfacing risks early with clear paths to resolution.

Team Building & Technical Leadership

• Provide senior technical leadership across the classified network stack, guiding architecture, design, troubleshooting, and operational decisions.
• Build and scale the classified WAN organization — starting hands-on, leading projects and individual contributors, then hiring, developing leads, and growing into managing managers as we support multiple WANs.
• Lead, mentor, and develop technical staff, setting clear ownership and building a culture of extreme ownership and service delivery.
• Communicate effectively across engineering, security, program, and vendor teams, building the partnerships needed to deliver mission outcomes.

What Success Looks Like in This Role

After 12 months, you will own all classified WAN activities across Nooks and will have sustained a positive ATO status with continuous NIST SP 800-53 compliance and no lapses in accreditation. You will have delivered classified network programs and projects on schedule and within budget, coordinating vendors, remote teams, and government stakeholders to keep the mission moving at the speed of relevance. You will have put the vendor and partner relationships underpinning the network on solid, well-managed footing, and strengthened the operational reliability and security posture of the classified network environment. Most importantly, you will have begun building the organization — hiring and developing the people, leads, and processes needed to support multiple WANs — positioning Nooks’ classified network organization as a compliant, dependable foundation for continued growth.

The Skillset

• Active Top Secret//SCI clearance is required.
• Extensive experience managing classified networks for DCSA, DIA, NRO, or other large Scale government entities, including senior or lead responsibility for classified WAN or enterprise network environments.
• A strong technical or cyber background, with prior experience as a System Administrator, Network Engineer, or ISSM and a track record of growing into senior technical leadership.
• Demonstrated experience building and leading teams — hiring, developing staff, and ideally managing other leads or managers.
• Proven vendor and contract management experience: selecting and negotiating with carriers, integrators, and technology vendors and holding them accountable to SLAs.
• Strong working knowledge of NIST SP 800-53 and the Risk Management Framework (RMF).
• Deep familiarity with networking principles and technologies as applied in classified environments.
• Hands-on experience with several of the following: Windows workstations and servers, VMware, Cisco switches/routers/firewalls, Trellix, PDQ, and WSUS.
• Proven leadership, with the ability to set strategy, make decisions, and hold teams and vendors accountable.
• Experience managing programs and coordinating remote teams across multiple sites is required.
• Ability to travel up to 35% to Nooks classified sites and customer locations.

Eligibility & Clearance

Candidates must be U.S. citizens and eligible to work in the United States. An active Top Secret//SCI clearance is required for this role.