Manager, Infrastructure Engineering

About seoClarity

seoClarity is the technology leader in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) marketing analytics. Founded in 2004, we are bootstrapped, profitable, and have a track record of sustainable growth. Our technology platform and services help the world’s best and biggest brands optimize their website content so they can be found online and connect to their customers. We process petabytes of data to provide actionable insights that drive revenue for enterprise organizations.

The Opportunity

You will be the Technical Commander of an infrastructure running on 300 servers across multiple data centers. This role is designed to unblock our Executive Team from operational security and infrastructure tasks. You will own the stability of our systems, lead the technical execution of our SOC 2 Type II compliance, manage our Global Technical Operations and DBA teams, and act as the financial steward of our infrastructure.

The Mandate: "B-SMART" Operations

At seoClarity, our Ops team lives by the B-SMART framework. You will not just "manage servers"; you will own these six pillars of excellence:

• B – BUDGETS: Act as the Financial Owner of our infrastructure. You will proactively negotiate contracts with data centers, hardware vendors, and SaaS providers. You will audit utilization rates to ensure we aren't paying for idle capacity and treat every dollar of company capital as your own.
  
• S – SECURITY & COMPLIANCE: Act as the Operational SOC 2 Lead. Automate evidence gathering, enforce Zero Trust policies, and serve as the technical point of contact for auditors so the CISO doesn't have to.
  
• M – MONITORING: Move us from "Reactive" to "Proactive." Configure deep observability tools that alert us to anomalies before they become outages.
  
• A – AUTOMATION (Ansible): Eliminate manual toil. You must be an Ansible expert. You will write the playbooks that define our infrastructure as code, ensuring that configuration management is automated, repeatable, and version-controlled.
  
• R – REDUNDANCY: Ensure 99.99% availability. Design and test failover strategies to satisfy Business Continuity Plan (BCP) requirements.
  
• T – TESTING: Never break production. Enforce strict Change Management protocols for every infrastructure update.
  

Leadership & Vendor Management

• The Technical Commander: You will manage our existing outsourced DBA and MSP teams. You are the "Brain"; they are the "Hands." You will set their priorities, review their execution, and hold them accountable to strict SLAs.
  
• Global Team Leadership: You will lead and mentor our offshore Technical Operations support team. You will design the workflows and SOPs that allow them to handle L1/L2 support (infrastructure alerts, access requests), ensuring you are free to focus on high-leverage engineering and architecture.
  
  
  

What This Role Requires

• 5 Years Linux & Ansible Mastery: Deep experience in RHEL/CentOS/Ubuntu administration.
  
• Ansible is not optional. You must demonstrate experience writing complex playbooks from scratch to manage fleets of servers. If you rely on manual SSH loops, this role is not for you.
  
• Team Leadership: Experience managing technical teams (internal or external).
  
• You must be able to give clear technical direction. We need an "Owner" who verifies the work of others, not someone who blindly trusts a team to "fix it."
  
• Vendor & Budget Experience: Proven experience negotiating technical contracts and managing infrastructure costs.
  
• We need an "Owner" who fights for efficiency. If you just "swipe the credit card" without negotiating terms or auditing usage, this role is not for you.
  
• SOC 2 / Compliance Experience: Demonstrated ability to manage technical evidence for SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA audits.
  
• You must understand why we need Change Management and Access Controls.
  

What This Role Is NOT

• NOT a "Clipboard Manager": You will manage teams, but you will also write code. If you are looking to retire from the CLI, this is not the role for you.
  
• NOT a "Spender": You will not solve problems by just throwing more hardware at them. You must solve for margin.
  
• NOT Remote: This role sits in the engine room with our Engineering leadership in Chicago.
  

The Reality of This Role (Please Read)

• On-Site Collaboration: This is not a remote role. We believe in high-bandwidth, face-to-face collaboration to solve complex problems. You will be expected to work from our Chicago, IL headquarters.
  
• Global Collaboration & Flexibility: We are a global organization with a large engineering footprint in multiple time zones. You must have the flexibility to collaborate with our offshore teams during their working hours.
  
• Expectation: You should be prepared for early morning starts (e.g., 7:00 AM CST) or evening calls to ensure you are unblocking the Engineering Leads during their day.
  
• High-Performance Culture: seoClarity is in a phase of aggressive growth. We are a lean team where every individual’s output matters. If you are looking for a slow-paced corporate environment or a strict 9-to-5 schedule, this role is not for you. We are looking for builders who are energized by pace, ownership, and the intensity of a startup environment.
  

How to Apply (Read Carefully)

Compensation

• Base Salary Range: $120,000 – $150,000 per year.
  
• Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as the candidate’s specific skills, years of relevant experience, and technical proficiency.
  

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
  
• 401k plus matching
  
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
  
• Maternity and Paternity Time Off
  
• Paid Time-Off & Holidays
  
• Employee Volunteer Activities & Happiness Committee Events
  
• For HQ Employees: Commuter Benefits & Stocked Kitchen
  

Equal Opportunity Employer seoClarity is committed to equal treatment and opportunity in all aspects of recruitment, selection, and employment without regard to gender, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other category protected under the law.