Manager, Data Center & Infrastructure

Overview

Providing for loved ones, planning rewarding retirements, saving enough for whatever lies ahead — our policyholders count on us to be there when it matters most. We collaborate and innovate — pushing one another to transform not just Pacific Life, but the entire industry for the better. Pacific Life is more than a job, it's a career with purpose. It's a career where you have the support, balance, and resources to make a positive impact on the future, including your own.

We're actively seeking a talented Data Center & Infrastructure Manager to join our Cloud & Compute Platforms team in our Charlotte, North Carolina office. Relocation Assistance may be provided.

As a Data Center & Infrastructure Manager
, you'll move Pacific Life and your career forward by playing a critical role in supporting Pacific Life's growth and technology modernization. You will fill a new role that sits on a team of 29 people in the Pacific Life Technology division. Your colleagues will include fellow infrastructure professionals. Reporting directly to the Director, you will oversee the day-to-day operations of our data center, computing platform, server, storage, and cloud infrastructure.

You will lead a team of professionals, ensuring high availability, efficiency, and security, while executing on the strategic vision set by the Director and executive leadership.

• Execute the operational roadmap for data center operations, ensuring alignment with business and IT objectives as defined by the Director.
• Lead and mentor a team of infrastructure platform engineering professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee capacity planning, ensuring scalability and optimal resource utilization.
• Implement and maintain industry best practices for security, compliance, and operational efficiency.
• Ensure high levels of uptime and reliability through proactive maintenance and incident response strategies.
• Manage vendor relationships and support contract negotiations for facility management and hardware procurement, as delegated by the Director.
• Support the development and execution of disaster recovery and business continuity plans.
• Monitor industry trends and emerging technologies, providing recommendations to the Director for continuous improvement.
• Provide direct leadership to data center staff, including performance management, coaching, and professional development.
• Develop and implement departmental plans and priorities in coordination with the Director.

• 8+ years of experience in data center management, IT infrastructure, or related fields. People leadership experience is required.
• 4-year degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience supporting global, multi-site data center operations in a large enterprise environment.
• Strong understanding of networking, server infrastructure, cloud technologies, and hybrid environments.
• Expertise in data center power and cooling systems, redundancy planning, and energy efficiency best practices.
• Familiarity with compliance and security frameworks such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR.
• A demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performance teams.
• Experience with budgeting and cost optimization strategies, supporting the Director in financial management.
• Hands-on experience with disaster recovery planning, incident management, and operational risk mitigation.
• Familiarity with automation, monitoring, and management tools for optimizing data center performance.
• Experience working in regulated industries or high-availability environments (e.g., finance, healthcare).
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to engage both technical teams and management.

• The ability to manage hybrid cloud infrastructures and integrate on-premises data centers with public cloud providers.
• Experience leading people in multiple geographical regions and countries.
• Experience implementing automation or AI-driven optimization strategies for data centers.
• Strong industry relationships and awareness of emerging data center trends.
• Experience managing container platforms.
• Success in supporting major data center…