Average Infrastructure Manager salary in Manchester

Infrastructure Lead* Location - Manchester * Salary - £50,000 - £65,000, D.O.E.* Reports to - Head of Technical ServicesThe roleWe is looking for an Infrastructure Lead to join as the most senior operational resource within a dedicated managed services team, supporting complex hybrid cloud and on-premises infrastructure platforms for multiple customers. This is a hands-on technical leadership role, not a purely managerial one, you'll be the person others turn to when an issue can't be resolved at the first line, and you'll own it through to a fix.You'll act as the technical authority for the operational team: taking ownership of complex incident resolution and root cause analysis, leading platform engineering and hardware lifecycle work, and mentoring Infrastructure Engineers as they develop their own skills. You're expected to be comfortable making high-stakes calls under pressure during major incidents, and to drive resolution when nobody else can.Day to day, that means leading the technical response to P1 and P2 major incidents, managing Dell VxRail and VMware VCF platform lifecycle operations, overseeing Veeam backup architecture and Azure DR strategy, and delivering capacity management reporting. You'll present complex RFCs at the weekly Change Advisory Board, manage vendor escalations with Dell, HPE, VMware (Broadcom) and Microsoft, and contribute to quarterly strategic reviews.While you won't hold the Solution Architect title, you're expected to understand the target architecture well enough to make sound operational decisions day-to-day and to know when a change needs formal architectural review. You'll also sit on the on-call rota as the most senior responder, providing escalation support when the team needs it.What you'll be doingIncident response & problem management* Lead technical response to P1 and P2 major incidents* Own root cause analysis, delivering RCA reports within 5 working days of closure* Chair post-incident review sessionsPlatform engineering* Manage Dell VxRail cluster upgrades, node expansion, firmware and VSAN health* Run advanced troubleshooting and optimisation of VMware VCF - vSphere, VSAN and NSX* Maintain HPE ProLiant hardware (firmware via SPP, break-fix coordination) and administer HPE MSA 2050 SAN storageBackup, DR & cloud* Own Veeam Backup & Replication architecture, policy design and recovery testing, maintaining a >98% success rate* Oversee Azure DR strategy, landing zone governance and hybrid platform managementReporting & governance* Deliver monthly capacity management reports across compute, storage and backup* Prepare and present RFCs to the weekly Change Advisory Board, with risk assessment and rollback plans* Manage vendor escalations with Dell, HPE, VMware (Broadcom) and MicrosoftImprovement & automation* Build and maintain PowerShell and Bash/Ansible automation for operational tasks* Identify opportunities to improve efficiency across the customer estateWhat you'll bring* 10+ years in enterprise infrastructure engineering or operations, ideally including managed services delivery* Expert-level VMware VCF - vSphere 7/8, VSAN and NSX-T - including troubleshooting and lifecycle management* Hands-on Dell VxRail HCI experience: deployment, lifecycle management, and VSAN health* Strong HPE ProLiant (Gen 7-10) knowledge, including iLO and SPP deployment* HPE MSA 2050 SAN administration* Expert Veeam Backup & Replication skills* Good working knowledge of Microsoft Azure - governance, backup/ASR, Update Manager, Sentinel and Arc* Advanced Windows Server and Linux administration* Solid grounding in ITIL change and incident management, including CAB participation* Willingness to join a 1-in-5 weekly on-call rotationNice to have* Dell PowerProtect Data Manager or Cyber Recovery* Zerto or RecoverPoint for VM-level DR replication* VMware Aria Operations for capacity analytics* Oracle Linux or SUSE Linux Enterprise administration* SQL Server administration fundamentals* Azure Bicep/ARM template developmentQualificationsRequired* VMware VCP-DCV or VCAP (or equivalent)* Microsoft AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate) or equivalentDesirable* Dell VxRail Deploy certification, or equivalent demonstrated experience* HPE Accredited Solutions Expert (ASE)* Veeam Certified Engineer (VMCE)

An exciting opportunity for a technically strong Infrastructure Lead to take ownership of cloud, infrastructure and cyber security services within a growing organisation. Reporting to the Head of IT, you'll combine operational leadership with hands-on technical delivery, leading infrastructure projects from design through to implementation whilst helping shape the future technology estate.Client DetailsOur client is a growing organisation with a Microsoft-centric technology estate. As part of an ambitious technology transformation programme, the business is investing in infrastructure modernisation, cyber security, cloud technologies and business systems, creating an opportunity for an experienced Infrastructure Lead to play a key role in driving technical change and operational excellence.The environment includes Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Power Platform, Azure SQL and a range of business-critical SaaS applications. The successful candidate will work closely with the Head of IT and wider leadership team to deliver both operational improvements and strategic technology initiatives.DescriptionReporting to the Head of IT, the Infrastructure Lead will be responsible for the management, design, implementation and continual improvement of the organisation's infrastructure, cloud and cyber security environments.This is not a role focused purely on management or supplier oversight. The successful candidate will be expected to remain technically hands-on, actively contributing to infrastructure projects, cloud migrations, technical problem solving and solution implementation while providing leadership across infrastructure operations.Key responsibilities include:Leading the design, implementation and support of infrastructure and cloud technologiesOwning and developing the Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 environmentsDriving infrastructure modernisation, cloud optimisation and security improvement initiativesLeading backup, disaster recovery and business continuity capabilitiesActing as the technical lead for infrastructure-related projects and transformationsSupporting Microsoft tenant consolidation and Azure modernisation programmesManaging key technology suppliers and MSP relationshipsChallenging and validating third-party technical recommendationsActing as the infrastructure escalation point for complex technical issuesProviding leadership and direction to internal technical resourcesContributing to technology strategy, roadmaps and future investment decisionsEnsuring services remain secure, resilient, scalable and aligned to business requirementsProfileThe successful applicant will be a technically credible infrastructure professional who has progressed into leadership roles whilst retaining strong hands-on engineering capability.You will demonstrate:Previous experience as an Infrastructure Lead, Infrastructure Manager, Senior Infrastructure Engineer or IT ManagerStrong hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365Experience personally delivering infrastructure projects, migrations and technical deploymentsStrong knowledge of networking, connectivity and cyber security principlesExperience with Entra ID, identity and access management technologiesExperience leading technical workstreams and infrastructure improvement programmesExperience managing MSPs and third-party technology suppliersStrong troubleshooting and technical problem-solving skillsThe ability to challenge suppliers and technical decisions from a position of expertiseExcellent stakeholder management and communication skillsDesirable experience includes:Microsoft tenant migration projectsAzure transformation programmesInfrastructure modernisation initiativesCyber security improvement programmesAzure SQLPower PlatformAI, automation or digital innovation projectsMicrosoft or ITIL certificationsThis role is particularly well suited to someone who enjoys remaining close to the technology and wants to combine leadership responsibility with genuine technical ownership.Job Offer£55,000 - £70,000 basic salaryPerformance-related bonusHybrid working model - 3 days in office 2 days from homeSignificant ownership of infrastructure and cloud technologiesOpportunity to lead major Azure and Microsoft 365 transformation initiativesExposure to cyber security, cloud and modern workplace projectsA chance to influence technology strategy and investment decisionsHigh levels of autonomy and technical responsibilityLong-term progression opportunities within a growing technology functionThe opportunity to make a visible impact across the organisation's technology landscape

Job Title: 2 Line IT Engineer (Infrastructure)Location: Manchester (onsite role)Salary: £35,000Please note, it is essential for the candidate to be eligible to attain SC/DV clearance.As an 2 line Infrastructure Engineer, you will provide advanced first-line operational support across multiple strategic managed service environments. This is not a traditional helpdesk role and is an exciting opportunity for someone to progress their career.You will be expected to independently manage monitoring platforms, triage and resolve incidents, validate backup operations across both cloud and on-premises environments, and provide meaningful first-response support for critical P1 and P2 incidents.You will work within a dedicated five-person team participating in a weekly on-call rota to provide 24x7 P1 incident response coverage. The role demands strong technical foundations across both Microsoft Azure and VMware virtualisation platforms, along with a disciplined approach to ITSM processes, documentation, and patching support.WHAT WE EXPECTMinimum of 3-5 years of experience in enterprise infrastructure support roles, ideally within a managed services or MSP environmentProven ability to work with monitoring platforms such as LogicMonitor and Azure Monitor, including alert triage, correlation, and escalationHands-on experience with ServiceNow or equivalent ITSM tooling for ticket lifecycle managementSolid grounding in Windows Server administration (2016/2019/2022) including basic troubleshooting, event log analysis, and service managementFamiliarity with VMware vSphere (VM console access, snapshot management, basic troubleshooting) and Azure VM operations (start/stop, disk management, basic networking)Experience with backup validation - specifically Veeam Backup & Replication job status checking and Azure Backup/Recovery Services Vault monitoringWillingness to participate in a 1-in-5 weekly on-call rotation providing 24x7 P1 first-response capabilityAreas of ResponsibilityMonitoring & Alert Management: Manage and triage alerts from LogicMonitor and Azure Monitor across environments. Correlate alerts, close false positives, and escalate genuine incidents. Maintain monitoring dashboards and ensure alert thresholds remain appropriate.ServiceNow Ticket Management: Own the ticket lifecycle for incoming incidents and service requests. Triage, categorise, prioritise, and either resolve or escalate. Maintain SLA compliance for response and update targets. Expected to handle 15-25 tickets per day across environments.Backup Validation: Perform daily Veeam Backup & Replication job status checks (~1,290 servers) and Azure Backup status validation. Log failures, attempt basic remediation (re-run failed jobs), and escalate persistent failures to Senior Engineers.Patching Support: Assist Senior Engineers during monthly patch cycles. This includes pre-patch checks, server reboots, and post-patch validation across WSUS/SCCM (Windows) and Ansible-managed (Linux) estates. Also assist with Azure Update Manager deployment validation and failed-patch reporting.VM Troubleshooting: Perform basic troubleshooting on Azure VMs (connectivity, disk, performance) and vSphere VMs (console access, snapshot management, resource contention). Independently resolve P3/P4 VM issues.Windows Server Administration: Basic administration including service restarts, event log analysis, disk space management, user access troubleshooting, and DNS/DHCP validation.Incident First Response (On-Call): During on-call periods, act as the first responder for all P1 alerts. Perform initial triage, engage vendor support if needed, communicate status updates, and escalate to Senior Engineers/Infrastructure Lead within 30 minutes if resolution is not achievable.Documentation & Knowledge Base: Maintain and update operational runbooks, known-error records, and knowledge base articles. Contribute to process improvement initiatives.If you are looking for a new challenge and think this could be an ideal next step, we want to hear from you!Apply now with an up-to-date CV to be considered