Who We Are
At Partnerize, we are on a mission to transform the way businesses grow. We have built the leading partnership automation platform that empowers brands to discover, engage, and convert their audiences at scale. From affiliate marketing to influencer collaborations, we help our clients build and manage profitable partnerships that drive real results. We are a team of passionate problem‑solvers dedicated to helping our clients win in the ever‑evolving world of digital marketing.
Why Join Us
We are looking for passionate, talented people who want to be part of a winning team. At Partnerize, you will find a culture of collaboration, innovation, and respect, guided by our core values. We are committed to creating an environment where everyone can do their best work, while offering competitive salaries, generous benefits, and a flexible work environment.
Hybrid Basis
This role operates on a hybrid basis and requires attendance in our Newcastle office two days per week. While some flexibility may be discussed, applicants should be willing and able to work from the office as part of the role.
The Role
We are looking for a Senior Infrastructure Manager who is first and foremost a people leader. Your primary responsibility is the health, performance, and career growth of your engineering team. While a solid technical background is required, the day‑to‑day focus will not be hands‑on technical work. Instead, you will remove blockers, guide decision‑making, and ensure your engineers have the environment they need to succeed.
The Team You Will Lead
You will lead the Infrastructure Solutions team within the wider Technical Operations department. Your engineers build the environment, deliver projects as requested by Engineering and Product, and ensure we remain available, scalable, and secure.
Team skill set includes:
* On‑Premise Linux systems, Container solutions, Debian packaging, Ansible, data streaming and queuing technologies such as Kafka or RabbitMQ
* Advanced database management knowledge (MySQL, Postgres) in replicated environments
* Physical Network management, with an on‑prem estate that is Juniper focused
* Cloud environments: GCP and AWS
* Platform engineer focused on building, maintaining and supporting an Internal Developer Platform (CI/CD)
The Operational Reality
* Context Switching is the Norm
o You will rarely focus on a single task for weeks; you will shift focus multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day, as business priorities evolve.
* Agility over Silos
o Because we are a lean team, you will wear many hats and pivot from strategic discussion to operational challenge without losing momentum.
* Focus Management
o Success requires maintaining high standards while navigating a workload that changes dynamically. This role is for those who thrive on variety, pace, and solving complex problems in real‑time.
People Leadership & Talent Development
* Team Management
o Lead, mentor, and motivate a team of infrastructure engineers. Conduct weekly 1‑2‑1s, manage performance reviews, and handle all aspects of people management.
* Formal Training & Growth
o Schedule and lead formal training sessions on operational improvements; create professional development plans for direct reports.
* Recruitment & Retention
o Own the hiring process for your team, ensuring we attract top talent and maintain a supportive, inclusive culture.
* Culture of Learning
o Foster a "Self‑Learner" mindset, create a transparent environment where failures are treated as learning opportunities and documented for future reference.
Strategic & Operational Management
* Budget & Capacity Planning
o Own your team's budget and lead capacity planning initiatives, forecasting future infrastructure needs while managing spend for subscriptions and hardware.
* Risk & Contingency
o Proactively identify operational risks and develop contingency plans to ensure business continuity.
* Procedure & Frameworks
o Define, maintain, and cascade operational procedures (SOPs) and ITIL standards.
* Prioritisation
o Shield the team from noise by effectively prioritising workloads (Changes, Problems, Projects) and managing stakeholder expectations.
Technical Support & Oversight
* Performance Optimisation
o Measure and optimise system performance to improve reliability and time‑to‑market, driving innovation to meet internal customer needs proactively.
* Visual Documentation
o Ensure the team produces detailed system design documentation with visual representations, and assess it as a technical editor.
* Hybrid Estate Management
o Oversee the management of both On‑Premise and Cloud (GCP/AWS) environments, ensuring high availability across all platforms.
* Unblocking Issues
o Act as the senior escalation point for complex technical issues, coordinating resources and providing air cover rather than fixing the issue yourself.
General Duties
* On‑Call Duties
o Participate in the Management On‑Call Rotation (current frequency: once every three weeks).
* Ad‑Hoc
o Carry out other strategic or technical duties required to support the Director/VP of Technical Operations.
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience
Leadership & Management Competencies
* Proven Management Experience
o Significant experience leading a technical team with a focus on people management (performance reviews, career growth, etc.).
* Project Management
o Strong project management experience with the ability to delegate effectively to meet tight deadlines in a high‑priority environment.
* Communication
o Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to liaise effectively with management, other business areas, senior technical teams, and C‑team members.
* Goal Oriented
o Highly goal‑oriented with strict attention to detail, prioritising workload and demand to meet targets.
* ITIL Application / Lean Six Sigma
o Deep knowledge of ITIL practices and Lean Six Sigma concepts, applied to improve team workflows.
Technical Environment & Team Capabilities
Ideal candidates have a working knowledge of on‑prem and AWS/GCP solutions, system design from network to application level, resilient database availability strategies, automation via Ansible, Docker, CI/CD, programming awareness in Python, and Linux administration. Hands‑on expertise in every area is not required; the ability to facilitate discussions and ask pertinent questions is essential.
Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience
* Innovation & Debt Management
o Interest in new technologies and innovation, supporting development teams in refactoring technical debt.
* Advanced Containerization
o Deep knowledge of Kubernetes, Docker, and container ecosystems.
* Observability
o Experience with monitoring systems (e.g., Zabbix, Grafana) and logging stacks (Elasticsearch, Kibana).
* Data Streaming
o Experience with data streaming and queuing technologies, specifically Apache Kafka and Druid.
* Web & Storage
o Knowledge of Nginx (or other web server technologies) and storage technologies like Gluster.
* Tooling
o Proficiency with JIRA and Confluence for project tracking and documentation.
* Version Control
o Strong understanding of Git and version control best practices.
Why This Role?
If you are an experienced technical leader who finds more satisfaction in growing people and building high‑performing teams than in closing tickets yourself, this is the role for you. You will have the autonomy to shape the culture of the Infrastructure function and the strategic backing to make a real impact on the business.
A Note to Candidates
We recognise that the perfect candidate doesn't exist. If you are a strong people manager with a background in tech, but have not touched a command line in a few years, that’s OK! We are looking for leadership first. We encourage you to apply if you feel you have the management skills to help our team thrive.
UK Benefits & Perks
* 25 days holiday in addition to bank holidays
* Enhanced Parental Leave: 6 months full pay for birth parent, 4 weeks non‑birth parent at full pay after one year employment
* 5 extra "Partnerize Parental Days" each year
* Private Medical Insurance through Vitality
* Enhanced pension contributions
* Cycle to Work scheme
* Eye Care Vouchers
* Life Assurance
* Enhanced Wellness Program including access to EAP, Wellness Coaching & Wellness Fridays program
* Regular company events and activities
Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to attracting, developing, and advancing our outstanding team members, regardless of race, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender, gender identity, physical abilities, or any other dimension of diversity. We strive to foster an environment where people can be their authentic selves, raise concerns, and innovate without fear; where they are treated fairly and respectfully, have equal access to opportunities and resources, and can contribute fully to the organization’s success. Every individual in our business is expected to live this commitment without exception.
Privacy and Data Protection
The data collected as part of this application will be used for the recruitment process and any subsequent employment. You can find further information in Partnerize privacy policy here: partnerize.com/privacy-policy
Notice to Recruiters and Staffing Agencies
Partnerize will not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate or an approved vendor that has a written and signed agreement in place with Partnerize. Please do not contact or forward resumes to our company employees or locations. Any unsolicited resumes will be considered Partnerize property.
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