DevOps Lead

IA Collaborative is seeking an experienced DevOps Lead to manage and optimize our technical infrastructure, system reliability, and development resource management.

This strategic role requires deep technical and operational expertise to ensure our systems are robust, secure, and scalable while driving operational excellence across our technology stack.

You’ll establish disciplined processes, support active products, and serve as a key technical advisor in our fast-paced, innovation-driven environment. A critical part of the role involves bridging client needs and development partners—monitoring, managing, and prioritizing resources to ensure optimal project outcomes.

You’ll collaborate closely with Product, Design, Development, Client Success, and Technology teams to streamline workflows, enhance system performance, and enable seamless product delivery. The ideal candidate will combine hands-on technical skills with proven leadership experience to mentor high-performing teams and implement best practices that support our mission of delivering outstanding client solutions and continuous innovation.

As a DevOps Lead you will:

• Support the maintenance of infrastructure systems, hosting, and network connectivity

• Ensure the reliability and scalability of software delivery pipelines and disaster recovery systems

• Manage development team time, helping to coordinate and assign incoming tasks and tickets

• Collaborate with engineering development team in managing resource prioritization across projects and product support needs

• Collaborate with development and operations teams to support system migrations, monitor critical systems, and maintain system operations

• Implement and maintain disaster recovery and business continuity plans to minimize downtime and data loss

• Supervise and mentor the team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence

• Manage product delivery infrastructure via CI/CD pipelines

• Create, develop, and manage the deployment architecture for applications.

• Develop monitoring architecture and implement monitoring agents, dashboards, escalations and alerts.

• Negotiate with cloud & API partners.

• Create process documents and procedures for managing client requests, creating dev tickets, and supporting active products

• Develop or receive designs for changes to systems. Work with external vendors or other teams to ensure the correct design and implementation of components that require external interfaces.

• Operate as a point of contact for development, operations and testing. Oversee change management and configuration management operating mechanisms

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Cloud infrastructure management

• Proficiency in Azure services is required

• Experience in infrastructure as code

• Experience with Docker Containers, Github workflows, and Postgres

• Strong understanding of IT operations, platform services, and system reliability

• Security and compliance industry practices and standards (e.g. NIST, SOC2, and GDPR)

• Monitoring (SIEM), Networking, and Troubleshooting skills

• Excellent leadership and team management skills

• Experience working with international teams

• Ability to work from our Chicago office and onsite with clients/in the field, per our IA Collaborative Work Model policy

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AWS and GCP cloud infrastructure.

• Experience with Python, React.js, and Go languages

• Familiarity with managing development teams

• Familiarity with AI concepts such as RAG

Why IA Collaborative

At IA, you’ll practice your craft in a whole new context. You’ll be a part of designing the future of human experience as you transform your client’s business, empower communities and create a positive and lasting impact on the world.

IA’s comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, vision; retirement savings benefits; profit-sharing programs; a suite of family benefits including paid time off for the birth of a child, medical leave, caregiver leave, wellness check-in days, flexible spending accounts for dependent care, health expenses and childcare, and 529 college savings planning and contributions; flexible work arrangements, and employer-paid life insurance and disability.

IA Collaborative Work Model

IA Collaborative leverages a hybrid work model, with Chicagoland-area team members working from our downtown headquarters three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) with occasional in-office days as needed.

Both onsite and in-field work is required for all team members. We are typically in the field once or twice a month, for two to three consecutive days, conducting research or meeting with clients.

Work Authorization

All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States; IA Collaborative will not sponsor applicants for employment visas.

About IA Collaborative

IA Collaborative is a global design and innovation consultancy. We help leading organizations and category disruptors find new growth, create new offerings, and empower a culture of innovation. We fully integrate human-centered design and business strategy into the ongoing operations of our clients, to launch new corporate ventures and drive continuous innovation. From Insight to Action, we define new business models and create new products, technology platforms, experiences, brands, services and environments.

IA is on the national and global stage speaking about the business value of design. Featured by Fast Company as one of the country’s preeminent design thinkers and nominated by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum as a “Design Visionary,” IA’s leadership and work has been profiled by prominent business publications and has received multiple design accolades, including Best Design North America and Best UX Design in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards; the SXSW Business Design Award; and multiple honors in the Red Dot International, International Design Excellence Awards (IDSA), the GOOD DESIGN Awards, and the iF World Design Awards. IA Collaborative works with the world’s most successful brands, including FedEx, Allstate, Airbnb, Fidelity, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Nike, Lilly, and Audi.

At IA Collaborative, we are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We believe that welcoming a diverse variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills to our organization contributes to a thriving culture, a vibrant community, and breakthrough work. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local law.

For more information about IA Collaborative visit iacollaborative.com, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Glassdoor.

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