Careers at Plovendra Collective
An IT operations practice in Houston. Mistakes are recorded, not hidden, and nobody is punished for logging one.
Why work with us
Mistakes are coded, not concealed
Rework is recorded openly and used to fix causes. Nobody here is disciplined for logging their own error.
No billable hour targets
Nobody is measured on hours invoiced, which removes the pressure that makes careless work profitable.
Change control is real
Proper records mean fewer arguments and far less firefighting.
On-call paid and published
Rotated fairly, published in advance and paid at a premium.
Current vacancies
All roles are based at our Houston, TX office unless stated otherwise. Salary ranges are published with every advertisement and we do not negotiate candidates against one another.
IT Operations Manager
Runs day-to-day operations across the client base and owns the rework coding and monthly reporting that this practice is built around.
What you will do
- Manage day-to-day IT operations and support across the client base
- Code every hour worked as either client work or rework before invoicing
- Maintain change records in enough detail that cause can be established after a failure
- Code ambiguous cases as rework, applying the benefit of the doubt in the client's favour
- Categorise rework by cause rather than reporting a bare total
- Produce the monthly client report including rework, patch backlog by age and missed commitments
- Report the quarterly rework trend, including when it is rising
- Ensure licences and tenancies remain in client ownership and pass through at cost
What we are looking for
- Five or more years in IT operations, managed services or systems administration
- Disciplined about change records and honest attribution
- Willing to code your own team's errors accurately, including your own
- Strong Windows, Microsoft 365 and networking fundamentals
- Driving licence; client sites are across the metro
Principal Engineer
Owns technical standards, change control and restore testing across the client base.
What you will do
- Set infrastructure and change control standards
- Lead root cause investigation on recurring failures
- Design and verify backup and recovery arrangements
- Mentor engineers and review the monthly reporting
What we are looking for
- Ten or more years in infrastructure and operations
- Strong Microsoft, networking and virtualisation depth
- Track record reducing recurring failures
- Able to explain cause honestly to a client executive
Systems Engineer
Delivers infrastructure and project work with change records maintained as work is done.
What you will do
- Maintain and improve client infrastructure
- Deliver migration and upgrade projects
- Keep change and configuration records current
- Participate in quarterly restore testing
What we are looking for
- Four or more years in systems or managed services
- Windows Server, Microsoft 365 and networking
- Willing to work scheduled maintenance windows
- Certification funded from month one
Service Desk Engineer
First line support across the client base with a genuine path into infrastructure work.
What you will do
- Handle first line support requests
- Document resolutions into client knowledge bases
- Code time accurately including rework
- Support on-site visits across the metro
What we are looking for
- Some technical support experience, however acquired
- Patient and clear with non-technical users
- Honest about your own mistakes
- Open to career changers; certification funded
How we hire
Application reviewed
Every applicant receives a reply within two weeks of the closing date, including unsuccessful ones.
First conversation
Thirty minutes about your experience, the on-call rotation and out-of-hours expectations. Salary range was in the advertisement.
Technical interview
A practical conversation about a change that went wrong and how you established the cause. No whiteboard puzzles.
Offer
Two stages then a decision, in writing, with base, on-call and premium rates stated in full.