Anthony Lee Varin

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Team-focused IT lead with over 20 years of hands-on experience, currently helping guide a 20+ person team through everything from day-to-day operations to long-term infrastructure projects. I’ve grown from frontline support into leadership by staying grounded in the work, whether that’s managing NetApp storage, coordinating across teams, or jumping in during a system outage. I try to lead with clarity, patience, and purpose, supporting people as much as systems. I make sure changes actually solve problems, not just check boxes. I care about helping the team grow, protecting our systems, and making smart decisions that move us forward without creating new obstacles down the line.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Information Workplace Services Manager (Team Lead)

RTX Raytheon – Tucson, AZ • Sep 2022 – Present

• Lead a 20+ person team, manage day-to-day ops, guide projects, and support the people doing the work.
• Coordinate with Cybersecurity and auxiliary IT teams to keep systems running smoothly and securely.
• Oversee a mix of infrastructure: 6PB+ NetApp storage, 50+ ESXi HPE hosts, 200+ Virtual Machines, 1,200+ Windows clients, 60+ Linux clients, and a 30,000+ core HPC cluster.
• Handle outages, urgent escalations, and team challenges, ensuring fixes are right, not just quick, while maintaining clear documentation, effective communication, and timely updates to leadership and the users.
• Oversee all forms of team work; tickets, maintenance, upgrades, and business projects (through Jira planning), keeping tasks balanced while mentoring teammates and creating chances to build new skills.
• Graduate of the DT LEAD program for leadership development.

Principal Systems Administrator

RTX Raytheon – Tucson, AZ • Nov 2020 – Aug 2022

• Completed impactful projects: Brought in to complete a major storage migration and three complex system builds after previous efforts stalled, each project required unique configurations and careful execution.
• Maintained 160+ Linux systems, using automation and scripting to ensure stability and consistency.
• Contributed heavily to the team’s internal script library, helping reduce manual work and improve efficiency.
• Supported teammates through complex troubleshooting, often stepping in to provide guidance.
• Backed up the team leads, made key calls, and helped others level up along the way.
• Focused on thoughtful changes that added real value, not just quick fixes.

Senior Systems Administrator

RTX Raytheon – Tucson, AZ • May 2019 – Oct 2020

• Helped modernize legacy systems and roll out more standardized environments across systems.
• Deployed and supported Windows and Linux VMs, including core infrastructure and various applications.
• Responded to a wide range of support requests from engineering teams, cyber teams, and other IT teams.
• Performed full IS rebuilds, Active Directory migrations, and rolled out four new NetApp storage systems.
• Took the lead on reviving the internship program as part of a Six Sigma effort. Built a more useful, structured experience for both interns and mentors with detailed work instructions focused on each role.
• Mentored new teammates within my first six months, training and helping them get up to speed.

Network Operations Manager

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine – Las Cruces, NM • May 2016 – May 2019

• Stood up the entire IT infrastructure from the ground up; networking, servers, backups, security, and AV.
• Managed day-to-day operations while also leading major projects, including migrating the college website to the cloud and building the technical setup for a specific student doctor training.
• Wore a lot of hats in a small team, jumping between systems, support, project planning, and break-fix.
• Set up and maintained classroom AV, lecture capture, and specialty systems across the campus.
• Played a key role in enforcing IT compliance standards and building reliable processes from the ground up.

Systems Support Specialist

New Mexico State University – Las Cruces, NM • May 2011 – May 2016

• Supported 300+ classrooms and 50+ conference spaces, maintaining reliable, intuitive AV systems.
• Managed student employees, assigning work and training them to handle tech issues on their own.
• Designed and maintained smart room interfaces, streamlining control systems for non-technical users.
• Standardized equipment and upgrade intervals across campus to reduce downtime and simplify support.
• Wrote clear documentation to improve troubleshooting and reduce support requests.
• Frequently served as lead on AV installations and upgrades, coordinating with facilities and vendors.
• Became the go-to for classroom tech issues, often fixing complex problems live under pressure.

Help Desk Lead

New Mexico State University – Las Cruces, NM • Aug 2007 – Jan 2011

• Led a 12-person help desk team, handling scheduling, task assignment, and daily support operations.
• Created and maintained internal documentation and tutorial videos to improve response quality and speed.
• Built out the team’s first knowledge base, helping reduce ticket volume and improving self-service.
• Liaison between Help Desk and other IT departments, making sure users got the right support quickly.
• Helped train new hires, built onboarding guides, and built digital tools to get them up to speed faster.
• Tackled a wide range of technical issues, anything from login problems to deep dives into system behavior.

EDUCATION

• B.S. in Software Development – Western Governors University – Graduated Dec 2022
• B.S. in Information Technology – New Mexico State University – Graduated 2018, GPA 4.0, Honors
• B.A. in Creative Media – New Mexico State University – Graduated 2010, GPA 4.0, Honors

CERTIFICATIONS AND CLEARANCES

• Top Secret Security Clearance (Active)
• CompTIA Security+, Project+, and A+
• DT LEAD Program

INTERESTS

• Tabletop RPG enthusiast; DMing multiple Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaigns for over 6 years has sharpened my communication, improvisation, and group leadership skills. It’s also taught me to stay calm under pressure, whether managing outages or guiding a chaotic party of adventurers.
• Running a personal home lab with a 5-node ESXi cluster, a Synology NAS, and a Raspberry Pi, using it to test new operating systems, explore technologies like containerization, and host apps that support hobbies like my virtual D&D tabletop.
• Lifelong learner with three bachelor’s degrees, aiming to complete the pyramid with two master’s and a doctorate someday.
• Husband and father of two boys and a little girl on the way, which has taught me a lot about patience, perspective, and problem-solving under pressure. They are why I am here every day.