Director of Data Center & Site Operations

The Data Center & Site Operations Manager is responsible for leading physical infrastructure delivery and ongoing operational readiness across global data center environments. This role bridges the gap between initial build-out and lifecycle management, overseeing Day 1 rack-and-stack deployment execution and governing steady-state Day 2 activities—including infrastructure scaling, hardware expansions, migrations, break-fix governance, and continuous operational optimizations.

The ideal candidate combines strong program management, deployment operations expertise, vendor coordination, and cross-functional leadership to ensure high availability, operational consistency, and scalable deployment execution across multiple regions.

Key Responsibilities

Global Deployment Operations

• Partner with architecture, engineering, and capacity teams to plan and execute Day 1 infrastructure deployments, ensuring hardware delivery, physical layout, rack-and-stack, and initial cabling meet global design standards.

• Lead Day 2 deployment activities across global data center sites including expansions, refreshes, migrations, retrofits, and operational upgrades.

• Coordinate deployment execution for compute, storage, networking, cabling, and infrastructure changes.

• Manage deployment schedules, implementation timelines, and resource planning across multiple concurrent projects.

• Drive operational readiness and turnover from construction/build teams into live operations environments.

• Oversee change implementation while minimizing operational risk and service disruption.

Program & Project Management

• Develop deployment roadmaps, execution plans, and operational milestones spanning Day 1 build-out and Day 2 steady-state activities.

• Track deployment KPIs, timelines, budgets, and vendor performance metrics.

• Manage risks, escalations, dependencies, and issue resolution throughout deployment lifecycle.

• Ensure alignment between engineering, operations, logistics, and site teams.

• Provide executive-level reporting on deployment progress, capacity readiness, and operational impacts.

Operational Excellence

• Establish and improve standardized deployment processes, SOPs, and operational playbooks for both Day 1 build-out and Day 2 steady-state execution.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, quality, and deployment velocity.

• Ensure compliance with operational standards, safety requirements, and change management policies.

• Support incident response coordination for deployment-related operational issues.

• Partner with capacity planning and infrastructure teams to support scaling strategies.

Site Operations Leadership

• Oversee site-level operational functions including:

  • Superintendent / General Manager leadership

  • Site Operations Managers

  • Site Administration

  • EHS / Safety programs and compliance

  • Inventory coordination and planning with logistics partner teams.

• Ensure coordination between deployment activities and ongoing site operations teams to maintain operational continuity, safety, and service availability.

• Drive alignment across facilities, security, logistics, and operational stakeholders to support scalable global site operations.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Manage third-party deployment vendors, integrators, and logistics providers.

• Coordinate with global site operations, engineering, network, facilities, and supply chain teams.

• Facilitate deployment readiness reviews and stakeholder communications.

• Ensure vendor SLAs and deployment quality standards are met consistently.

Capacity & Lifecycle Management

• Support infrastructure lifecycle management including refreshes, decommissions, and hardware replacement programs.

• Coordinate deployment sequencing and operational validation for lifecycle refresh and replacement activities.

• Assist with forecasting deployment capacity needs and regional operational requirements.

• Ensure inventory accuracy and deployment asset tracking.

Experience & Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Information Technology, Operations Management, or related field (or equivalent experience).

• 7+ years of experience in data center operations, infrastructure deployment, technical program management, or related field.

• Experience managing large-scale global infrastructure deployment programs.

• Hands-on experience with Day 1 site build-out and rack-and-stack execution, including turnover from construction into live operations.

• Strong understanding of data center infrastructure including:

  • Compute/server deployments

  • Network infrastructure

  • Cabling systems

  • Power/cooling dependencies

  • Hardware lifecycle management

• Experience with change management and operational governance processes.

• Proven ability to manage cross-functional global teams and vendors.

• Strong project/program management skills with experience managing multiple priorities simultaneously.

Preferred

• Experience in hyperscale or enterprise data center environments.

• PMP, PRINCE2, ITIL, or related certifications.

• Familiarity with DCIM tools, ticketing systems, and deployment tracking platforms.

• Experience with automation and deployment optimization initiatives.

• Knowledge of capacity management and operational analytics.

• Strong understanding of service availability and operational risk management.

Compensation

• Full-Time, Exempt

• $160,000-$220,000/year, DOE

Benefits

• Health Coverage – Medical, Dental & Vision

• FSA Health and Dependent Care available

• 401(k) Plan

• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Observed Holidays Paid

• Cell Phone Allowance

• Collaborative, growth-driven culture