Data Center Service Lead

About the role

We are seeking a highly experienced Data Center Service Lead to oversee and govern all aspects of infrastructure service delivery. This pivotal role involves managing data center operations, ensuring high-quality service, operational excellence, and strict adherence to contractual obligations. The ideal candidate will lead governance across traditional on-premises data centers while supporting hybrid cloud environments within Microsoft Azure. This position offers an opportunity to drive strategic initiatives, optimize infrastructure performance, and ensure security compliance in a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee daily operations of the Infrastructure Service Provider for Data Center Services, including contract management, performance monitoring, invoice validation, change management, disaster recovery, SLA compliance, and regulatory adherence.
• Provide strategic guidance and oversight of data center operations, aligning with organizational goals, security standards, and architectural principles.
• Support and manage cloud infrastructure components such as virtual machines, storage, networking, and hybrid integrations between Azure and on-premises environments.
• Review and monitor Azure security controls, including identity management, RBAC, governance policies, and threat protection, ensuring compliance with corporate security standards.
• Ensure seamless integration and operational continuity between cloud services and on-premises data centers.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts and resolve complex infrastructure issues across cloud and data center platforms, focusing on performance, connectivity, resilience, and security incidents.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce architectural documentation, operational procedures, standards, and governance frameworks related to data center and cloud operations.
• Collaborate with application, network, and cybersecurity teams to maintain a stable, scalable, and secure environment.
• Serve as a senior escalation point for infrastructure issues and participate in on-call rotations as needed.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including cost optimization, automation, infrastructure modernization, and enhancing provider performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of experience, or Master’s degree with 8+ years, or PhD with 5+ years in relevant fields.
• Proven experience in data center operations, cloud technologies (Azure or AWS), compute, security, and third-party service provider management.
• Strong knowledge of cloud servers, virtual machine management, Azure networking, identity, storage, and resource governance.
• Hands-on experience with Azure security tools, identity management, and best practices.
• Excellent leadership, strategic planning, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to support hybrid cloud environments and participate in on-call rotations.
• Certifications in cloud security or architecture are a plus.