Director, Critical Operations

About the role

The Critical Operations Director is a key leader in STACK's Critical Operations organization, responsible for the operational aspects and uptime of the data center region. They oversee all operational programs and initiatives, focusing on safety, team, availability, communication, and knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Lead and implement a culture of always working safely across all STACK data centers.
• Act as a data center subject matter expert for electrical, mechanical, fire life safety, and other data center systems.
• Advise the regional VP of Critical Operations on the status of preventative and corrective maintenance programs.
• Operate, monitor, maintain, and respond to abnormal conditions within the facility.
• Implement site-level efficiency projects and maintain overall site design PUE.
• Ensure STACK's preventative and predictive maintenance program is executed.
• Train and mentor staff.
• Manage vendor relationships and service contracts.
• Manage vendor procurement and billing process.
• Develop and maintain individual training plans for each employee in line with the STACK training and development program.
• Be a customer liaison for all site-level inquiries.
• Lead incident reporting and root cause analysis processes to deeply dive into abnormal occurrences within the data center.
• Provide expert technical reviews of procedures, company standards, and policies.
• Manage site audits both internally and externally.
• Adhere to compliance standards to manage systems and avoid unplanned, client-impacting outages.
• Manage the data floor and back-of-house mechanical loading capacity to ensure cooling system efficiency.
• Provide day-to-day exceptional customer service and support.
• Take on other duties as required by STACK.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent; Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• Minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in a data center or other related mission-critical operations role.
• Minimum of 3-5 years' experience in administering and managing facility preventative maintenance programs.
• Minimum of 3-5 years' experience in vendor and project management.
• Expert understanding of the electrical and mechanical systems used in a data center environment, including UPS, transformers, PDUs, RPPs, chillers, CRAHs, CRACs, STSs, ATs, and pre-action systems.
• Exceptional leadership skills.
• Expert knowledge of NFPA70e, NFPA72, NFPA25, NFPA101 and compliance issues as well as other building codes in regard to fire or life safety.
• Expert knowledge and experience in data center trending and analysis, with the ability to rapidly learn and use PC-based site monitoring systems.
• Experience in the design, construction, and commissioning of critical systems and buildings.
• Ability to communicate effectively with customers and internal staff.
• Ability to coordinate, supervise, and communicate with contractors who perform maintenance in the data center.
• Proven knowledge of customer contracts and SLA levels in line with ASHRAE standards.
• Experienced people manager.