Senior Director, Data Center Operations

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of data center operations for a two-building AI campus, including staffing, operational readiness, maintenance strategy, vendor management, and site performance.
• Build and lead the site organization across facility leadership, critical operations, engineering, commissioning, and shift-based support functions.
• Own the site operating budget across labor, utilities, spares, maintenance programs, and contracted services.
• Partner through the final phases of construction and commissioning by providing operational input on maintainability, operability, and handoff readiness for critical MEP infrastructure, including medium-voltage distribution, standby generation, UPS systems, chiller plants, dry coolers, CDU and liquid-cooling loops, and controls integration across BMS, EPMS, and DCIM platforms.
• Oversee integrated systems testing, turnover documentation, spares provisioning, and development of MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs to support safe and reliable operations.
• Establish and continuously improve preventive and predictive maintenance programs, incident response processes, root-cause analysis practices, and capacity planning models as AI customer loads are commissioned over time.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for critical events and as the senior operational contact for executive and customer stakeholders.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in mission-critical facilities or data center operations, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role with budget ownership and team leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience commissioning and operating large-scale or hyperscale data centers, ideally in campus environments at 50MW+ scale.
• Deep technical knowledge of critical MEP systems, including medium-voltage switchgear, generators, UPS topologies, chillers, dry coolers, and liquid cooling infrastructure.
• Strong experience leading construction-to-operations transitions, including integrated systems testing, handover planning, documentation, and operational readiness.
• Proven success building and leading site operations teams, including shift-based coverage models for 24/7 critical facility environments.
• Strong financial and operational management skills, including budget development, cost forecasting, service contract oversight, and vendor negotiation.
• Experience developing and maintaining MOPs, SOPs, EOPs, training standards, and safety-focused operating programs in regulated or high-risk environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting AI or HPC infrastructure, including high-density rack environments, direct liquid cooling, immersion cooling, rear-door heat exchangers, or related thermal management systems.
• Experience standing up greenfield data center sites or leading major expansion programs from construction through stabilized operations.
• Familiarity with DCIM, EPMS, and BMS platforms, along with energy management, power monitoring, and PUE optimization practices.
• Relevant certifications such as CDCP, CDCS, CDCE, NFPA 70E, NFPA 110, Uptime Institute ATD, or a PE license.
• Experience with on-site or adjacent generation infrastructure, microgrids, or behind-the-meter power strategies.

Work Environment

• This is an on-site role based at the Maysville, Georgia data center campus.
• The position requires availability for 24/7 escalation support and periodic off-hours response during construction, commissioning, and early-stage operations.
• The role will involve work in industrial and mission-critical facility environments, including electrical rooms, generator yards, and mechanical plants, and requires completion of site-specific safety training related to arc flash, lockout/tagout, and confined space procedures.
• Annual Compensation Range: Competitive based on experience + benefits + equity.