Senior Director, Special Projects – Data Center Operations (Nashville, TN)
Position Summary
The Senior Director of Special Projects is responsible for leading the planning, governance, and execution of capital and operational projects across operational data centers after initial construction and commissioning are complete.
About the role
This role serves as the strategic owner for all post-handover infrastructure projects, ensuring facilities continue to evolve to meet customer demand, operational requirements, technology advancements, and asset lifecycle needs. The Senior Director partners closely with Data Center Operations, Engineering, Capacity Planning, Real Estate, Design & Construction, Supply Chain, Finance, Product, and Customer organizations to deliver projects safely, on schedule, within budget, and with minimal impact to production environments.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and lead the global strategy for post-construction capital projects across operational data centers.
- Establish governance, prioritization frameworks, and execution standards for all special projects.
- Build and lead a geographically distributed organization of project managers and technical leaders.
- Drive continuous improvement through standardized processes, metrics, reporting, and lessons learned.
- Partner with executive leadership to align project priorities with business objectives and long-term infrastructure strategy.
Portfolio Management
- Lead the execution of projects including:
- Customer-specific infrastructure requests
- Rack infill and capacity expansion
- Rack refresh and modernization programs
- Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) asset replacement and end-of-life programs
- Facility infrastructure upgrades
- Power and cooling enhancements
- Design modifications and engineering improvements
- Operational resiliency projects
- Capacity optimization initiatives
- Building infrastructure enhancements
- Commissioning and recommissioning efforts
- Final construction project closeouts and punch list completion
- Deferred scope execution
- Compliance-driven improvements
- Sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives
- Emergency infrastructure recovery projects
- Technology refresh initiatives
Project Delivery
- Ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and with minimal operational disruption.
- Establish standardized project planning, budgeting, scheduling, risk management, and change control processes.
- Oversee contractor and vendor performance across multiple programs.
- Manage project financial performance, forecasts, and capital expenditures.
- Drive schedule adherence and executive-level reporting.
Operational Partnership
- Serve as the primary executive interface between Construction, Operations, Engineering, and customers for post-handover projects.
- Cookordinate maintenance windows and project execution with operational teams.
- Balance customer commitments with operational risk and infrastructure availability.
- Resolve complex cross-functional issues that impact project delivery.
Asset Lifecycle Management
- Develop long-term infrastructure renewal strategies.
- Prioritize replacement of aging mechanical and electrical assets.
- Manage lifecycle planning for critical facility infrastructure.
- Coordinate capital planning with Finance and Asset Management teams.
Customer & Business Support
- Lead execution of customer-requested modifications and expansions.
- Support new product introductions requiring infrastructure changes.
- Deliver projects that improve customer experience, capacity, reliability, and operational efficiency.
- Ensure commitments to internal and external stakeholders are met.
Governance & Compliance
- Maintain compliance with corporate engineering standards and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Ensure projects follow change management, commissioning, quality assurance, and safety processes.
- Develop executive dashboards and portfolio health reporting.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Business, or related field.
- 15+ years of progressively responsible experience managing large-scale infrastructure, mission-critical facilities, or capital construction programs.
- 8+ years leading large technical organizations.
- Experience managing multi-million-dollar capital portfolios.
- Strong understanding of mission-critical data center infrastructure, including: Electrical distribution, Mechanical cooling systems, Power generation, Building automation systems, Facility operations.
- Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
- Strong financial acumen, including capital planning and budget management.
- Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
PREFERRED
- Experience managing operational data center infrastructure.
- Experience transitioning projects from construction into operations.
- Professional Engineer (PE), PMP, or equivalent certification.
- Experience leading global teams.
- Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier Standards, NFPA, ASHRAE, IEEE, and other applicable industry standards.
Success Measures
- Safe execution of all projects with zero preventable incidents.
- On-time and on-budget delivery of capital projects.
- Improved data center reliability and operational resilience.
- Effective management of infrastructure lifecycle replacement programs.
- Customer satisfaction with infrastructure enhancements and special project execution.
- Reduction of operational risk through proactive modernization initiatives.
- Consistent executive reporting and portfolio transparency.
- Continuous improvement of project delivery processes and organizational performance.
Scope
- The Senior Director oversees a diverse portfolio of post-construction projects supporting operational data centers, including customer-driven modifications, infrastructure modernization, lifecycle asset replacement, operational enhancements, compliance initiatives, and strategic capital improvements.
- The role is accountable for project governance, execution excellence, financial performance, and cross-functional coordination across multiple regions, ensuring data centers continue to evolve safely and efficiently throughout their operational lifecycle.
About Us
Only Oracle brings together the data, infrastructure, applications, and expertise to power everything from industry innovations to life-saving care. And with AI embedded across our products and services, we help customers turn that promise into a better future for all. Discover your potential at a company leading the way in AI and cloud solutions that impact billions of lives. True innovation starts when everyone is empowered to contribute. That’s why we’re committed to growing a workforce that promotes opportunities for all with competitive benefits that support our people with flexible medical, life insurance, and retirement options. We also encourage employees to give back to their communities through our volunteer programs. We’re committed to including people with disabilities at all stages of the employment process. If you require accessibility assistance or accommodation for a disability at any point, let us know by emailing accommodation-request_mb@oracle.com or by calling 1-888-404-2494 in the United States. Oracle is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans’ status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Oracle will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.