Datacenter Business Operations Program Manager

Microsoft•Chicago, IL

About The Position

In alignment with Microsoft values, this role focuses on cultivating an inclusive work environment and is crucial for the deployment planning and optimization of IT capacity within datacenters, with a primary focus on reducing stranded capacity. The Datacenter Business Operations Program Manager will work closely with Electrical Engineers and Critical Environment Field Service Engineers. Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) powers Microsoft's cloud services, including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform. This role is key in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies. By enabling datacenter capacity through increased Infrastructure Utilization Effectiveness (IUE) and Power Harvesting (PH), the role will lead retrofit efforts to upgrade legacy datacenters and harvest capacity in existing fleets. CO+I emphasizes personal and professional development, offering trainings, growth opportunities, Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, and professional certifications. The infrastructure includes a large global portfolio of over 100 datacenters and 1 million servers, managed by subject matter experts supporting over 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in more than 90 countries. Environmental sustainability and optimization are central to datacenter design and operations as Microsoft evolves to meet changing business demands and maintain its position as a world-class cloud provider.

Requirements

High School Qualification or equivalent AND 3+ years experience supporting IT equipment or related technology or delivering server and network deployment projects in large-scale environments OR equivalent experience
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role.
Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
Citizenship Verification: This position requires verification of US Citizenship to meet federal government security requirements.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's or Technical College Degree in Computer Science, Math, Telecommunications, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Management or related field AND 8+ years experience in working in physical IT infrastructures (e.g., Servers, SANs, Networking, Capacity, DC Rack/Enclosures, structured cabling) OR High School Qualification or equivalent AND 10+ years experience working in physical IT infrastructures (e.g., Servers, SANs, Networking, Capacity, DC Rack/Enclosures, structured cabling) OR equivalent experience.
Applicable certifications: APICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA, Microsoft, Network Certifications, CCNA Certifications, ITIL v3 Foundation, Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) Certifications.

Responsibilities

Owns end-to-end project execution for datacenter initiatives from intake through close-out, holding self-accountable for service quality, completeness, and the resulting customer experience across IT, network, infrastructure, remediation, and modernization projects.
Builds and manages project plans, schedules, milestones, and dependencies across multiple parallel workstreams, proactively reviewing schedules to avoid conflicts and offering alternatives when defining customer solutions.
Executes projects inside live production datacenters in strict adherence to safety, security, and change-management standards, including MOP/SOP compliance and access controls; follows and reports any safety or security issues or concerns immediately.
Recognizes and communicates the potential customer impact of operational events such as lock-downs and maintenance windows, planning accordingly to minimize disruption to clients and the business.
Acts as the single coordination point between Datacenter Operations, Engineering, Construction, IT/Network teams, vendors, integrators, and contractors, managing relationships to ensure all expectations are clarified, documented, and met.
Manages stakeholder expectations, resolves conflicts, and maintains alignment across all parties, identifying and coordinating solutions while communicating alternatives where needed.
Proactively identifies schedule, technical, safety, and operational risks, suggests ways to reduce maintenance risk, and develops mitigation and contingency plans in collaboration with relevant teams.
Performs troubleshooting for service incidents and escalates appropriately to meet SLAs and OLAs with minimal disruption to clients and the business.
Demonstrates conscientiousness around cost, tracks project costs and resource utilization, and contributes to keeping work within approved budgets and timelines.
Balances speed of execution with operational stability and quality, in alignment with management priorities and company culture and values.
Embody our culture and values.