Director of Data Center & Site Operations
STN Inc•San Francisco, CA
•$160,000 - $220,000
About The Position
The Director of Data Center & Site Operations leads physical infrastructure delivery and ongoing operational readiness across global data center environments. The role bridges initial build-out and lifecycle management, overseeing Day 1 rack-and-stack deployment and Day 2 activities such as infrastructure scaling, hardware expansions, migrations, break-fix governance, and continuous operational improvements. The position combines program management, deployment operations, vendor coordination, and cross-functional leadership to support availability, operational consistency, and scalable deployments across multiple regions. The role oversees global deployment programs from planning and execution through operational turnover, coordinating teams, vendors, schedules, resources, risks, and stakeholder communications. It also leads site-level operational functions and supports infrastructure lifecycle and capacity management.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Information Technology, Operations Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- 7+ years of experience in data center operations, infrastructure deployment, technical program management, or a related field.
- Experience managing large-scale global infrastructure deployment programs.
- Hands-on experience with Day 1 site build-out and rack-and-stack execution, including turnover from construction into live operations.
- Strong understanding of data center infrastructure, including compute/server deployments, network infrastructure, cabling systems, power and cooling dependencies, and hardware lifecycle management.
- Experience with change management and operational governance processes.
- Proven ability to manage cross-functional global teams and vendors.
- Strong project and program management skills, including managing multiple priorities simultaneously.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in hyperscale or enterprise data center environments.
- PMP, PRINCE2, ITIL, or related certifications.
- Familiarity with DCIM tools, ticketing systems, and deployment tracking platforms.
- Experience with automation and deployment optimization initiatives.
- Knowledge of capacity management and operational analytics.
- Strong understanding of service availability and operational risk management.
Responsibilities
- Partner with architecture, engineering, and capacity teams to plan and execute Day 1 infrastructure deployments, including hardware delivery, physical layout, rack-and-stack, and initial cabling in accordance with global design standards.
- Lead Day 2 deployment activities at global data center sites, including expansions, refreshes, migrations, retrofits, and operational upgrades.
- Coordinate deployments and infrastructure changes involving compute, storage, networking, and cabling.
- Manage deployment schedules, implementation timelines, and resource planning across concurrent projects.
- Drive operational readiness and turnover from construction and build teams into live operations.
- Oversee change implementation while minimizing operational risk and service disruption.
- Develop deployment roadmaps, execution plans, and operational milestones for Day 1 and Day 2 activities.
- Track deployment KPIs, timelines, budgets, and vendor performance metrics.
- Manage risks, escalations, dependencies, and issue resolution throughout the deployment lifecycle.
- Align engineering, operations, logistics, and site teams.
- Provide executive-level reporting on deployment progress, capacity readiness, and operational impacts.
- Establish and improve deployment processes, SOPs, and operational playbooks for build-out and steady-state execution.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, quality, and deployment velocity.
- Ensure compliance with operational standards, safety requirements, and change management policies.
- Support incident-response coordination for deployment-related operational issues.
- Partner with capacity planning and infrastructure teams to support scaling strategies.
- Oversee site-level functions, including superintendent/general manager leadership, site operations managers, site administration, EHS and safety programs, and inventory coordination with logistics partners.
- Coordinate deployment activities with ongoing site operations to maintain continuity, safety, and service availability.
- Align facilities, security, logistics, and operational stakeholders to support global site operations.
- Manage third-party deployment vendors, integrators, and logistics providers.
- Coordinate with global site operations, engineering, network, facilities, and supply chain teams.
- Facilitate deployment readiness reviews and stakeholder communications.
- Ensure vendor SLAs and deployment quality standards are consistently met.
- Support infrastructure lifecycle management, including refreshes, decommissions, and hardware replacement programs.
- Coordinate deployment sequencing and operational validation for lifecycle refresh and replacement activities.
- Assist with forecasting deployment capacity needs and regional operational requirements.
- Ensure inventory accuracy and deployment asset tracking.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Health and dependent care FSA.
- 401(k) plan.
- Unlimited paid time off.
- Observed paid holidays.
- Cell phone allowance.
- Collaborative, growth-driven culture.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
