Director of Technical Program Management, Physical Deployment

Nscale•Seattle, WA

2d•$290,000 - $350,000

About The Position

The Director of Physical Deployment owns each cluster’s physical delivery from data center early access through rack power-on, cabling, and hardware acceptance testing. The role translates construction, power, cooling, and supply-chain realities into schedules the business can commit to, and ensures partners deliver against those commitments. The scope covers site readiness, rack receipt and placement, power and cooling activation, structured cabling, and vendor-led hardware testing. The Director hands a fully documented floor to the Logical Deployment team for network configuration, validation, and customer handoff. This is a field leadership role requiring 90% or more travel, primarily to data center sites. The Director leads and develops Physical Deployment TPMs, holds vendors accountable to statements of work, staffing plans, and quality standards, and establishes the physical deployment operating model, including playbooks, gates, checklists, standard timelines, and tooling for tracking and reporting. The role reports status and risks to the VP and senior leadership, distinguishing forecast from upside. The stated base salary range is $290,000–$350,000 USD. The role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, and/or commission programs. Nscale may offer medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible paid time off, parental leave, and retirement plan participation.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in data center, hyperscale infrastructure, or large-scale hardware deployment.
At least 5 years of experience leading teams.
Direct experience delivering multi-megawatt GPU or HPC clusters, from data hall readiness through rack energization.
Working knowledge of data center power, liquid and air cooling, structured cabling, and rack integration.
A track record of managing OEMs, data center operators, and construction partners to firm commitments.
Strength in building integrated schedules and critical paths across multiple parties and recovering schedules when they slip.
Clear, concise executive communication in writing and in person, with honest forecasts.
Ability to travel 90% or more of the time, primarily to data center sites and often at short notice.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with NVIDIA GB200/GB300 or Vera Rubin NVL72-class rack deployments.
Experience at a hyperscaler, neocloud, or AI lab deploying 10K+ GPU clusters.
Familiarity with rack-level burn-in and hardware validation.
Experience introducing tooling or automation for rack tracking and deployment reporting.
PMP, or a construction or engineering background.

Responsibilities

Own the integrated physical schedule for each cluster, covering data center early access, rack delivery, power, cooling, cabling, and hardware acceptance testing.
Set and defend milestone dates, build in schedule buffer, and escalate early when schedule float disappears.
Run daily and weekly site cadences with data center partners, OEMs, cabling vendors, and onsite teams.
Maintain rack-level tracking so leadership can see each rack’s status and manage supply and site risks.
Track GPU, rack, switch, transceiver, and cabling materials against need dates in coordination with Supply Chain and BOM specialists.
Coordinate with data center partners on power and cooling readiness, including primary cooling loops, phased energization, and temporary solutions.
Lead recovery plans when supply, construction, or vendor staffing slips, including re-sequencing work, re-routing hardware, and adding resources.
Lead, hire, and develop a team of Physical Deployment TPMs, with clear ownership for each site.
Hold vendors accountable to statements of work, staffing plans, and quality standards.
Hand off completed floors to Logical Deployment with complete documentation, punch lists, and test results.
Define the physical deployment playbook, including entry criteria, gates, checklists, and standard timelines.
Partner with the tooling team on automation for rack tracking, cabling verification, and status reporting.
Report weekly status and risks to the VP and senior leadership, clearly separating forecast from upside.
Travel 90% or more of the time, primarily to data center sites, often at short notice.