Director of Technical Program Management, Physical Deployment

Nscale•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The Director of Technical Program Management, Physical Deployment owns the physical delivery of GPU clusters 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 holds partners accountable for delivery. Its scope includes site readiness, rack receipt and placement, power and cooling activation, structured cabling, and vendor-led hardware testing. The Director hands off 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, hires, and develops Physical Deployment TPMs; owns integrated schedules and site outcomes; coordinates data center partners, OEMs, cabling vendors, supply chain, and onsite teams; and establishes the physical deployment operating model, playbook, and reporting. The role reports weekly status and risks to the VP and senior leadership, clearly distinguishing forecast from upside. Success in the first 6–12 months includes integrated, weekly-reviewed schedules for every active cluster; timely milestone delivery or early escalation with recovery plans; visible rack-level status; a documented playbook in use at every new site; blocker-free handoffs to Logical Deployment; and a fully staffed team with clear site ownership and succession planning.

Requirements

12 or more 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.
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.
Ability to own site outcomes, make decisions with incomplete information, hold partners accountable, and lead hands-on from the data center floor.

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 clusters of 10,000 or more GPUs.
Familiarity with rack-level burn-in and hardware validation.
Experience introducing tooling or automation for rack tracking and deployment reporting.
PMP certification or a construction or engineering background.

Responsibilities

Own the integrated physical delivery schedule for each cluster, covering data center early access, rack delivery, power, cooling, cabling, and hardware acceptance testing.
Set and defend milestone dates, build 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 the status of every rack and manage supply and site risk.
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 Physical Deployment TPMs, assigning 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.
Ensure physical milestones are delivered on committed dates or that slips are flagged at least two weeks ahead with a recovery plan.
Ensure Logical Deployment receives floors with no open blockers at handoff.