Director, Operations SME – Data Centers & Critical Env

Cushman & Wakefield•Austin, TX

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Director, Data Center Account Operations SME. This position is part of the central data center practice and serves as the senior technical and operational authority for complex, mission-critical data center accounts. This role combines deep subject matter expertise in critical infrastructure with strategic account oversight, solution development, ensuring best-in-class operational execution, site start-up support, reliability, and continuous improvement across the data center portfolio. The Director partners with account leadership, clients, and global operations teams to standardize practices, solve complex technical challenges, and elevate performance across electrical, mechanical, and critical environment systems. This position also serves as a single point of contact for starting up new sites and managing client operational expectations ensuring compliance to contract deliverables. This role is critical in participating in solution development, transition process, evaluating operational readiness, identifying risks, and ensuring compliance with technical, financial, and regulatory standards throughout the lifecycle of data center operational lifecycle. This role could require travel of 25-50%.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, or related field) or equivalent experience.
12+ years of experience in data center operations, critical facilities, or mission-critical environments.
8+ years in senior leadership, technical advisory, or SME roles.
Deep knowledge of: Electrical systems (medium/low voltage, switchgear, UPS, generators, etc)
Mechanical systems (HVAC, chilled water, cooling technologies, fire, etc)
High density liquid cooling systems and configurations
Critical environment operations and redundancies
Account operations and site/portfolio start-ups
Proven experience supporting large-scale enterprise, hyperscale, or colocation environments.
Strong experience with incident management, RCA methodologies, and risk mitigation.

Nice To Haves

Industry certifications (e.g., Uptime Institute ATS/Accredited Tier Specialist, CFM, PMP, LEED, CRL).
Experience with global or multi-region accounts.
Knowledge of digital tools, DCIM, CMMS, and data analytics platforms.

Responsibilities

Support the development of the solution for operating the clients data center portfolios.
Partner with technical transition leadership to ensure comprehensive due diligence and site start-up is executed to plan.
Act as the primary account focused SME for critical facility operations, including electrical distribution, UPS systems, generators, cooling systems (CRAC/CRAH), and BMS/EPMS platforms.
Deep understanding of high density data center layouts and advanced liquid cooling technologies- operations and maintenance.
Provide expert guidance on incident response, root cause analysis (RCA), and risk mitigation.
Review and approve MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs, ensuring technical accuracy and alignment with industry best practices.
Lead technical assessments, audits, and operational readiness reviews across data center sites.
Support complex troubleshooting and high-severity incidents (SEVs) as escalation authority.
Implement and advise on training protocols for site teams
Drive deployment of operational platforms for managing maintenance and operations of critical data center locations.
Ongoing partnership with Account Directors and clients to align operations with business goals, SLAs, and reliability objectives.
Ensure proper hand-over to ongoing account management team is comprehensive and well planned for operational continuity.
Drive standardization and scalability of operating models across multi-site or global accounts.
Identify operational gaps and lead corrective action plans and performance improvement initiatives.
Serve as a strategic advisor during contract solutioning, transitions, mobilizations, and expansions.
Champion best practices in uptime, redundancy, and resilience for all data center environments.
Drive adoption of reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), predictive maintenance, and condition-based monitoring.
Analyze performance data to identify trends and proactively mitigate risks.
Lead initiatives to improve energy efficiency, sustainability, and cost optimization.
Ensure adherence to regulatory and industry standards (OSHA, NFPA, ISO, Uptime Institute guidelines, etc).
Support audit preparation, compliance reviews, and risk management frameworks.
Develop and implement standardized operational controls and governance models.
Evaluate and mitigate risks associated with critical infrastructure changes or failures.
Act as a trusted technical advisor to client and account stakeholders, including client and account data center engineering and operations leadership.
Participate in executive governance meetings (QBRs, technical reviews).
Communicate complex technical issues and solutions in a clear, business-focused manner.
Provide thought leadership and innovation recommendations to enhance client outcomes.
Mentor and develop operations leaders, engineers, and technical teams.
Define competency frameworks and training programs for critical operations roles.
Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Support talent strategy and succession planning for technical roles.