Director, Transitions and Due Diligence – Data Centers & Critical Env

Cushman & Wakefield • Seattle, WA

16d

About The Position

We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Data Center Transition & Due Diligence lead to support the seamless transition of data center operations, infrastructure, and services during new client contract awards, acquisitions, divestitures, migrations, or new site deployments. This role is critical in leading the transition process, evaluating operational readiness, identifying risks, and ensuring compliance with technical, financial, and regulatory standards throughout the lifecycle of data center/critical env transitions and due diligence phase. This role could require travel of 25-50%.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree required, or equivalent direct experience in data center management and operations.
• 15+ years in Data Center facilities maintenance, Facilities Engineering and/or technical services management, including outsourced facility management in Data Centers
• Experience with high-level, complex Facility and Engineering operations including asset management, maintenance best practices, Safety, Quality, ISO, etc.
• Technology: Expertise with asset management/CMMS platforms, highly proficient with MS Office Suite, including ability to perform Internet based research
• Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills required.
• Strong competency in strategic planning, execution, and business acumen
• Competency in Resource Allocation and Implementation
• Accomplished relationship management and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organizational abilities required.
• Team strategic development and leadership experience

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Transition Management Lead end-to-end planning and execution of data center transitions/start-ups, including onboarding/offboarding of subcontractors, facilities, systems, and employees.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams (engineering, IT, real estate, legal, finance) to ensure smooth handovers and no disruption to client operations.
• Develop and manage transition playbooks, timelines, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Enable successful operational transition to site and account teams.
• Support and consult with business to enable platform and technology integration at the site/acct level.
• Due Diligence Lead a team to conduct comprehensive assessments of data center assets, infrastructure, contracts, systems and operational practices during site evaluations and new start-ups.
• Evaluate facility condition, capacity, uptime history, compliance posture, and scalability.
• Analyze vendor agreements, SLAs, and service records to identify risks and opportunities.
• Compliance & Risk Assessment Ensure all transitions meet internal governance, industry standards (e.g., ISO, Uptime Institute, ASHRAE, IEEE), and regulatory requirements.
• Identify and document gaps in compliance, operational maturity, and infrastructure reliability.
• Recommend remediation plans and track execution.
• Stakeholder Engagement Serve as a key liaison between internal stakeholders, external partners, and clients during transition and due diligence phases.
• Present findings, risks, and recommendations to executive leadership and decision-makers.
• Documentation & Reporting Maintain detailed records of assessments, transition plans, and post-transition reviews.
• Generate executive-level reports summarizing due diligence outcomes, risks, and strategic recommendations.
• Other Support new business strategies with an emphasis on identified target clients.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure a high level of client satisfaction, delivering key initiatives and well as ensuring consistency in processes, reporting and operational delivery.
• Consult with clients on changing industry trends/projections/budget planning/etc.
• Identify opportunities for delivery, service quality, innovation, and process improvement on an on-going basis.
• Support sales and marketing efforts to secure new business for the Data Center segment.
• Establish and implement standard processes and best practices that maximize efficiencies

Benefits

• Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work.
• In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director