Manager, Critical Operations

Quality Technology Services•Fayetteville, NC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Critical Operations is responsible for data center facility technical strategy, continuous improvement, and development support. The role supports electrical, mechanical, fire-life-safety (FLS), and data center infrastructure management (DCIM) platforms, as well as building and housekeeping operations. The manager collaborates with the Engineering Manager on technical operations and daily facility needs and owns strategic projects and site-level continuous improvement initiatives. This leader oversees teams performing preventative and corrective maintenance on critical mechanical and electrical equipment, supports customer and remote-hands operations, and plans and implements measures to improve facility energy efficiency. The role requires on-site work to support a 24/7/365 data center environment and is not eligible for remote or hybrid work. The position establishes and maintains facility policies, procedures, organizational structure, maintenance operations, emergency response planning, and operating standards. It manages operational and capital budgets; coordinates with internal teams, vendors, and customers; maintains regulatory compliance and required licenses; and supervises, trains, coaches, and develops employees. The manager also supports data center space and cable-plant design, implementation, and maintenance, and ensures that equipment installation, ticket management, communications, and incident resolution are completed in a timely manner.

Requirements

At least five years of workplace or professionally equivalent experience.
At least five years of people leadership experience.
Exceptional customer service skills.
Ability to analyze the operation of various systems, identify the causes of problems or malfunctions, and take corrective action.
Ability to manage complex situations outside management hours as a single point of contact.
Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to lead a team effectively.
Ability to acquire and apply job-related knowledge within established guidelines and expectations.
Ability to perform work that may involve frequent typing, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, bending, reaching, and lifting 10–50 pounds regularly; heavier lifting is done with other individuals or lifting aids.

Nice To Haves

At least seven years of data center environment or professionally equivalent experience.
At least five years of people leadership experience in a data center environment.
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in business, engineering, or architecture; military schooling or professionally equivalent experience is also accepted.
Experience with mechanical and electrical data center infrastructure, codes, regulations, required and applied safety standards and practices, and data center remote hands and customer support.

Responsibilities

Establish, maintain, and implement facility policies, procedures, and organizational structure consistent with senior management direction, corporate policy, and applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Develop and maintain efficient, matrixed maintenance operations using maintenance governance and standards, in-house staff, and vendors to support 100% uptime of mechanical, electrical, life-safety, monitoring, and control systems.
Develop and coordinate maintenance agreements, maintenance and testing procedures, inspections, reporting, and accounting practices.
Develop emergency response plans and manage and report incidents and emergencies involving mechanical, electrical, controls, and plumbing systems.
Develop, direct, and monitor short- and long-range business plans aligned with company profit and growth objectives, including standards for cost control, waste reduction, quality, safety, and environmental responsibility.
Manage and oversee building and site cleanliness and preservation operations.
Develop and manage operating and capital budgets, and ensure operating expenditures comply with organizational requirements.
Partner with Development, Sales, Implementation, and Solutions Engineering to deploy and maintain customer environments.
Conduct sales and customer tours and audits.
Coordinate corporate services support, power services, Critical Operations Technician headcount projections, planning, budgeting, capital projects, maintenance, and business continuity and disaster recovery.
Help negotiate contracts for improvement projects on leased and owned real estate.
Consult operations subject-matter experts to resolve operational problems, develop and authorize operating procedures, and approve major estimates.
Use comparative system evaluations, performance indicators, benchmarking, and best practices to monitor and improve operational programs.
Ensure mechanical, electrical, controls, monitoring, and fire-life-safety systems comply with applicable governmental operating requirements.
Obtain and maintain required licenses, permits, and certifications.
Supervise, train, develop, and coach employees; establish performance goals with direct reports, monitor progress, and support their professional development and success.
Facilitate data center space and cable-plant design, implementation, and maintenance.
Ensure teams install equipment, manage tickets, communicate, complete tasks related to computer hardware and software, and resolve incidents in a timely manner.
Oversee preventative and corrective maintenance of critical mechanical and electrical equipment.
Suggest, plan, and implement measures to increase facility energy efficiency.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
401(k) retirement plan with Roth and traditional matching contributions and immediate vesting.
Flexible spending and health savings accounts.
Paid holidays and paid time off.
Paid volunteer days and floating holidays.
Employee assistance program.
Tuition assistance and tuition reimbursement.
Parental leave and military leave assistance.
QTS scholarship for employee dependents.
Wellness program.
Bonus and equity eligibility may be available.
Every employee is bonus or commission eligible.
Stock Purchase Plan.
Holiday compensation when working on paid holidays.
Pet and legal insurance.
Q-Rest Sabbatical Program.
Q-Anniversary Service Award Program.
Military benefits package.
QTS Charitable Matching Gift Program.
QTS Crisis Fund.