Manager, Critical Operations

Quality Technology Services•Cedar Rapids, IA

23h•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. It 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 responsible for preventive and corrective maintenance of critical mechanical and electrical equipment, and proposes, plans, and implements measures to improve facility energy efficiency. The position requires on-site work to support a 24/7/365 data center environment and is not eligible for remote or hybrid work. The role establishes and maintains facility policies, procedures, staffing, and maintenance operations in accordance with corporate policy and applicable regulations. It develops emergency response plans, manages operating and capital budgets, maintains regulatory compliance, supports customer deployments and tours, and leads employee training and development. It also supports data center space and cable plant design, implementation, and maintenance, and ensures equipment installation, ticket handling, communications, and incident resolution are completed in a timely manner.

Requirements

At least five years of workplace or professional equivalent experience.
At least five years of people leadership experience.
Exceptional customer service skills.
Ability to analyze system operations, identify 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 effectively lead a team.
Ability to acquire and apply job-related knowledge within established guidelines and expectations.
Position may involve frequent typing, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, bending, reaching, and lifting; regular lifting requirements may range from 10 to 50 pounds, with heavier weights handled with other individuals or lifting aids.

Nice To Haves

At least seven years of data center environment or professional equivalent experience.
At least five years of people leadership experience in a data center environment.
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Business, Engineering, Architecture, or Military Schooling, or professional equivalent experience.
Experience with mechanical and electrical data center infrastructure, codes, regulations, and required and applied safety standards and practices.
Experience with 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 laws and regulations.
Develop and maintain efficient maintenance operations and governance, using in-house staff and vendors to support 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 emergency situations involving mechanical, electrical, controls, and plumbing systems.
Develop, direct, and monitor short- and long-range business plans and establish operational standards for cost control, waste reduction, quality, safety, and environmental responsibility.
Manage building and site cleanliness and preservation operations.
Develop and manage operating and capital budgets, and ensure operating budget compliance with organizational expenditure requirements.
Partner with Development, Sales, Implementation, and Solutions Engineers to deploy and maintain customer environments.
Conduct sales and customer tours and audits.
Support corporate services, power services, Critical Operations Technician headcount projections, planning, budgeting, capital projects, maintenance, and business continuity and disaster recovery.
Help negotiate improvement project contracts for leased and owned real estate as needed.
Consult operations subject matter experts to resolve operational problems, develop and authorize procedures, and approve major estimates.
Use comparative system evaluations, key performance indicators, benchmarking, and best practices to assess operational program effectiveness.
Ensure mechanical, electrical, controls, monitoring, and fire-life-safety systems comply with 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.
Facilitate data center space and cable plant design, implementation, and maintenance.
Ensure teams complete equipment installations, manage tickets, communicate effectively, perform computer hardware and software tasks, and resolve incidents in a timely manner.
Oversee preventive and corrective maintenance teams for 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 HSA accounts
Paid holidays
Paid time off
Paid volunteer days
Employee assistance program
Tuition assistance and tuition reimbursement
Parental leave
Military leave assistance and military benefits package
QTS scholarship for employee dependents
Wellness program
Bonus and equity eligibility may be available
Every employee is bonus or commission eligible
Floating holidays
Stock Purchase Plan (SPP)
Holiday compensation when holidays are worked
Pet and legal insurance
Q-Rest Sabbatical Program
Q-Anniversary Service Award Program
QTS Charitable Matching Gift Program
QTS Crisis Fund