CLOUDHQ - Mechanical Operations Director

CloudHQ LLC • Ashburn, VA

48d

About The Position

CloudHQ is seeking a Mechanical Operations Director to provide technical cross-team leadership across our operational data center portfolio in the United States. This exciting new role will drive operational excellence, lifecycle performance, and continuous improvement to maximize reliability, efficiency, and customer satisfaction across CloudHQ sites. The Director will be responsible for professionally representing CloudHQ’s Mechanical operations department across multiple functions within the organization as well as outside of the company. This role will be the primary point of contact and communication for Mechanical Operations, acting as a leader to the customer and vendors.

Requirements

• A High school diploma or equivalent
• Minium of ten (10) years of professional experience in mission-critical, data center operations, commissioning, or design
• Experienced leader of mission critical staff
• Deep, proven expertise with chilled-water systems, economizers, CRAH/CRAC equipment, liquid cooling, pumps, and airflow management
• Hands-on experience with BMS/controls, energy modeling, and CFD for operations use cases
• Strong familiarity with ASHRAE Data Center guidance, applicable codes, and environmental regulations
• Proven success leading operational teams and programs
• Experience negotiating service contracts and managing vendor performance for mechanical systems
• Track record of leading incident response, root-cause analysis, and lifecycle performance programs
• Exceptional verbal and written communication, with demonstrated client-facing and team leadership experience
• Responsible attitude with strong work ethic; leading by example in attendance, attitude and technical work product
• Ability and willingness to work extended hours when required

Nice To Haves

• A bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or closely related field
• Professional Data Center mechanical engineering experience highly preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead mechanical operations strategy for chilled-water plants, CRAH/CRAC units, Fan Walls, CDUs, economizers, and airflow management across CloudHQ facilities.
• Own mechanical system performance standards, preventive maintenance strategies, and lifecycle asset plans.
• Ability to review Construction Documents and project specifications to provide operations improvements input.
• Ability to review Construction Administration activities for on-going or day two projects for CloudHQ standards adherence and industry best practice.
• Define and drive continuous improvement initiatives to reduce energy use, improve PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), and increase mechanical system resiliency.
• Monitor commissioning, retro-commissioning, and re-commissioning activities for retrofit projects.
• Promote team involvement in Factory Witness Tests and other construction/development activities as needed.
• Serve as first escalation for complex mechanical incidents; lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions to restore and harden site performance.
• Maintain on-call rotation and rapid response playbooks for critical incidents.
• Develop and maintain CloudHQ mechanical standards, specifications, and O&M procedures for consistent operations across sites.
• Understand CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), energy modeling, BMS (Building Management System) analytics to diagnose issues, validate design changes, and optimize controls and sequences.
• Champion data-driven monitoring and trending to detect performance drift and optimize operations.
• Develop and review MOP/SOP/EOP and provide contingency plans where required.
• Act as CloudHQ’s technical representative in client operations reviews and technical walk-downs.
• Support customer success providing operational insight, lifecycle cost modeling, and reliability.
• Advise on vendor selection, service contracts, and spare-parts strategies to align with operational goals.
• Oversee the mechanical department budget processes and lead financial planning and analysis while driving cost-saving initiatives that will result in operational efficiency and profitability.
• Mentor operations managers, mechanical technicians, and facilities lead; develop training, checklists, and knowledge base content.
• Issue operational guidance and best practices and expand internal learning processes.

Benefits

• competitive compensation and rewarding incentives
• comprehensive benefits (medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability)
• 401(k) with match
• 12 paid holidays
• generous PTO
• development opportunities
• the ability to closely impact and contribute to the growth of an exceptional organization

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees