Principal Program Manager - Data Center Deployment

Nscale

20h•Onsite

About The Position

We’re looking for a Doer — someone who lives and breathes the site. This role sits at the center of our GPU cluster deployments: bootstrapping clusters, using low-level designs (LLDs) as the reference to check that cabling and fit-out are going to plan on the floor, and unblocking whatever stands between the plan and a working, delivered site. You’ll carry technical credibility into design and readiness reviews, hold the line when trade-offs need to be made between engineering, operations, and the customer, and be the person senior stakeholders trust when a deployment is going sideways. You’re warm and approachable on the floor, but authoritative when it counts — the kind of person trade vendors and engineers genuinely want to work with. This is not a desk job. You’ll be on the ground through construction and practically living onsite during active deployment.

Requirements

Proven experience as an onsite Technical Program Manager, deployment lead, or equivalent role in data center construction, cluster bootstrapping, or large-scale infrastructure rollout
Hands-on knowledge of reading and applying LLDs, plus cabling and fit-out processes, to verify onsite work against plan
Track record of managing multiple concurrent, complex deployments
Demonstrated ability to bring real technical credibility to readiness reviews
Experience managing vendor relationships and resolving underperformance
Strong executive communication skills — able to turn technical complexity into clear, decision-ready narratives
Willingness and ability to travel extensively and be onsite for extended periods during active deployment phases

Responsibilities

Own cluster bootstrapping, cabling, and fit-out execution from the ground up
Use the LLDs as the reference point to check on the floor whether cabling and fit-out are going to plan — not to author or revise the design
Know every blocker on the floor — and know how to clear it to protect the timeline
Visit sites frequently during construction; be present onsite through active deployment
Build relationships with trade vendors and engineering teams grounded in trust and follow-through
Anticipate repeating technical failure modes across sites and regions, and drive fixes before they recur
Facilitate technical trade-off decisions between engineering, operations, and customers, and document the rationale
Bring credible technical input to readiness reviews, grounded in what’s actually happening on the floor
Influence and solve technical challenges of moderate difficulty independently
Anticipate programme-level risks — contractual gaps, dependency chains, capacity conflicts — before they materialize
Run portfolio-level schedule and risk management across concurrent deployments
Identify cross-programme risk patterns and drive systemic fixes, not just local fixes
Create clarity across multiple deployments simultaneously — others should be able to operate within the structures you set
Be the person senior customers and partners trust when delivery is going wrong: composed, credible, and honest under pressure
Handle politically sensitive situations — vendor underperformance, customer escalations — with sound judgement
Translate deployment complexity into decision-ready executive narratives
Deliver leadership reporting that is decision-ready: what’s at risk, what’s needed, and by when
Drive process and tooling improvements across a portfolio or region
Deliberately balance standardisation against programme-specific needs
Develop TPM talent across programmes — stretch strong performers and address underperformance directly
Train up the next generation of onsite talent; deliver through the people you’ve grown, not just your own output