Senior Director Data Center Operations

Salute Inc.•United States, US,

1d•$190,000 - $225,000•Onsite

About The Position

Salute is a leading provider of cutting-edge Data Center Infrastructure Services, dedicated to serving data center clients worldwide. We pride ourselves on delivering sustainable solutions, unparalleled reliability, and outstanding customer service. As we continue to grow, we are seeking a dynamic and experienced Senior Data Center Operations Director to join our team and drive our relationships with hyperscale clients to new heights. The Senior Data Center Operations Director is responsible for executive-level leadership, strategic oversight, and operational performance across one or more mission-critical data center environments supporting high-availability infrastructure, advanced AI workloads, hyperscale operations, colocation environments, or enterprise data center services. This role provides senior leadership over data center operations, critical infrastructure reliability, client service delivery, financial performance, staffing, safety, compliance, vendor management, and operational readiness. The Senior Director ensures that mechanical, electrical, plumbing, cooling, life safety, and support systems are operated safely, reliably, efficiently, and in alignment with company, customer, regulatory, and contractual requirements. The Senior Data Center Operations Director serves as a senior operational leader, client-facing executive, and escalation point for complex operational issues. This position requires strong technical credibility, business acumen, people leadership, financial discipline, and the ability to lead high-performing teams in a 24x7x365 mission-critical environment.

Requirements

Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in data center operations, mission-critical facilities, facility management, engineering operations, or related technical environments.
Minimum of 5 years in a senior management or director-level role leading mission-critical operations teams, preferably across multiple sites, large accounts, or complex client environments.
Demonstrated experience managing 24x7x365 operations in high-availability environments.
Strong experience with critical mechanical and electrical infrastructure, including UPS systems, generators, switchgear, cooling systems, HVAC, electrical distribution, and building support systems.
Proven experience with budget management, financial oversight, forecasting, labor planning, vendor management, and operational reporting.
Strong client-facing experience with responsibility for relationship management, service delivery, operational reviews, and issue resolution.
Bachelor's degree in engineering, facilities management, construction management, business administration, or a related field preferred.
Equivalent combination of education, technical training, military experience, trade experience, and relevant data center operations leadership experience may be considered.
Strong knowledge of mission-critical mechanical, electrical, cooling, controls, and life safety infrastructure.
Strong leadership, decision-making, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to lead through complex operational challenges, customer expectations, staffing constraints, technical risks, and high-pressure incidents.
Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control, variance analysis, and resource planning.
Ability to interpret technical, operational, contractual, and financial information and translate it into practical action.
Strong understanding of MOPs, SOPs, EOPs, change management, preventive maintenance, incident management, RCA, and operational risk controls.
Strong client relationship management skills with the ability to communicate effectively with executives, customers, vendors, and technical teams.
Ability to manage multiple priorities across fast-paced, high-accountability environments.
Strong organizational, project coordination, and governance skills.
Proficiency with standard business software, reporting tools, CMMS platforms, and Microsoft Office applications.
Ability to frequently sit, stand, and walk for extended periods.
Ability to tour active data center, industrial, construction-support, and critical infrastructure environments.
Ability to use hands and fingers to operate a computer, tablet, phone, and other office equipment.
Ability to occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and climb stairs or ladders as business needs require.
Ability to occasionally lift and/or move items up to 25 pounds.
Ability to visually inspect equipment, read documents, and work at a computer screen for extended periods.
Ability to communicate clearly in person, by phone, by video, and in writing.
Must be able to respond to site conditions, emergencies, and operational issues that may require presence in equipment rooms, rooftops, exterior yards, loading areas, central plants, or similar environments.
Must be able to pass any pre-employment screenings required by company policy or customer site requirements.
Must be able to satisfy site access, badging, and security clearance requirements, as applicable.
Must maintain a valid driver’s license if driving is required as part of the role.
Must be available to support emergency response, escalation events, client needs, and critical operational issues outside of standard business hours as required.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, cloud, AI, or high-density data center operations preferred.
Experience leading transitions, site startups, commissioning turnover, operational readiness, or account mobilization preferred.
Relevant certifications such as PMP, CFM, FMP, CDCP, CDCS, Six Sigma, OSHA, electrical/mechanical trade certifications, or similar credentials are preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide senior leadership for day-to-day and long-term data center operations, ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient performance of mission-critical infrastructure and support services.
Lead site directors, operations managers, facility managers, engineers, technicians, vendor partners, and support teams in the execution of operational objectives, service commitments, and business goals.
Establish operational strategies, performance expectations, accountability standards, and disciplined operating practices across assigned sites or accounts.
Drive operational excellence through continuous improvement, process discipline, risk reduction, service quality, and consistent execution of company standards.
Ensure proper staffing models, scheduling practices, escalation coverage, succession planning, and operational readiness for 24x7x365 support.
Serve as a senior escalation leader for critical incidents, customer concerns, operational risks, staffing challenges, service delivery issues, and infrastructure reliability matters.
Oversee the operation, maintenance, testing, and performance of critical infrastructure systems, including UPS systems, generators, switchgear, electrical distribution, cooling systems, HVAC equipment, fire/life safety systems, building controls, and associated support systems.
Ensure all infrastructure is operated in accordance with approved maintenance standards, OEM guidance, risk management practices, customer requirements, and company procedures.
Review system health, operating trends, asset performance, incident history, and site risk profiles to identify opportunities for reliability improvement and failure prevention.
Ensure compliance with approved Methods of Procedure (MOPs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), change management requirements, and maintenance practices.
Support major maintenance events, repairs, outages, commissioning activities, integrated systems testing, turnover activities, and operational readiness reviews.
Lead or support root cause analysis, corrective action planning, incident response, and post-event reviews for critical infrastructure events.
Serve as a senior operational representative for client relationships, account governance, service delivery, and customer satisfaction.
Build and maintain strong client relationships through proactive communication, operational transparency, issue resolution, and consistent delivery of service commitments.
Partner with clients and internal stakeholders to align operations with contractual requirements, service-level expectations, business objectives, and long-term account success.
Lead operational reviews, performance updates, business reviews, risk discussions, and service improvement planning with customers and leadership teams.
Ensure operational delivery is aligned with contractual obligations, company standards, client expectations, and high-availability requirements.
Represent the company professionally during customer meetings, executive briefings, site visits, audits, incident reviews, and business development support activities.
Develop, manage, and monitor operating budgets across assigned sites, accounts, or regions, including labor, materials, maintenance, subcontracted services, vendor spend, training, tools, and operational support costs.
Review and analyze financial performance, operating expenses, labor utilization, cost trends, budget variances, and resource allocation to identify risks and improvement opportunities.
Support forecasting, annual planning, headcount planning, capital planning, financial reporting, and business case development.
Ensure sound financial stewardship and alignment of operational spending with approved budgets, service requirements, and business objectives.
Prepare and present operating, financial, staffing, risk, and performance updates to senior leadership and clients as required.
Identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency without compromising safety, uptime, compliance, or service quality.
Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain high-performing operations leaders, managers, engineers, technicians, and support personnel.
Build strong leadership teams capable of managing complex mission-critical environments with professionalism, accountability, and technical discipline.
Conduct and oversee performance management activities, including coaching, evaluations, development planning, succession planning, and corrective action when necessary.
Promote a culture of safety, reliability, ownership, accountability, teamwork, technical excellence, and customer service.
Ensure employees are properly trained, qualified, equipped, and supported to perform their duties safely and effectively.
Lead workforce planning and organizational development to support current operations, future growth, new site transitions, and client requirements.
Ensure compliance with company policies, safety programs, customer requirements, regulatory standards, site procedures, and applicable laws.
Promote and reinforce a strong safety culture across all operations, maintenance, vendor, and project activities.
Lead or support audits, inspections, operational assessments, quality reviews, customer reviews, and compliance evaluations.
Identify operational, technical, financial, staffing, safety, and compliance risks and implement mitigation strategies.
Ensure documentation, maintenance records, operational reports, training records, procedures, incident reports, and compliance materials are maintained at a high standard.
Support business continuity planning, emergency preparedness, escalation procedures, and operational risk reviews.
Provide senior oversight of vendor relationships, contracted services, maintenance providers, OEM support, and third-party service delivery.
Ensure vendors meet performance expectations, safety requirements, contractual obligations, response times, documentation standards, and customer requirements.
Partner with procurement, legal, finance, and account leadership to support vendor selection, contract execution, scope development, cost control, and service performance.
Review vendor performance, maintenance quality, incident support, staffing levels, and service gaps to ensure operational reliability.
Support the development of vendor escalation plans, emergency response coverage, preventive maintenance schedules, and critical spares strategies.
Lead or support new site transitions, account startups, operational mobilizations, client onboarding, and handover from construction or commissioning to operations.
Ensure staffing, training, vendor support, procedures, CMMS readiness, asset data, maintenance programs, safety programs, and reporting structures are established prior to operational readiness.
Partner with transition teams, project managers, commissioning teams, clients, and internal stakeholders to identify gaps, risks, dependencies, and readiness requirements.
Support operational readiness reviews, turnover planning, site acceptance, transition governance, and stabilization efforts.
Drive structured handover processes that ensure the operations team is prepared to safely and effectively assume responsibility for the site.