Senior Manager Datacenter Engineering

DigitalOcean • Kansas City, KS

5d • Remote

About The Position

DigitalOcean is seeking a Senior Manager of Physical Infrastructure Engineering to lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for the engineering standards, specifications, and technical decisions governing data center infrastructure across its global footprint. The role covers electrical, mechanical, controls/automation, infrastructure engineering, and construction, with a focus on reliable AI/GPU infrastructure at scale. The team owns the engineering standards used for new builds, retrofits, and deployments; Design & Deployment executes layouts and installs in accordance with those standards. The Senior Manager is the technical authority for data center infrastructure and reports directly to the VP of Data Center Operations & Engineering.

The position owns engineering standards for AI/GPU data centers, including liquid cooling, power distribution, and controls/automation. It provides technical escalation for infrastructure issues, conducts engineering due diligence on prospective facilities, manages vendor and OEM engineering relationships, and leads infrastructure incident analysis and corrective actions. The role also governs infrastructure specifications and changes, tracks fleet reliability, reviews standards for code and safety compliance, audits existing sites, and prioritizes remediation. The position partners with Site Operations, Deployment, Construction, Design, Legal, and EHS, and develops engineering talent and succession plans. Expect 20–30% travel for new-site due diligence, commissioning support, and vendor/OEM reviews. This is a remote role.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, or a related Engineering discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years of experience in mission-critical engineering, including direct data center infrastructure experience.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams, including hiring, developing, and retaining senior technical talent.
• 5+ years of experience managing outsourced engineering teams.
• Deep hands-on experience with liquid cooling systems, including chillers, heat exchangers, pumps, CDUs, secondary loop design, and leak detection and mitigation; UPS; generators; switchgear; and controls/automation platforms.
• Experience running or directly supporting root-cause analysis with OEMs on infrastructure component failures and translating vendor findings into engineering decisions.
• Working knowledge of relevant electrical, mechanical, and safety codes, including NFPA 70E and local electrical code, and experience partnering with Legal/EHS on compliance reviews.
• Experience conducting technical due diligence on data center facilities, including colocation or build-to-suit facilities, before lease or construction commitment.
• Track record of building engineering standards that scale across multiple sites and remain effective during rapid, concurrent expansion.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a multidisciplinary team covering electrical, mechanical, controls/automation, data center infrastructure engineering, and construction.
• Develop and own engineering standards and specifications for AI/GPU data centers, including liquid cooling, power distribution, and controls/automation.
• Serve as the technical authority and final engineering escalation point for infrastructure issues that Site Operations and Design & Deployment cannot resolve.
• Conduct engineering due diligence on prospective colocation and build-to-suit facilities, reviewing power capacity, cooling topology, electrical infrastructure condition, and expansion feasibility.
• Own vendor and OEM infrastructure engineering relationships; lead root-cause engagements when infrastructure fails and hold vendors accountable for design defects.
• Lead or sponsor root-cause analyses for infrastructure-driven incidents and ensure resulting engineering corrective actions are completed and verified.
• Own infrastructure specifications, technical documentation, and change governance, requiring engineering sign-off for infrastructure-layer changes.
• Partner with Site Operations, Deployment, Construction, and Design to ensure standards are practical to build and operate.
• Track and report fleet infrastructure reliability metrics and prioritize engineering investment against high-risk and recurring failure modes.
• Lead compliance reviews of infrastructure standards against relevant codes and safety requirements in partnership with Legal and EHS.
• Build and maintain an audit process to assess existing sites against current engineering standards and prioritize remediation of noncompliant assets.
• Manage outsourced engineering talent as needed to meet workload demands.
• Develop engineering and construction talent and build succession plans for key technical authority roles.
• Travel 20–30% for new-site due diligence, commissioning support, and vendor/OEM engineering reviews.

Benefits

• Annual bonus plan eligibility for this non-sales role, subject to plan terms and local eligibility.
• May be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program opportunity in participating countries, subject to applicable plan terms.
• Reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education, subject to company policy.
• Flexible time off.
• Local team meetups.
• Mental health and well-being support.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior