Senior Manager Datacenter Engineering

DigitalOcean • Atlanta, GA

5d • Remote

About The Position

DigitalOcean is seeking a Senior Manager of Physical Infrastructure Engineering to lead the multidisciplinary engineering team responsible for electrical, mechanical, controls/automation, and data center infrastructure and construction engineering. The team owns the standards, specifications, and technical decisions that guide new builds, retrofits, and deployments across DigitalOcean’s global footprint. The role is the technical authority for data center infrastructure, owning engineering standards and judgment as well as the reliability outcomes that follow. It reports directly to the VP of Data Center Operations & Engineering.

The role covers AI/GPU data center infrastructure, including liquid cooling, power distribution, and controls/automation. It provides engineering due diligence for prospective facilities, serves as the final engineering escalation point for unresolved infrastructure issues, oversees vendor and OEM engineering relationships, and leads root-cause investigations and corrective actions. The position also owns infrastructure documentation and change governance, standards compliance reviews, audits of existing sites, and prioritization of remediation and engineering investment. It partners with Site Operations, Deployment, Construction, Design, Legal, and EHS, manages outsourced engineering talent where required, and develops the team and succession plans for key technical authority roles.

Expect 20–30% travel for new-site due diligence, commissioning support, and vendor/OEM engineering 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 experience with data center infrastructure.
• 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, 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 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, and 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.
• Provide engineering due diligence on new colocation and build-to-suit facilities before signing, evaluating 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 analysis for infrastructure-driven incidents and own engineering corrective actions through verified completion.
• 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 engineering standards are practical to build and operate.
• Track and report infrastructure reliability metrics across the fleet and prioritize engineering investment against high-risk, 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 review existing sites against current engineering standards and prioritize remediation of non-compliant assets.
• Manage outsourced engineering talent where needed to meet workload demands.
• Develop engineering and construction talent and build succession plans for key technical authority roles.

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.
• Equity compensation may include participation in the Employee Stock Purchase Program in participating countries.
• Reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education, subject to company policy.
• Benefits may include flexible time off, local team meetups, and mental health and well-being support; specific benefits and eligibility vary by location.

What This Job Offers

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