Senior Manager Datacenter Engineering
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 is the technical authority for infrastructure, including electrical, mechanical, controls/automation, and infrastructure engineering and construction. It owns engineering standards and reliability outcomes for new builds, retrofits, and deployments, while Design & Deployment executes layouts and installations against those standards. The position reports directly to the VP of Data Center Operations & Engineering. The Senior Manager develops standards for AI/GPU data centers, including liquid cooling, power distribution, and controls/automation; provides technical escalation and facility due diligence; manages vendor engineering relationships and infrastructure incident analysis; and oversees change governance, compliance review, and audits of existing sites. The role partners with operations, deployment, construction, design, Legal, and EHS, manages outsourced engineering talent as needed, and develops team members and succession plans. Expect 20–30% travel for new-site due diligence, commissioning support, and vendor/OEM engineering reviews.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree 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, 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.
- Conduct engineering due diligence on new colocation and build-to-suit facilities, including assessment of 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 ensure engineering corrective actions are verified as complete.
- 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 infrastructure reliability metrics across the fleet, prioritizing investment against high-risk and recurring failure modes.
- Lead compliance review 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 standards and prioritize remediation of noncompliant assets.
- Manage outsourced engineering talent as required to meet workload demands.
- Develop engineering and construction talent on the team 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
- Eligible to participate in the annual bonus plan; bonus amounts depend on company and individual performance.
- May be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility.
- In participating countries, eligible employees may have the opportunity to participate in the Employee Stock Purchase Program.
- Reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education, subject to company policy.
- Flexible time off, local team meetups, and mental health and well-being support may be included, with availability varying by location.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
