Technical Program Manager, Facility Operations

Fluidstack•Austin, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced TPM to own and drive the competency development, qualification, and operational readiness of our critical facilities operations workforce. This role is primarily responsible for building and sustaining a world-class program for data center operations staff — ensuring every technician and engineer is fully trained, qualified, and confident to operate complex critical infrastructure systems safely and effectively. In addition to the training mandate, this role carries program management responsibility for key operational programs including planned maintenance governance, MOP/EOP/AOP oversight, and change management — providing the technical grounding needed to develop and validate operationally accurate training content. The ideal candidate is a technically deep, who has come up through data center or mission-critical facility operations and now channels that expertise into building the next generation of operations professionals.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Facilities Management, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering Technology, Organizational Development, Instructional Design, or a related field — OR equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
Minimum 7 years of experience in critical facilities or data center operations, with at least 3 years in a training management, workforce development, or operations leadership role.
Deep technical knowledge of data center critical infrastructure systems including: Power: Utility feeds, transformers, switchgear, generators, ATS/STS, UPS systems, PDUs, RPPs, and busway distribution. Cooling: Chillers, cooling towers, CRACs/CRAHs, in-row cooling, CDUs (liquid cooling), and economizers. Controls & Monitoring: BMS/BAS, DCIM, EPMS, SCADA, and environmental monitoring platforms. Life Safety: Pre-action fire suppression, clean agent systems (FM-200/Novec 1230), fire alarm panels (NFPA 72), and emergency lighting.
Proven track record of building and running operations training programs from the ground up, including curriculum development, LMS/TMS administration, and hands-on competency qualification frameworks.
Strong familiarity with NFPA 70E, OSHA 29 CFR 1910 (General Industry), Uptime Institute Tier Operational Sustainability standards, and ASHRAE thermal guidelines.
Experience with MOP/EOP/AOP development and governance in a Tier III or Tier IV data center environment.
Proficiency with CMMS platforms (Maximo, SAP PM, ServiceNow, or equivalent) and Microsoft Office Suite.
Outstanding communication, facilitation, and people development skills — equally comfortable in a classroom, on the data center floor, and in front of senior leadership.

Nice To Haves

ATD (Association for Talent Development) certification or equivalent instructional design credential (CPTD, CPLP).
Uptime Institute Accredited Operations Specialist (AOS) or Accredited Tier Designer (ATD) certification.
Certified Data Centre Professional (CDCP) or Certified Data Centre Manager (CDCM).
Experience with e-learning authoring tools (e.g., Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate) and LMS platforms (e.g., Workday Learning, Cornerstone, TalentLMS).
Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent certification.
BICSI Data Center Design Consultant (DCDC) or equivalent.
Experience supporting data center commissioning (Cx) programs including IST development and functional test script execution.
Hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data center experience at multi-site or campus scale.
Background as a field operator, technician, or operations engineer prior to moving into a training/management role is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own the full lifecycle of the Operations Training Program — from needs assessment and curriculum design through delivery, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
Design and maintain role-based training curricula and competency frameworks for all operations roles including Critical Facilities Technician (CFT), Data Center Operations Engineer (DCOE), Shift Lead, and Facilities Management.
Convert vendor manuals, OEM documentation, SOPs, MOPs, EOPs, and engineering specifications into structured, engaging training content — including instructor-led courses, hands-on lab exercises, scenario-based simulations, job aids, and e-learning modules.
Partner closely with the Technical Writer to ensure alignment between procedure documentation and training materials, so what is written reflects what is taught — and vice versa.
Develop and manage a comprehensive new hire onboarding program covering site orientation, systems familiarization, safety fundamentals, and progressive task qualification leading to independent work authorization.
Implement and administer a Training Management System (TMS) or Learning Management System (LMS) to track training completion, qualification status, certification expiration, and compliance across the operations workforce.
Establish and enforce a formal qualification and sign-off program ensuring technicians are assessed and authorized before performing unsupervised work on any critical system.
Manage all recurring and mandatory training requirements including NFPA 70E/Arc Flash, LOTO, emergency response, first aid/CPR, and equipment-specific annual recertifications.
Design and facilitate emergency response drills and tabletop exercises simulating critical events such as loss of utility power, UPS bypass, generator transfer failure, and cooling system alarms.
Continuously assess workforce competency through structured observations, skills assessments, audit findings, and incident reviews; develop and deploy targeted remediation training as needed.
Build and maintain relationships with equipment vendors and industry training providers (e.g., Vertiv, Schneider Electric, Eaton, Cummins, Trane, Uptime Institute) to leverage external training resources, factory training opportunities, and industry certifications.
Track and report training KPIs to leadership including training completion rates, qualification coverage, time-to-competency for new hires, certification compliance, and training-related incident reduction trends.
Manage the site's Planned Maintenance (PM) program governance — ensuring all tasks are scheduled, executed, and closed in the CMMS on time and in compliance with OEM recommendations and site standards.
Oversee the MOP, EOP, and AOP program — ensuring critical maintenance events are properly planned, peer-reviewed, approved, and executed; serving as a quality gate for procedural accuracy and completeness.
Lead the change management process for infrastructure modifications, including risk assessments, cross-functional review, execution oversight, and post-work documentation and training updates.
Track and report operational program metrics including PM completion rates, corrective work order backlog, MTTR, and audit findings; escalate risks to leadership as appropriate.
Lead or support root cause analysis (RCA) and after-action reviews (AARs) following incidents or near-misses; identify training gaps surfaced by events and translate findings into updated training content.
Ensure operational documentation, competency records, and training evidence are current and audit-ready for internal and external audits (Uptime Institute, ISO, customer audits).
Manage vendor and contractor performance as it relates to training compliance, qualifications, and adherence to site MOPs and safety requirements.