Senior Manager, Data Center Facility Operations

Responsibilities

Critical Facility Operations

• Own 24/7 operational readiness for electrical distribution systems, including switchgear, UPS systems, generators, and PDUs.
• Oversee mechanical systems such as CRAH/CRAC units, chillers, cooling towers, and liquid/direct-to-chip cooling where applicable.
• Manage fire/life-safety systems and BMS/EPMS monitoring platforms.
• Maintain and improve Methods of Procedure (MOPs), Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Lead incident root-cause analysis, corrective actions, postmortems, and remediation tracking.
• Manage preventive and predictive maintenance programs to maximize reliability and minimize unplanned downtime.

Team and Staffing

• Build and manage a lean, cross-trained operations team of facility engineers and technicians.
• Define staffing ratios, shift structures, on-call coverage, and scaling plans for expansion from 20 MW to 40 MW.
• Recruit, develop, retain, and cross-train technical personnel.
• Manage subcontractors, vendors, Critical Facility Managers, and staffing partners.

Capacity Expansion

• Represent operations in expansion planning with Design, Construction, and Commissioning teams.
• Integrate new capacity without disrupting live production loads.
• Support integrated systems testing and commissioning of new electrical and mechanical infrastructure.
• Update staffing plans, spares strategies, and maintenance programs for the expanded footprint.

Safety, Compliance, and Reporting

• Champion a zero-incident safety culture and ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA 70E, arc-flash requirements, LOTO procedures, local Minnesota and Shakopee codes, environmental permits, and utility interconnection agreements.
• Own KPIs including uptime, availability, PUE, MTTR, MTBF, preventive-maintenance completion, and safety metrics.
• Provide operational reporting to regional and corporate leadership.
• Manage site OpEx budgets covering labor, spares, contracts, and utilities.

Requirements

• At least 5 years managing operations in a data center environment with direct responsibility for critical electrical and mechanical infrastructure.
• Experience building, right-sizing, or optimizing lean staffing models, including shift design, cross-training, and vendor balance.
• Strong knowledge of electrical distribution and mechanical cooling systems in enterprise, hyperscale, or colocation data centers.
• Experience managing direct employees and/or contracted staff in a 24/7 operational environment.
• Working knowledge of BMS, EPMS, or DCIM monitoring platforms.
• Familiarity with NFPA 70E, OSHA, and industry-standard safety programs.
• Strong incident-management and root-cause-analysis skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Facilities Management, or equivalent experience.
• Ability to work onsite, participate in an on-call rotation, and respond onsite during critical incidents.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience with high-density AI/GPU compute environments, including liquid or direct-to-chip cooling.
• Experience operating during live capacity expansions or brownfield build-outs.
• Uptime Institute ATD/ADOS, CDCP/CDCS, or similar data center credentials.
• Experience with Upper Midwest utility and regulatory environments; Xcel Energy service-territory knowledge is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits

• Compensation range up to $175,000–$190,000 plus bonus.
• Restricted Stock Units included in all offers.
• Paid time off, paid holidays, and leave programs.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Employer HSA contributions.
• Paid parental leave.
• Life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Professional development and tuition reimbursement.
• Mental health and wellness support.
• Commuter benefits and cell phone stipend.
• 401(k) plan with company match up to 4% of salary.
• Volunteer time off, global travel insurance, meals allowance, and location-specific perks.