Operations Engineer

AVAR; Dubai; On-site; AED 167,400 - 223,200; Full time

Job summary

A leading data center operations company is seeking an experienced Operations Engineer in Dubai to manage site takeovers and ensure operational excellence. This role focuses on incident management, maintenance operations, and change management within critical environments. A Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and at least 5 years of relevant experience are required. Strong knowledge of data center systems and HSE compliance is essential. Join our team and contribute to our mission of operational excellence in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in data center operations or similar.
• Demonstrated expertise in site takeover and transition management.
• Proven incident management experience in live environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end site takeover processes including transition management.
• Oversee preventive and corrective maintenance operations.
• Lead change management initiatives and evaluate operational risks.

Skills

Incident management

Preventive/corrective maintenance governance

Change management

Operational reporting

HSE compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

BMS

EPMS

DCIM

Job description

Role Overview

Environment supporting operational excellence and resilience in live data center facilities. In this challenging Operations Engineer position, you will ensure our mission‑critical operations are consistent, audit‑ready, and aligned with both local and global operational standards.

Responsibilities

• Manage the end‑to‑end site takeover process, including transition management, shadowing and reverse‑shadowing, readiness assessments, cutover planning, and post‑takeover stabilization.
• Implement and enhance incident management frameworks, ensuring prompt escalation, real‑time coordination during live incidents, and thorough validation of root cause analyses and corrective actions.
• Oversee preventive and corrective maintenance operations in accordance with reliability‑centered maintenance (RCM) concepts and risk management best practices.
• Lead change management initiatives, including impact assessments, rollback planning, approval workflows, and operational risk control in live data center settings.
• Evaluate the operational and maintenance risks of electrical and mechanical systems, such as UPS, generators, switchgear, power distribution, chillers, and cooling systems.
• Monitor and optimize ELV systems and monitoring tools (BMS, EPMS, DCIM), plus fire detection, suppression, access control, and alarm management operations.
• Generate detailed operational performance and management reports, including KPI tracking, trend analysis, and compliance monitoring.
• Maintain audit readiness and accurate evidence management, including maintenance and incident records, change management, and compliance documents.
• Ensure strict adherence to HSE and safe systems of work, including permit‑to‑work, lockout/tagout, and contractor safety management, especially in critical infrastructure.
• Coordinate operations across multiple sites to standardize practices and ensure alignment with group operational standards.

Must Have Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Facilities Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in data center operations, facility management, or operational excellence roles, including exposure to multi‑site operations.
• Demonstrated expertise in site takeover and transition management, including shadowing, readiness assessment, cutover planning, and post‑takeover stabilization for live data center environments.
• Proven incident management experience, encompassing escalation procedures and RCA validation.
• Strong foundation in RCM, preventive/corrective maintenance governance, and maintenance risk management.
• Hands‑on experience with change management, operational risk control, and rollback planning for live environments.
• In‑depth understanding of data center electrical and mechanical systems sufficient to assess operational and maintenance risks.
• Fluency in ELV and monitoring systems, including BMS, EPMS, DCIM, and modern alarm management.
• Solid background in operational reporting, KPI definition, and trend analysis.
• Thorough knowledge of audit processes, documentation practices, and compliance evidence management.
• Proven ability to implement and enforce HSE and safe systems of work in critical environments.
• Understanding of Uptime Institute Tier principles, fault tolerance, redundancy, and avoidance of single points of failure.
• Expertise in developing and enforcing operational governance: policies, SOPs, MOPs, and work instructions.
• Operations assurance, audit methodologies, gap analysis, compliance review, and non‑conformance management.

Nice to Have Requirements

• Professional certifications (e.g., Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Specialist, PMP, ITIL, or similar).
• Experience working in large‑scale, hyperscale, or colocation data center environments.
• Track record of cross‑regional standardization of operational practices.
• Exposure to smart facility technologies or advanced automation in building operations.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to interpret complex data center performance data.