Senior Director, Data Centre Operations

Jobtailor; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Equinix in Sydney seeks a senior Data Centre Operations Leader to own day-to-day operations, maintenance, and performance of 18 data centres and 200+ FTEs across Australia. You will drive strategic priorities aligned with the next-generation platform and ensure reliable, scalable services for customers.

You will establish KPIs, manage budgets, incident response, and change management, while partnering with Compliance, Security, and global teams.

Qualifications

• Extensive data centre ops management experience.
• Experience leading 80–100+ staff.
• Proven cross-functional leadership in matrix organisations.
• Experience guiding growth, mergers, or transitions.
• Strong execution discipline and accountability culture.
• Focus on energy, water, and environmental performance.

Responsibilities

• Own operations, maintenance, and performance of 18 data centres and 200+ FTEs in Australia.
• Drive strategic planning and priorities for data centre ops and platform strategy.
• Establish and track KPIs, SLAs, and budgets.
• Oversee incident response, problem resolution, and change management.
• Communicate with key customers to support the Equinix customer experience.
• Lead safety and business continuity programs across sites.
• Align with global teams to ensure consistency and drive excellence.

Skills

Team Leadership

Operations Mgmt

Cross-Functional

Strategic Planning

Budget Mgmt

Incident Response

Safety Leadership

Financial Acumen

Education

University degree

Job description

• Own customer-impacting, day-to-day responsibility for operations, maintenance, and performance of 18 data centres and 200+ FTEs in Australia
• Drive strategic planning and priorities for data centre operations in alignment with the next-generation platform strategy
• Establish and track delivery against KPIs, SLAs, and metrics including performance, capacity, availability, and budget
• Oversee on-the-ground incident response, problem resolution, and change management
• Communicate closely with key customers about resolution to support the Equinix customer experience
• Establish critical business continuity plans, including disaster preparedness, project management, and logistics coordination
• Establish and track safety measures for front-line resources
• Ensure consistency in experience and on-the-ground response across Australian data centres
• Contribute to centres of excellence and implement policies and procedures for global consistency and effectiveness
• Support other departments in achieving endorsed business objectives
• Coordinate with the global design and construction team
• Lead a diverse team and shape a collaborative, transparent, and entrepreneurial culture with global and corporate leadership
• Motivate employees around a shared vision and change story aligned with the worldwide transformation agenda
• Empower front-line resources to meet customer needs through incentives and process

Requirements

• Demonstrable track record of data centre operations management and maintenance or similar (e.g. mechanical & engineering, facilities, operations engineering, critical infrastructure)
• Experience leading a team of at least 80–100 people
• Excellent experience in cross-functional management and leading and operating in a matrixed environment
• Substantial experience optimising a growing and evolving business, including leading a large organisation through rapid growth, merger integration, or business transition
• Strong focus on execution and results, including establishing performance standards, setting goals, developing plans, following through, and holding people accountable
• Critical sustainability focus and understanding of how operational decisions affect energy, water, and long-term environmental performance
• Proven ability to work as part of a regional APAC Operations leadership team against common goals
• Demonstrable strength in HES leadership, with a record of improving safety outcomes and environmental performance in a live critical‑infrastructure setting
• Experience partnering with Compliance and Physical Security functions, including audit, certification, access control, and site security operating rhythms
• Ability to provide thought leadership, think strategically, communicate vision effectively, and influence
• Ability to demonstrate and instill Equinix's culture and values
• Ability to balance intense short-term pressures with overall long-term goals
• Strong intellect and financial acumen, with ability to connect operational objectives to financial results
• University degree ideally preferred, not required

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in data centre operations management, including performance optimization, incident response, and business continuity planning. Proven ability to lead large teams, drive strategic initiatives, and ensure safety and compliance in critical infrastructure settings.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Data Centre Operations Management
• Team Leadership (80-100 People)
• Performance Standards Establishment
• HES Leadership
• Cross-Functional Management

Hard Skills

• Operations Management
• Performance Metrics Tracking
• Business Continuity Planning
• Project Management
• Change Management
• Incident Response
• Budget Management
• Sustainability Focus
• Compliance Partnership
• Financial Acumen

Soft Skills

• Strategic Thinking
• Effective Communication
• Influencing Skills
• Motivational Leadership
• Collaborative Culture Building

Industry Keywords

• Critical Infrastructure
• Environmental Performance
• Safety Measures
• Matrixed Environment
• APAC Operations
• Customer Experience
• Logistics Coordination
• Audit and Certification
• Access Control
• Site Security