Senior Lead Field Deployment Engineer – AI Cluster Infrastructure

World Wide Technology; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

World Wide Technology is seeking a senior, customer-facing leader to drive the field deployment of AI cluster infrastructure at customer sites and colocation facilities. You will own quality from staging through installation, inspection, testing, and sign-off, serving as the single point of contact for WWT, OEM partners, and the customer.

You will guide the on-site team, manage relationships up to C-suite, and act as a trusted advisor on solutioning, ensuring deployments stay on schedule, meet

Qualifications

• 5+ years in data center or network field deployment.
• Hands-on experience deploying AI/ML cluster infrastructure: GPU servers, high-speed interconnects.
• Experience leading on-site teams and SPOC for customers and partners.
• Strong knowledge of commissioning and test methodologies and customer acceptance processes.

Responsibilities

• Act as SPOC for WWT, OEMs, and the customer.
• Lead on-site team, coordinate engineers and subcontractors.
• Own deployment quality end-to-end from staging to commissioning.
• Plan and run quality inspections; ensure standards before progress.
• Lead DoA/green-light, functional, performance, and burn-in testing.
• Own commissioning and customer sign-off with evidence and punch-lists.
• Manage executive relationships and lead difficult conversations when needed.
• Provide trusted advisor input on options, trade-offs, and risk.

Skills

Team leadership

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Problem solving under pressure

On-site coordination

Technical mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE

CCNP/CCNA

Tools

NVIDIA GPUs

InfiniBand

NVLink

RoCE/Ethernet fabric

Cisco

Arista

Juniper

NVIDIA Cumulus

Job description

This is a senior, customer-facing role leading the field deployment of AI cluster infrastructure - GPU compute, high-speed fabric, and storage - at customer and colocation sites. You will own deployment quality from staging through installation, inspection, testing, and commissioning sign-off, acting as the single point of contact for WWT, OEM partners, and the customer throughout the engagement. You'll lead the on-site team, manage customer relationships up to C-suite level, navigate difficult conversations, and act as a trusted advisor on solutioning rather than simply reporting issues - keeping every deployment on schedule and to spec.

Responsibilities:

• Act as the single point of contact (SPOC) for WWT, OEMs, and the customer throughout the deployment, providing one consistent, trusted interface for status, risk, and decisions
• Lead and coordinate the on-site WWT team, OEM engineers, and subcontractors - assigning work, setting daily priorities, and holding every party to the build plan and schedule
• Own deployment quality end-to-end: staging, rack-and-stack, cabling, power-up, and physical inspection of AI cluster hardware (GPU servers, switches, InfiniBand/Ethernet fabric, storage) against slotting matrices, cabling diagrams, and customer/OEM specifications
• Plan and run quality inspections at each build milestone, ensuring workmanship, cabling, labeling, and configuration meet WWT and OEM standards before work progresses to test
• Lead DoA/green-light, functional, performance, and burn-in testing of compute nodes and fabric, driving root-cause analysis and remediation with OEM engineering when issues arise
• Own commissioning and customer sign-off - coordinating acceptance criteria, test evidence, and punch-list closure with the customer and OEM partners
• Own the customer relationship for the deployment up to C-suite and senior executive level, building the credibility and trust needed to represent WWT in high-stakes conversations
• Lead difficult conversations with customer and OEM leadership when schedule, quality, or scope issues arise - delivering hard messages directly, professionally, and with a plan attached
• Act as a trusted advisor to the customer on solutioning, not just a reporter of problems: present options, trade-offs, and risk/cost implications, and make a clear recommendation rather than simply escalating issues upward
• Act as the escalation point for technical, logistical, and quality issues on site, owning executive-level escalation management end-to-end and driving fast, pragmatic solutioning to protect schedule and customer satisfaction
• Manage OEM and subcontractor relationships on site, holding them accountable for scope, quality, and schedule commitments
• Manage WWT sales stakeholders on the account, keeping them informed of deployment status, risk, and customer sentiment, and looping them in early on issues that could affect the account relationship
• Coordinate closely with the Program Manager, Architectural Lead, and WWT ES&A International Leadership - aligning on plan, design intent, resourcing, and risk, and ensuring decisions made on site stay consistent with the wider program
• Prepare and deliver executive-level status updates, risk briefings, and business-impact summaries to customer and WWT leadership, tailoring the message to a C-suite audience
• Maintain accurate documentation: as-built records, test results, punch lists, and commissioning reports
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to field technicians, raising the bar on deployment quality across the team
• Ensure adherence to safety standards and customer site requirements throughout the deployment

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of progressive experience in data center or network field deployment, including experience leading on-site teams
• Hands-on experience deploying AI/ML cluster infrastructure: GPU servers, high-speed interconnect (InfiniBand, NVLink, RoCE/Ethernet fabric), and associated cabling (fiber, DAC/AOC)
• Proven experience acting as an on-site lead or SPOC, coordinating across internal teams, OEM partners, and customers
• Strong knowledge of commissioning and test methodologies: DoA/green-light testing, burn-in, functional and performance testing, and customer acceptance/sign-off processes
• Working knowledge of major OEM platforms relevant to AI infrastructure (e.g., NVIDIA, Dell, HPE, Supermicro, Cisco, Arista, Juniper)
• Strong knowledge of network cabling, optic types, and structured cabling practices; BICSI Installer certification or equivalent knowledge
• Knowledge of major CLI/networking platforms (Cisco IOS, JunOS, NVIDIA Cumulus, etc.) and OS/firmware upgrade processes
• Demonstrated ability to manage escalations and drive fast, effective solutioning under pressure and ambiguity
• Proven track record managing relationships with senior/executive and C-suite stakeholders, including leading difficult conversations and negotiating resolution under pressure
• Experience acting as a trusted advisor rather than a status reporter - comfortable presenting options and recommendations, not just problems, to customer leadership
• Strong executive presence and communication skills - able to tailor technical detail for a C-suite audience and resolve conflict with poise
• Comfortable operating in a matrixed delivery organization - coordinating with sales account teams, Program Managers, Architectural Leads, and regional/international leadership to keep on-site execution aligned with the broader program
• Experience with quality inspection processes, punch-list management, and documentation of as-built/test evidence
• Ability to lead, mentor, and hold accountable a team of technicians and subcontractors
• Related degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or equivalent experience; Network+, CCNP/CCNA, or equivalent preferred
• Datacenter experience required
• Ability to prioritize and manage time effectively amid fluctuating, high-pressure demands
• Up to 75% travel regionally, with extended on-site stays for the duration of a deployment