Data Center Operations Lead

Cognizant; São Paulo; On-site; BRL 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant Brazil seeks a Data Center Operations Lead to drive 24x7 data center activities, ensuring availability, performance, and reliability of infrastructure services across sites. You will lead technical teams, manage service delivery with SLAs and KPIs, and coordinate with vendors and global stakeholders.

The role covers servers, storage, backup and virtualization technologies, with emphasis on capacity planning, DR readiness, security compliance, and governance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, IT, Engineering, IS, or related field.
• Experience leading Data Center Operations, Infrastructure Services, or IT Operations teams.
• Strong knowledge of Windows and Linux administration.
• Experience with VMware or other virtualization technologies.
• Storage platforms such as NetApp, Dell EMC, HPE, or equivalents.
• Backup and recovery solutions.
• ITIL service management; incident, problem, and change management.
• Capacity and availability management.
• Disaster recovery and business continuity planning.

Responsibilities

• Lead 24x7 Data Center operations, ensuring stable and reliable infrastructure services.
• Manage service delivery performance, including SLAs, KPIs, incident management, and escalations.
• Oversee servers, storage, backup, and virtualization technologies.
• Drive capacity planning, disaster recovery readiness, security compliance, and governance.
• Lead technical teams, vendor relationships, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Windows administration

Linux administration

VMware / virtualization

Storage platforms

Backup and recovery

ITIL service management

Incident / problem / change management

Capacity / availability management

Disaster recovery / business continuum

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / IT / Engineering / IS

Job description

About the role

As a Data Center Operations Lead, you will make an impact by leading mission-critical Data Center operations, ensuring the availability, performance, and reliability of infrastructure services across multiple sites. You will drive operational excellence, service delivery, governance, and continuous improvement while collaborating with global teams, vendors, and business stakeholders.

In this role, you will

• Lead 24x7 Data Center operations, ensuring stable and reliable infrastructure services across the environment.
• Manage service delivery performance, including SLAs, KPIs, incident management, and customer escalations.
• Oversee infrastructure platforms, including servers, storage, backup, and virtualization technologies.
• Drive capacity planning, disaster recovery readiness, security compliance, and operational governance.
• Lead technical teams, vendor relationships, and continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency and service quality.

Work Model

Hybrid – São Paulo (Morumbi), Brazil

This position follows a hybrid work model, requiring periodic onsite presence at our São Paulo (Morumbi) office based on business needs.

What you need to have to be considered

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.
• Experience leading Data Center Operations, Infrastructure Services, or IT Operations teams.
• Strong knowledge of:
  • Windows and Linux Administration
  • VMware and Virtualization Technologies
  • Storage Platforms (NetApp, Dell EMC, HPE, or similar)
  • Backup and Recovery Solutions
  • ITIL Service Management
  • Incident, Problem, and Change Management
  • Capacity and Availability Management
  • Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
• Experience managing operational KPIs, SLAs, and critical incident escalations.
• Experience working with infrastructure vendors and service providers.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.

These will help you stand out

• ITIL Certification.
• Experience managing multi-site or global Data Center environments.
• Experience with automation, monitoring, and infrastructure optimization initiatives.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance, security standards, and audit requirements.
• Experience leading Disaster Recovery testing and business continuity programs.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission.