Datacenter Operations Manager

Phase Consulting; Calgary; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Phase Consulting seeks a Data Centre Operations Manager to oversee two Calgary facilities, ensuring uptime, SLA compliance, and secure, reliable infrastructure. The role is based primarily at the larger site with travel to the smaller site and interaction with customers, internal teams, and vendors.

You will lead a 6-8 person team, drive ITIL-aligned operations, incident response, risk assessment, and continuous improvement, while maintaining SOC 1/2, PCI, ISO 27001 controls and a safety-first

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in data centre, critical facilities, or multi-system operations environments with leadership experience.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, performance management and development planning.
• Hands-on technical depth to approve maintenance/change requests and assess risk.
• Knowledge of ITIL, change management, incident/problem management, and service delivery.
• Experience operating in regulated environments (SOC, ISO, PCI).
• Excellent communication with customers, vendors, and executives.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day operational performance of two Calgary sites, ensuring uptime and SLA compliance.
• Manage client onboarding, MACDs, remote hands, and change execution.
• Participate in incident escalation with fast resolution and clear communication.
• Own external security vendor contracts and related SLAs; manage security and access controls.
• Review and approve maintenance/change requests; assess risk and coordinate with vendors.
• Lead audits, risk reviews, and compliance meetings; drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

Data centre operations

ITIL disciplines

Incident management

Change management

Customer facing

Education

Post-secondary education in Data Centre Operations, Facilities Management, Engineering, IT

Tools

UPS

Generators

CRAC/HVAC

Power distribution

Monitoring systems

Job description

Work Arrangement: On-site 5 days a week

Role Overview

Our client is a fast-scaling, private-equity-backed digital infrastructure business that owns and operates data centres in markets across Canada, and lets Canadian organizations build and scale without giving up control of their data. The Data Centre Operations Manager will take ownership of the day-to-day performance of two mission-critical Calgary facilities, including critical infrastructure, customer deliverables, and service performance.

This role offers an experienced leader the chance to combine hands‑on operational expertise with strong people leadership, driving continuous improvement across facilities that keep Canadian data close to home. The role is based primarily at the larger of the two Calgary sites, with regular travel to the smaller site. The right candidate will bring rigorous operational discipline and calm, decisive leadership to incidents and escalations, while working closely with customers, internal teams, and partners on onboarding, capacity planning, and change management.

Key Responsibilities

Operations & Service Delivery

• Own the day-to-day operational performance of both Calgary sites, ensuring uptime, service continuity, and SLA compliance.
• Manage day-to-day operations, including client onboarding, MACDs (moves, adds, changes, deletions), remote hands, and change execution.
• Participate in the incident escalation path, ensuring fast resolution and clear communication.
• Own the external security guard vendor contract and SLA, along with broader physical security and access control processes.

Facility & Infrastructure

• Own operation and maintenance of critical infrastructure across both sites, including UPS, generators, CRAC/HVAC systems, power distribution, fire protection, and monitoring.
• Review and approve maintenance and change requests, applying sound technical judgment to assess and manage risk.
• Lead troubleshooting of mechanical and electrical issues, coordinating internal teams and external vendors to mitigate risk and restore service.
• Keep preventive maintenance programs, asset documentation, and operating procedures current and adhered to.
• Work directly with contractors and vendors to ensure work is completed safely, on time, and to standard.
• Maintain and enforce the controls required for SOC 1, SOC 2, PCI, ISO 27001, and other regulatory or contractual obligations.
• Align operational processes with ITIL best practices across service design, transition, operation, and continual improvement.
• Participate in audits, risk reviews, and compliance meetings, ensuring timely remediation of findings.

Leadership & People Management

• Provide clear leadership, direction, and accountability to a team of roughly 6-8 staff across both sites, including team members who float between locations for coverage.
• Build, develop, and retain a high-performing team through coaching, mentoring, performance objectives, and development plans.
• Ensure staffing models and site coverage meet business and customer needs, including 24/7 coverage at the primary site.
• Foster a culture of ownership, safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Operational Efficiency & Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, reliability, and customer experience through process optimization, automation, and standardization.
• Drive data-driven decision making through operational metrics, reporting, and trend analysis.
• Lead the development, review, and enforcement of SOPs, operational policies, and workflows.
• Partner with engineering, sales, and solutions teams to ensure operational readiness for new services and customer growth.
• Serve as a key operational interface for customers, internal teams, suppliers, and partners.
• Support customer expectation management through clear, accurate, and accountable operational communication.
• Represent Data Centre Operations in internal forums, customer discussions, and cross-functional initiatives.

Qualifications & Experience

• Must be able to work in Calgary and obtain Reliability Status; local candidates preferred.
• Post-secondary education in Data Centre Operations, Facilities Management, Engineering, IT, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in data centre, critical facilities, or multi-system operations environments, including leadership experience.
• Equally strong on both sides of the role: proven people leadership (mentoring, performance management, development planning) and hands‑on technical depth sufficient to approve maintenance/change requests and judge risk. Candidates strong in only one area will not be a fit.
• Data centre experience is preferred, though industrial maintenance (controls, mechanical, electrical, HVAC, fire systems), telecommunications/head‑end facilities, or high-rise building management (mechanical/electrical infrastructure) backgrounds are also welcome.
• A customer-facing orientation, with strong working knowledge of data centre infrastructure: UPS, generators, HVAC/CRAC, power distribution, monitoring, and environmental systems.
• Solid understanding of ITIL disciplines, change management, incident/problem management, and service delivery best practices.
• Experience operating in regulated or audit-driven environments (SOC, ISO, PCI).
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with customers, vendors, and executives.
• PMP or formal project management experience considered an asset.

Why Join?

• Play a hands‑on leadership role across two mission‑critical facilities that keep Canadian data and infrastructure secure and close to home.
• Own a highly visible mandate with real influence over reliability, uptime, and customer experience.
• Step into an entrepreneurial environment with room to influence change and work through strategic ambiguity, backed by close, hands‑on support from local leadership rather than a sink‑or‑swim start.
• Join a growing, in-country infrastructure business at a time when demand for sovereign data and AI-driven growth is accelerating.