Data Center Manager

Cbre; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Global exposure

Nordic presence

Competitive benefits

Job summary

CBRE Group, Inc. in Helsinki seeks a Data Center Manager to lead operations, ensuring safe, reliable 24/7 data center performance and client satisfaction.

You will own budgets, vendor relationships, and governance, while guiding the site toward growth and operational excellence. Applicants bring 5+ years in data center or critical facilities, strong leadership, and experience managing teams and contractual service delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, Operations Management, or related discipline preferred.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in Data Center or critical facilities environments.
• Minimum 3 years' experience in a leadership role managing technical and operational teams.
• Experience leading teams of 10+ employees and developing future leaders.

Responsibilities

• Lead operations team to ensure safe, reliable 24/7 data center performance and uptime.
• Drive client satisfaction, governance reviews, and service delivery.
• Own budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and vendor management.
• Promote a strong safety culture and manage contractor activities.

Skills

Leadership

Operations management

Budgeting & forecasting

Client relationship management

Incident response

Safety culture

Governance & KPI tracking

Contractor management

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering/Facilities/Operations Management

Tools

BMS software

CMMS

Vendor management tools

Job description

Data Center Manager

Role Overview

The Data Center Manager is responsible for leading the operations team and ensuring the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of a mission-critical data center environment. The role carries overall accountability for operational performance, service delivery, client satisfaction, financial management, supplier oversight, and team development, while supporting the continued growth and expansion of the site.

Working closely with the client, internal stakeholders, and service providers, the Data Center Manager will drive operational excellence, maintain industry-leading standards, and ensure all contractual, safety, and business objectives are achieved.

Key Requirements

The successful candidate will demonstrate experience and capability in:

• Leading mission-critical operations within Data Center, Critical Facilities, Engineering Operations, or similar environments.
• Managing and developing high-performing operational teams, including recruitment, succession planning, performance management, coaching, and employee development.
• Delivering safe and reliable 24/7 operations with accountability for uptime, resilience, operational risk, and service delivery.
• Building and maintaining strong client relationships, acting as a trusted advisor and senior operational contact.
• Managing customer escalations, governance reviews, business reviews, and contractual service delivery requirements.
• Owning financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, cost control, resource planning, and P&L accountability.
• Delivering contractual KPIs and SLAs through effective governance, performance management, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Managing third-party service providers and maintenance partners to ensure compliance, quality, safety, and operational performance.
• Leading operational growth, organizational change, and transformation initiatives while maintaining service continuity.
• Strong technical expertise across critical infrastructure including electrical distribution, UPS systems, generators, cooling systems, BMS, switching operations, maintenance strategies, and capacity planning, with the ability to support engineering teams, provide technical direction, evaluate solutions, challenge technical assumptions, assess operational risks, and act as a trusted advisor during critical operational events, incidents, and business decisions.
• Leading critical incident response, root cause investigations, risk mitigation activities, and service recovery efforts.
• Promoting a strong safety culture through effective contractor management, permit-to-work processes, risk assessments, method statement reviews, and compliance programs.
• Communicating effectively with senior stakeholders and presenting operational, financial, and performance outcomes at leadership and executive forums.
• Driving operational excellence through standardization, process improvement, innovation, governance frameworks, and implementation of industry best practices.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, Operations Management, Business Management, or a related discipline preferred.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in Data Center, Critical Facilities, Mission Critical Operations, or similar environments.
• Minimum 3 years' experience in a leadership role managing technical and operational teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams of 10+ employees and developing future leaders.
• Experience operating within Tier III or equivalent mission-critical environments preferred.
• Proven experience managing strategic client relationships within a contractual service delivery environment.
• Demonstrated accountability for budgeting, forecasting, cost control, vendor management, and financial performance.
• Proven track record of delivering SLA and KPI commitments while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.
• CDCP or equivalent Data Center certification desirable.
• Leadership, Facilities Management, Business Management, or Risk Management qualifications are advantageous.
• Strong commercial, technical, operational, and stakeholder management capabilities, with the ability to influence outcomes and drive results in complex environments.

Success Profile

The ideal candidate combines strong operational leadership, technical credibility, commercial acumen, and customer focus. They are capable of leading high-performing teams, managing complex critical environments, building trusted client relationships, and driving the operational maturity, resilience, and growth of the site while maintaining the highest standards of safety, service delivery, and operational excellence.

What We Offer

• A stable employer with international reach and strong Nordic presence.
• A varied role with opportunities for development.
• Competitive benefits according to local market standards.

About CBRE

CBRE is the world's leading company in commercial real estate and property-related services, with more than 140,000 employees globally supporting clients in over 100 countries. In Global Workplace Solutions (GWS), we deliver integrated facility management solutions to some of the world's leading companies.

CBRE is a values-driven company guided by our core values RISE: Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence – values that shape our culture and the way we work together.