Data Centre Operations Manager

NP Group; West of England; Presencial; GBP 92.000 - 111.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

NP Group is seeking an experienced Data Centre Operations Manager for a Bristol-based, 12-month contract. You will own end-to-end operations of critical data centre facilities, ensuring uptime, safety, and compliance while leading a capable team.

You will drive improvements, manage vendors, budgets and governance, and coordinate across technology, risk, property and business stakeholders to align operational goals in a global client environment.

Formación

• 8+ years in data centre operations with 5+ years in a management role.
• Strong knowledge of HV/LV electrical, UPS, generators, cooling, BMS/EMS.
• Proven track record delivering construction, fit-out or migration projects in live sites.
• Experience setting and managing SLAs, KPIs and contractor panels; budgeting.
• Hands-on incident leadership and calm decision-making.
• Confident communicator to executives, customers and technical teams.
• Understanding of H&S legislation and safe work practices.
• Tertiary qualification in IT, engineering or business; MBA valued.
• Industry certs such as DCPRO or Data Centre Design are desired.
• High voltage operations and switching training.
• ITIL certification or strong ITIL experience.
• DCIM tooling and data analytics / dashboards experience.
• Background in cyber security or risk in regulated sectors.
• Experience in large, matrixed organizations across multiple sites.

Responsabilidades

• Own day-to-day operation, availability and performance of data centre facilities and related systems.
• Lead 24x7 incident response and coordinate teams to resolution and RCAs.
• Plan and deliver infrastructure projects inside live environments (fit-outs, upgrades, migrations).
• Manage facility maintenance vendors and contractors against SLAs and KPIs.
• Develop OPEX/CAPEX forecasts and governance, with regular leadership reporting.
• Champion safety, security, and compliance across all site activities.

Conocimientos

Data centre ops

Management experience

Critical facilities

Incident leadership

Executive communication

SLA/KPI management

Budget management

DCIM / Power BI

Cyber security / risk

Multi-site / matrix org

Educación

MBA or equivalent

IT/Engineering/Business degree

DCPRO / Data Centre Design

High voltage training

ITIL certification

Herramientas

Power BI

DCIM tools

Descripción del empleo

Contract: Data Centre Operations Manager
Start Date: ASAP (On completion of background check completion)
Duration: 12 months
Location: Bristol
Rate: £500-£600 a day (Inside IR35 via umbrella)
Reference: 20940

About the role

Contract for an experienced Data Centre Operations Manager to join a project working on a large global financial services client project. End-to-end ownership of the safe, secure and reliable operation of companies data centre facilities and critical infrastructure, keeping the platforms behind its global financial services running without interruption.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has run mission-critical environments, delivered complex projects inside live sites, and can move comfortably between the plant room, the project table and the boardroom. Over the contract you’ll stabilise and strengthen operations, lead change and migration activity, and leave behind clear standards, governance and a capable team.

Key responsibilities

Data centre and critical facility operations

• Own day-to-day operation, availability and performance of data centre facilities, including power, cooling, fire, controls, BMS/EMS and base-building systems.
• Maintain target uptime through disciplined change control, risk assessment and method-of-procedure review for all critical works.
• Manage capacity across power, cooling and whitespace, forecasting demand and flagging constraints early.
• Oversee preventative and reactive maintenance programs, defect management and lifecycle planning for mission-critical equipment.
• Own and enforce data centre standards covering whitespace, containment, structured cabling, IT deployment and decommissioning.

Incident management and resilience

• Lead 24x7 incident response for facility events, coordinating technical teams, vendors and stakeholders through to resolution and root-cause review.
• Strengthen business continuity and resilience planning, including testing of failover, generator and UPS systems.
• Apply ITIL-aligned incident, problem and change management practices across the facility environment.

Projects, migrations and change

• Plan and deliver infrastructure projects inside live operational environments, including fit-outs, power and cooling upgrades, relocations and decommissioning.
• Provide technical and strategic advice on data centre migrations and consolidation, balancing delivery timelines with operational risk.
• Support commissioning and handover of new capacity, ensuring sites are operationally ready before go-live.

Vendors, commercials and governance

• Manage facility maintenance contractors, colocation providers and specialist vendors against clear SLAs, KPIs and governance rhythms.
• Develop and own OPEX and CAPEX forecasts, budget tracking and business cases for investment.
• Produce regular reporting and present to senior leadership on operational performance, risk, safety and strategic initiatives.

Safety, security and compliance

• Champion a safety-first culture and manage WH&S obligations across all site activities, including electrical safety and contractor permits.
• Oversee physical security controls, access management and audit readiness in line with financial services regulatory and information security requirements.

Leadership and stakeholders

• Lead, coach and develop internal staff and contractor teams, building capability that lasts beyond the contract term.
• Work across a matrix of technology, risk, property and business stakeholders to keep operational goals aligned.

About you

Essential

• Significant experience (8+ years) in data centre operations, with at least 5 years in a management role across enterprise, colocation or hyperscale environments.
• Strong working knowledge of critical facility systems: HV/LV electrical, UPS, generators, mechanical cooling, fire suppression and BMS/EMS.
• Proven track record delivering construction, fit-out or migration projects within live sites without impact to availability.
• Experience setting and managing SLAs, KPIs and contractor panels, with sound commercial and budget management skills.
• Hands-on incident leadership, with the ability to stay calm and decisive under pressure.
• Confident communicator, comfortable presenting to executives, customers and technical teams.
• Solid understanding of H&S legislation and safe work practices in critical environments.
• Tertiary qualification in IT, engineering or business; an MBA or equivalent is well regarded.
• Industry certifications such as DCPRO Critical Operations Professional or Data Centre Design.
• High voltage operations and switching training.
• ITIL certification or strong experience applying ITIL processes.
• Experience with DCIM tooling and data analytics or dashboarding (for example, Power BI).
• Background in cyber security, risk management or regulated industries such as financial services or Defence.
• Experience in a large, matrixed organisation spanning multiple sites or regions.