Operations Director

Coleman James; South Yorkshire; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Coleman James is seeking an operations director to lead and grow data centre delivery capability. The role is hands-on, operating across two live projects in Yorkshire with national scope, requiring experience in live data centres, critical environments, and fast-track refurbishment. You will manage stakeholder expectations, drive projects safely to high quality standards, and expand the pipeline with clear business plans to strengthen market position.

Qualifications

• From an engineering contracting background with experience delivering large-scale MEP projects.
• Demonstrable experience delivering complex, mission-critical infrastructure in data centres.
• Strong understanding of live data centres and critical environments.

Responsibilities

• Engage with stakeholders to align on objectives and outcomes.
• Lead project teams to deliver current workload on two live Yorkshire projects.
• Expand the pipeline of opportunities in the data centre sector.
• Develop clear business plans to grow capability and market position.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, and to high quality standards.
• Provide direction for the wider Operational function and governance.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Project delivery

Business development

Operational continuity

Governance

Commercial delivery

Education

Engineering contracting background

Tools

MEP

Job description

We are working with a leading Tier 1 M&E Contractor who are seeking an experienced Operations Director to lead and grow their data centre delivery capability.

The role demands a hands-on operational leader with proven experience of operating within live data centres and critical environments, with expertise in leading teams to deliver fast track refurbishment projects, particularly within the data centre sector. The initial project will see you be part of an ongoing fitout and infrastructure upgrade to a Global Blue-chip Banking organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Stakeholder engagement.
• Leading project teams to deliver the current workload.
• Expanding the current pipeline.
• Developing clear business plans to expand their capability and market position in the data centre sector.

This role is pivotal to the delivery, growth, and strategic development of our data centre offering and requires a leader who can balance operational excellence with commercial and client-facing leadership.

This is initially a site-based role, requiring flexibility to operate primarily between two current live projects in the Yorkshire region, the role also carries wider national responsibility beyond these locations.

The ideal candidate will:

• Come from an engineering contracting background.
• Have demonstrable experience delivering large-scale, complex MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health) projects.
• Have a strong understanding of mission-critical infrastructure.

The candidate will also have a proven ability to:

• Manage stakeholder expectations.
• Maintain operational continuity.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, and to the highest quality standards.

The role will also carry functional leadership accountability, including:

• Providing direction for the wider Operational function
• Ensuring appropriate governance
• Driving capability development
• Ensuring consistent standards.
• Supporting strong performance.
• Enabling effective integration with commercial delivery teams