Operations Program Director

Digital Realty, Inc.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Digital Realty, Inc. is seeking an Operations Program Director to provide strategic leadership for global programmes within Global Operations, accountable for onboarding new data center sites onto our platforms and processes.

You will set the delivery direction, drive cross-functional alignment, and manage executive stakeholder engagement to ensure consistent delivery standards across regions. This role partners with senior leaders to advance priorities and enable scalable, repeatable delivery.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, IT, engineering, or related field; PMP or equivalent certification preferred.
• Experience leading large-scale global initiatives in data centers, IT infrastructure, operations, or similar environments.
• Expertise in governance frameworks and project management methodologies; ability to establish standards and drive adoption.
• Proven ability to lead multi-million-dollar, multi-phase programmes with cross-functional dependencies and executive visibility.
• Leadership, stakeholder management, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills with senior leaders.
• Strategic thinking, business acumen, and ability to connect delivery to operational and customer outcomes.
• Excellent executive communication and ability to influence decisions at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction for global Operations PMO programmes, including end-to-end governance and delivery for onboarding new sites.
• Oversee portfolio planning: scope, budget, timelines, resources, risk, quality, and interdependencies across regions.
• Serve as senior escalation point and trusted advisor for programme matters with executives and sponsors.
• Anticipate and resolve strategic risks, issues, and dependencies impacting delivery and financial performance.
• Provide leadership and coaching to programme teams to ensure accountability and delivery discipline.
• Own executive governance and reporting for the portfolio, including performance, readiness, risks, and decisions.

Skills

Programme leadership

Portfolio management

PMO governance

Executive stakeholder management

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/IT/engineering

Job description

Operations Program Director will provide strategic leadership for complex global programmes on behalf of the Global Operations department, with accountability for the governance, execution, and operational readiness activities required to onboard new sites (data centers) onto DLR’s suite of platforms and processes. This role sets the direction for programme delivery, drives cross-functional alignment, manages executive-level stakeholder engagement, and ensures consistent delivery standards across regions. The Director will partner closely with senior leaders, functional teams, and key stakeholders to advance Global Operations priorities, strengthen operational excellence, and enable scalable, repeatable delivery across the portfolio.

What you’ll do

Set the strategic direction for global Operations PMO programmes, including the end-to-end governance and delivery approach for onboarding new sites onto DLR’s processes and platforms, ensuring alignment with Global Operations priorities and executive expectations.

Oversee portfolio and programme planning, including scope, budget, timelines, resource strategy, risk management, quality controls, and interdependency management across multiple regions and functions.

Serve as a senior point of escalation and trusted advisor for programme-related matters, influencing executives, business sponsors, regional leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders to drive decisions and remove barriers.

Anticipate and resolve strategic risks, issues, and dependencies that may impact delivery, operational readiness, financial performance, or business outcomes.

Provide leadership, direction, and coaching to programme and project teams, fostering accountability, collaboration, high performance, and consistent delivery discipline.

Own executive governance and reporting for the portfolio, including delivery performance, financial status, operational readiness, key risks, and decision points for senior leadership.

Lead continuous improvement of the Operations PMO function by strengthening delivery frameworks, governance standards, lessons learned, and scalable best practices across the global portfolio.

What you’ll need

• Bachelor’s degree in business, IT, engineering, or related field; PMP or equivalent certification preferred.

Solid experience of progressive programme, portfolio, or PMO leadership experience, including experience leading large-scale, global initiatives in data centers, IT infrastructure, operations, or similarly complex environments.

Deep expertise in programme, portfolio, and project management methodologies, governance frameworks, and tools, with the ability to establish standards and drive adoption across teams.

Proven ability to lead multi-million-dollar, multi-phase programmes with significant cross-functional dependencies, executive visibility, and regional or global impact.

Exceptional leadership, stakeholder management, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, with the confidence to influence senior leaders and drive accountability.

Strong strategic thinking, commercial awareness, and business acumen, with the ability to connect programme delivery to operational, financial, and customer outcomes.

Excellent executive communication skills, including the ability to simplify complex information, present clear recommendations, and influence decisions at all levels of the organisation.

About Us

A bit about us

Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company’s global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Digital Realty gives its customers access to the connected data communities that matter to them with a global data center footprint of 300+ facilities in 50+ metros across 25+ countries on six continents.

Our rapidly evolving business sector offers the opportunity to be part of a courageous and passionate team who work together to understand and meet the changing needs of our global customers.

Join us and you’ll be part of a supportive and inclusive environment where you can bring your whole self to work. As part of our team, you’ll get to work with people from different business areas, challenge the way we do things and put your ideas into action. We’ll also give you plenty of development opportunities so you can build a rewarding and successful career with us.

Training and Development

Join our Data Center Operations team and gain the support to succeed from day one. Our onboarding program prepares you to contribute meaningfully right away, with clear career pathways and continuous training to fuel your long-term growth. From onboarding to specialized development, we equip you with the skills and opportunities to make a lasting impact in operations.

Safely Powering Progress

Safety isn't just a priority here at Digital; it's critical to everything we do. Safeguarding lives, protecting assets, and securing data aren't just ideals - they're essential pillars of our commitment to excellence for our people, our partners and our customers. We have a culture of care where every member of Team Digital embraces a relentless pursuit of working safely across Digital Realty. Together we are Safely Powering Progress.

Our Compensation Philosophy

Digital Realty offers its employees a highly competitive compensation package, excellent benefits, and an environment that recognizes and rewards your contributions. Central to our compensation philosophy is rewarding our employees for achieving the values and objectives aligned to the company's overall goals and values.

NOTES: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Digital Realty is an equal opportunity employer, EOE/AA/M/F/Vets/Disabled. All applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability or protected veteran status, or other status protected by law or Company policy. Digital Realty is a publicly traded company (NYSE: DLR) with investment grade ratings from all three major ratings agencies. Please do not forward unsolicited resumes to any employee of Digital Realty and its subsidiaries. Digital Realty is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited referrals.