Chief Operating Officer - Data Centre Operations

Core Search; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading data centre management firm in Greater London is seeking a Head of Data Centre Operations to take comprehensive ownership of live data centre environments across a large-scale portfolio. The successful candidate will focus on ensuring uptime, resilience, and performance across critical infrastructure while managing operational expenditures and vendor strategies. This role demands proven leadership in a multi-site environment, strong technical grounding in facilities management, and a commitment to operational excellence and sustainability.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership across multi-site or regional portfolios (ideally 100MW+).
• Strong technical grounding in mechanical & electrical infrastructure.
• Deep understanding of uptime, resilience, and facilities management.
• Experience with vendor management and outsourced FM models.
• Financial ownership including budgeting and cost optimisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead operations across multiple live data centre sites.
• Take full ownership of critical facilities infrastructure.
• Drive reliability and performance of all M&E assets.
• Oversee capacity planning within existing live environments.
• Manage and optimise operational expenditure with budget accountability.
• Own vendor management strategy with FM providers and contractors.
• Ensure SLA adherence for hyperscale and enterprise customers.
• Implement and maintain SOPs, incident response, change management and risk mitigation.
• Lead compliance, audits, and certifications (ISO, regulatory requirements).
• Partner with engineering, development, and commercial teams for improvements.

Skills

Leadership across multi-site portfolios

Technical grounding in mechanical & electrical infrastructure

Uptime and resilience management

Vendor management

Budgeting and cost optimisation

Budgeting

ITIL & governance

Job description

Head of Data Centre Operations (Facilities Management) - Regional

We’re seeking a senior operations leader to take full ownership of live data centre environments across a large-scale, multi-site portfolio.

This role is focused on operational excellence post-construction, ensuring the highest levels of uptime, resilience, and performance across critical infrastructure. You’ll lead facilities management across a regional platform, overseeing assets exceeding 100MW in capacity.

Key responsibilities

• Lead operations across multiple live data centre sites, ensuring consistent uptime and service delivery
• Take full ownership of critical facilities infrastructure, including power, cooling, and associated systems
• Drive reliability and performance of all M&E assets through best-in‑class maintenance and operational practices
• Oversee capacity utilisation and forward planning within existing live environments
• Manage and optimise operational expenditure, with accountability for budgets and cost efficiency
• Own vendor management strategy, including FM providers and specialist contractors
• Ensure SLA adherence for hyperscale and enterprise customers
• Implement and maintain operational frameworks including SOPs, incident response, change management, and risk mitigation
• Lead compliance, audits, and certifications (ISO standards, regulatory requirements)
• Partner cross‑functionally with engineering, development, and commercial teams to support ongoing improvements and upgrades
• Champion energy efficiency, sustainability, and continuous improvement initiatives

Your background

• Proven leadership across multi‑site or regional portfolios (ideally 100MW+)
• Strong technical grounding in mechanical & electrical infrastructure
• Deep understanding of uptime, resilience, and facilities management in critical environments
• Experience managing vendors and outsourced FM models
• Financial ownership including budgeting and cost optimisation
• Familiarity with ITIL, compliance frameworks, and operational governance

The opportunity

A high-impact leadership role with full responsibility for operational performance across a significant data centre platform. You’ll play a key role in maintaining world-class uptime while driving efficiency and continuous improvement at scale.