Data Center Operations Director

Microsoft; Saudi Arabia; On-site; SAR 487,000 - 638,000; Full time

Job summary

A global tech company in Saudi Arabia is seeking a Data Center Operations Director to lead support services across data centers. The role involves overseeing financial management, empowering team culture, and ensuring the delivery of critical infrastructure. Ideal candidates will have over 10 years of experience in service management and leadership, along with a Bachelor’s degree. This position offers opportunities to engage with diverse and inclusive teams, driving Microsoft’s innovation and operational success.

Benefits

Career growth opportunities

Diversity and inclusion training

Professional certifications

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in mission-critical service management.
• 5+ years of experience leading and managing diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Empower a culture of safety and compliance in data center operations.
• Manage planning and delivery of infrastructure and logistics.
• Participate in incident management related to major incidents.

Skills

Mission-critical service management

Leadership and management

Financial management

Interpersonal skills

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Operations Framework Certifications

PMP

ITIL v3 Foundation

Job description

Overview

As the Microsoft Data Center Operations Director, you will drive the delivery of world-class support services across your campus or metro. You will interact and maintain relationships with various authorities and partners across all sectors of the data center industry. You will use keen business acumen and financial management skills to manage operating costs effectively, while maintaining the highest standards of safety, security, and ecological responsibility. Excellent interpersonal awareness, ability to navigate ambiguity, and your mature communication skills will be pivotal in bringing your program management, technical abilities, and leadership experiences to a whole new level in supporting Microsoft's success!

Microsoft's Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a CO+I Data Center Operations Director, you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform. As a group, CO+I is focused on the personal and professional development for all employees and offers trainings and growth opportunities including Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion trainings and events, and professional certifications.

Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 200 Data Centers in 32 countries and millions of servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.

With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our data center design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world‑class cloud provider.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

#COICareers

Responsibilities

• Empower a culture of safety, security, service availability and compliance?in?all aspects?of data center?operations
• Leadership, management, coaching, and?development?of Microsoft full time employees?across?datacenters?in?your?Metro
• Accountable for the?ongoing IT?and Critical Environment (CE)?support for all service lines?ensuring the on-time and defect-free delivery of customer capacity within our SLA commitments??
• Responsible for ensuring the?planning and delivery of all supporting physical infrastructure, logistics, and?the?resources required to meet anticipated growth?within your Metro
• Actively participate?in incident?management?procedures relating to?major incidents?that impact Microsoft cloud services?in your Metro.??This will include?leading incident management calls?with?customers?and senior leadership,?the timely resolution of incidents, post-incident reviews, and the implementation of improvement plans
• Ensure financial management of your metro including?the?development of detailed budgets, forecasts, and management of operational and capital spend?
• Management and oversight of all vendor/partner contracts and relationships?including?leased-facility?landlords, IT and CE service providers, and partner support teams
• Collaborate with?global?and?regional management teams?and contribute?to?improvement programs
• Learn, live, and coach the One Microsoft culture and values.? Lead through?change?by bringing clarity, generating energy, and delivering success
• Embody our Microsoft One culture and values.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or equivalent AND 10+ years experience of mission-critical service management (e.g., providing IT services, manufacturing, warehouse, retail, military, or managing physical operations in an IT and/or critical environment infrastructure).
• 5+ years experience leading, directly managing, and influencing a diverse organization of full-time employees across multiple disciplines and platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

• 7+ years enterprise-level experience managing large scale and complex projects/programs AND 7+ years experience in Critical Environment infrastructures (e.g., UPS, Generator, AHU) AND 7+ years experience in physical IT infrastructures (e.g., Servers, SANs, Networking, Capacity, DC Rack/Enclosures, structured cabling) AND Experience managing budget $5M+.
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Math, Telecommunications, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Management or related field.
• 7+ years experience leading diverse, technical workforce OR 10+ years experience managing global and virtual teams.
• Applicable certifications: ASICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA, Microsoft, Network Certifications, CCNA Certifications, ITIL v3 Foundation, Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) Certifications, Leadership Development Certifications, PMP, CDCP.

Background Check Requirements

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.