AI Data Center Facilities Operations Lead

OpenAI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking a Facilities Operations Manager to lead day-to-day operations of mission-critical AI compute campus infrastructure and ensure readiness for new deployments. You will oversee electrical, mechanical, controls, and supporting systems, coordinating with commissioning teams, vendors, and engineering to scale operations and maintain high reliability.

The role requires deep technical depth, operational leadership, and strong cross-functional execution, with focus on safety,

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience operating mission-critical facilities, data centers, or large-scale technical operations environments.
• Strong knowledge of electrical distribution systems, generators, UPS systems, cooling systems, and building controls.
• Experience supporting commissioning, operational readiness, or infrastructure turnover programs.
• Led facility operations teams, contractors, and third-party vendors.
• Comfortable responding to incidents and making decisions in high-pressure environments.
• Experience developing maintenance strategies, operating procedures, and reliability programs.
• Enjoy operating in fast-paced environments with ambiguity and rapid growth.
• Excellent communication across technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations of mission-critical facility infrastructure across AI compute campuses.
• Own operational readiness activities supporting new campus deployments and infrastructure expansion.
• Partner with commissioning teams to transition facilities from construction and startup into steady-state operations.
• Develop, implement, and continuously improve operating procedures, maintenance programs, and response plans.
• Lead infrastructure incident response efforts and coordinate recovery activities during critical events.
• Drive root cause analysis investigations and corrective action programs to improve reliability and operational performance.
• Manage vendors, contractors, and service providers supporting facility operations.
• Partner with hardware deployment, networking, and engineering teams to coordinate infrastructure changes and maintenance activities.
• Monitor facility performance, operational risk, and capacity utilization across critical systems.
• Support staffing, training, and development of facilities operations personnel.
• Ensure compliance with safety, environmental, and operational standards.
• Establish operational processes that scale alongside OpenAI's rapidly growing infrastructure footprint.

Skills

Facilities operations

Incident response

Vendor management

Cross-functional teamwork

Communication

Maintenance strategy

Job description

OpenAI is seeking a Facilities Operations Manager to lead day-to-day operations of mission-critical AI compute campus infrastructure and ensure readiness for new deployments. You will oversee electrical, mechanical, controls, and supporting systems, coordinating with commissioning teams, vendors, and engineering to scale operations and maintain high reliability.

The role requires deep technical depth, operational leadership, and strong cross-functional execution, with focus on safety,