Critical Operations Manager

STACK Infrastructure; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 174,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Dental Care

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

Paid Leave Programs

401K program

Cell phone subsidy

Job summary

STACK Infrastructure is seeking a Critical Operations Manager to lead data center operations at Elk Grove Village, IL. You will oversee mechanical, electrical, fire life safety, and base building systems, ensuring uptime and compliance.

The role emphasizes safety programs, staff training, and process improvement across the site. You will manage budgets, vendor relationships, and incident responses while maintaining ASHRAE/NFPA standards and collaborating with senior leadership to keep operations

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• 5–7 years in data center or mission-critical operations.
• 3–5 years managing preventative maintenance programs.
• 3–5 years vendor and project management.
• Knowledge of data center types and telecoms industries.
• Proficient with MS Office and data-housing software.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks under pressure.
• Expert understanding of data center electrical/mechanical systems and NFPA codes.

Responsibilities

• Lead and implement a culture of safety across STACK data centers.
• Serve as SME for electrical, mechanical, fire life safety systems.
• Advise on maintenance programs and budgets.
• Operate, monitor, and respond to abnormal facility conditions.
• Develop and manage site training plans and customer liaison.
• Lead incident reporting, root cause analysis, and audits.
• Ensure commissioning activities do not impact operations.
• Mentor junior staff and manage vendor relationships.

Skills

Leadership

Vendor management

Data center operations

NFPA compliance

MS Office / data tools

High-pressure work

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

CMS

EPMS

BMS

Job description

The Company

STACK INFRASTRUCTURE (STACK) provides digital infrastructure to scale the world’s most innovative companies. We are an award-winning industry leader in building, owning, and operating highly efficient, cost-effective wholesale, colocation, and cloud data centers. Each of our national facilities meets or exceeds the highest industry standards in all operational categories of availability, security, connectivity, and physical resilience.

The Company

STACK INFRASTRUCTURE (STACK) provides digital infrastructure to scale the world’s most innovative companies. We are an award-winning industry leader in building, owning, and operating highly efficient, cost-effective wholesale, colocation, and cloud data centers. Each of our national facilities meets or exceeds the highest industry standards in all operational categories of availability, security, connectivity, and physical resilience. STACK offers the scale and geographic reach that rapidly growing hyperscale and enterprise companies need. The world runs on data. Data runs on STACK.

The Position

STACK is looking for a Critical Operations Manager (COM) to support a local data center campus. As a leader in STACK’s Critical Operations team, the COM must possess an expert level of knowledge and will be responsible for assisting the Senior Director, Critical Operations in maintaining the mechanical, electrical, fire life safety, base building, and other various internal data center systems. The COM is responsible for all operational aspects and uptime of the data center.

The COM will also be focused on the implementation of programs related to Safety, Team, Availability, Communication, and Knowledge. All data center operations staff will report to the Critical Operations Manager. The COM is responsible for the implementation of the Data Center Operations Program at their site and is responsible for employee training and ensuring all staff is adequately qualified to perform their duties. Holding regular team meetings and individual 1:1 sessions is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and implement a standardized culture of always working safely across all STACK data centers.
• Serve as datacenter subject matter expert for electrical, mechanical, fire life safety, and other data center systems.
• Advise the Senior Director, Critical Operations on the status of site-level preventative and corrective maintenance programs.
• Operate, monitor, maintain, and respond to abnormal conditions within the facility.
• Implement site-level efficiency projects and maintain overall site design PUE.
• Ensure STACK preventative and predictive maintenance program is executed.
• Train and mentor junior staff.
• Manage vendor relationships and service contracts, including procurement and billing processes.
• Develop and manage site budgeting and forecasting for both CapEx and OpEx.
• Create highly detailed technical procedures for maintenance events, emergency situations, and standard site evolutions.
• Ensure construction and commissioning activities do not impact existing critical operations.
• Develop and maintain individual training plans for each employee aligned with STACK’s training and development program.
• Act as a customer liaison for all site-level inquiries.
• Lead incident reporting and root cause analysis processes for abnormal occurrences within the data center.
• Perform expert technical review of procedures, company standards, and policies.
• Manage site audits, both internal and external, ensuring adherence to compliance standards.
• Manage systems to avoid unplanned, customer-impacting outages.
• Manage the data floor and back of house mechanical loading capacity to ensure cooling system efficiency.
• Navigate and utilize CMS, EPMS, and BMS systems.
• Provide day-to-day exceptional customer service and support.
• Be available on-call as required to respond to emergency situations at the data center.
• Perform other duties as required by STACK. Job duties, roles, and responsibilities are subject to change over time.

The Details

• Location: Elk Grove Village, IL
• Travel: Typically, this role would require approximately 20% travel to attend events and visit STACK locations as necessary
• Benefits: Healthcare, Dental Care, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, Paid Leave Programs
• Must pass comprehensive background screening
• Must be eligible to work in the United States
• Work hours may vary based upon business needs
• Job duties, roles, and responsibilities are subject to change over time

Must-have Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in a data center or other related mission-critical operations role.
• 3-5 years' experience in administering and managing facility preventative maintenance programs.
• 3-5 years' experience in vendor and project management.
• Knowledge of data center (hyperscale, enterprise, and colocation) and telecommunications industries.
• Experience working with various Microsoft Office applications and other database housing software.
• Ability to handle a multitude of tasks and work well in stressful situations.
• Expert understanding of electrical and mechanical systems used in a data center environment, including UPS, Transformers, PDU’s, RPP’s, Chillers, CRAH, CRAC, STS, ATS, and Pre-action systems.
• Expert knowledge of NFPA70e, NFPA72, NFPA25, and compliance issues as well as building codes related to fire life safety.
• Expert knowledge and experience in data center trending and analysis, with the ability to rapidly learn and use PC-based site monitoring systems.
• Proficient in data center commissioning standards.
• Ability to occasionally stand, walk, sit, use hands to handle, reach or feel objects, climb stairs, balance, stoop or kneel, talk, see at close range, and hear for extended periods.
• Must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Willingness to work outside normal business hours, including weekends, late nights, holidays, and on-call support.
• Comfortable working in a high stress, fast paced environment with shifting priorities.

Compensation Range

$174,420.00 - $193,428.00

This Might Be Right For You If

• You are a strong communicator, you are persuasive and clear, blending analytics with experience in decision-making.
• You do not get flustered easily. You can juggle multiple priorities while balancing urgent requests with shifting timelines and deliverables.
• You are a team builder. You take the time to understand and develop the strengths of your resources while formulating long-term plans for the growth and success of the team.
• You are naturally curious and driven toward continual improvement. While you celebrate your successes, you take time to review and analyze campaigns for future learning.

WHY STACK?

• We offer a competitive compensation package with strong benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, flexible spending accounts – even a cell phone subsidy.
• We foster a culture of appreciation, including peer-to-peer recognition and rewards programs.
• Fun is part of our DNA, with events, game nights, happy hours, and barbecues.
• We’re growing – this is a great time to join and make an impact!

STACK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law

Note to external agencies: We are not accepting any blind submissions or resumes/cvs from recruitment agencies. Any candidates sent to STACK Infrastructure, Inc. will not be accepted or considered as a submission without a signed agreement in place. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of STACK Infrastructure, Inc.