Data Center Division Manager

Stryker Corporation; Kenner (LA); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Job summary

VIC is expanding into the data center construction market along the Gulf Coast, seeking a Data Center Division Manager to build partner relationships and deliver initial projects. This player-coach role emphasizes hyperscale ICT construction, zero-incident safety culture, and the ability to convert opportunities into recurring engagements.

Relocation assistance is available for the right candidate, with responsibilities spanning partner development, commercial structuring, capability building,

Qualifications

• Active network among national mission-critical electrical or ICT contractors.
• 7+ years in low-voltage / ICT construction with 3+ years delivering data center projects.
• Deep knowledge of data center cabling, fiber, and standards (TIA-942, TIA-606).
• OSHA 30 certification or ability to obtain within 90 days.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain relationships with national contractors and primes.
• Review subcontract terms and protect company risk.
• Price data center scopes and manage commercial margins.
• Create data center delivery playbook and certification roadmap.
• Mentor foremen and technicians in data center workflows.

Skills

Industry relationships

Experience in ICT construction

Mobility

Safety culture

Education

OSHA 30 certification

Tools

BICSI credentialing

Job description

ABOUT V.I. COMMUNICATIONS

V.I. Communications, Inc. (V.I.) is a Louisiana-based, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) with more than 30 years of experience delivering structured cabling, fiber optic, wireless, security, and low-voltage infrastructure for industrial and commercial clients across the Gulf South.

POSITION SUMMARY

VIC is entering the data center construction market at a time of unprecedented investment in the Gulf Coast region, with multiple hyperscale and AI campus projects under construction or announced statewide. Because prime and major trade contracts on these projects are largely awarded, V.I.s entry strategy is partner-led rather than bid-led. The Data Center Division Manager will build those partner relationships, convert them into working agreements, and personally deliver the first projects. This is a player-coach role. You will be the company's resident expert on hyperscale ICT construction and the person who turns V.I.'s proven industrial safety culture, skilled workforce, and SDVOSB status into a durable position in the fastest-growing construction market in the state.

Relocation assistance is available for the right candidate.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Partner & Market Development (approx. 40%)

• Build and own relationships with the national electrical and ICT contractors holding awarded scope on Louisiana data center projects, positioning V.I. as a second-tier capacity partner for crews, overflow, and schedule recovery.
• Identify unnamed incumbent ICT subcontractors through site-level intelligence, job postings, industry networks, and direct site presence — the awards that matter most to VIC are rarely announced publicly.
• Complete and maintain vendor registrations, prequalifications, and service-partner pre-approvals with general contractors, developers, and national primes.
• Position V.I.'s SDVOSB certification, Louisiana domicile, and zero-incident safety record within general contractor local-content commitments, supplier diversity goals, and federal subcontracting plan requirements.
• Pursue construction-phase and adjacent scopes awarded informally rather than competitively bid: temporary site networks and WiFi, jobsite security and surveillance, gate access control, trailer complex cabling, and substation and transmission communications work in the utility buildout.
• Represent V.I. at regional economic development sessions, trade partner outreach events, and industry associations serving these projects.

Commercial Structuring & Pricing (approx. 15%)

• Develop and maintain fully-burdened labor rate structures, unit rates, and crew-based pricing for second-tier and time-and-material work, protecting margin when VIC performs under another contractor's supervision and schedule.
• Review subcontract terms before execution and elevate commercial risk to the CEO - including flow-down provisions, indemnity language, limitation of liability, insurance requirements, back-charge exposure, and pay-when-paid or pay-if-paid payment terms.
• Price data center scopes when competitive opportunities do arise, accounting for mission-critical cost drivers: labor density, QA/QC and test documentation, labeling standards, schedule compression, and remote-site logistics.

Capability Building & Workforce (approx. 15%)

• Develop V.I.'s data center delivery playbook: installation standards, test and certification documentation regimes, labeling and administration standards (TIA-606), and QA/QC procedures aligned to TIA-942 and hyperscale owner requirements.
• Guide the company's certification roadmap, including BICSI installer credentialing for field technicians and manufacturer data center certification tracks.
• Train and mentor existing foremen and technicians in high-density fiber installation (MPO/MTP trunk systems, mass fusion splicing), data hall workflows, and hyperscale site protocols.
• Partner with leadership on crew retention: data center projects place V.I. technicians alongside national contractors actively recruiting skilled labor at competitive wages. Deliberate crew assignment, career development, and early identification of retention risk are explicit responsibilities of this role.

Project Delivery (approx. 30%)

• Serve as project manager for the company’s initial data center engagements, including work performed under a higher-tier contractor: manpower loading, schedule compliance, daily reporting, submittals, RFIs, change management, and closeout documentation.
• Coordinate with the Director of Field Operations on crew assignments, site supervision, badging and site access compliance, and safety program execution; uphold V.I.'s zero-incident standard on every site.
• Manage project financials including labor productivity tracking, billing, back-charge defense, and margin protection.
• Convert first engagements into standing relationships - the objective on every job is the next call, not just a clean closeout.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Industry relationships (critical): An active network among project managers, superintendents, and operations leadership at national mission-critical electrical or ICT contractors and hyperscale general contractors. This role opens doors that cold outreach will not, and relationship depth is the single most important qualification.
• Experience: 7+ years in low-voltage / ICT construction, including 3+ years delivering data center or mission-critical projects (hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data halls) for a trade subcontractor.
• Scope fluency:
  • Deep working knowledge of data center structured cabling and fiber backbone construction, including high-density fiber trunk systems, cable pathway and containment, testing and certification regimes, and TIA-942/TIA-606 standards.
  • Commercial capability: Demonstrated ability to build and defend labor rates, unit pricing, or time-and-material structures, and to read subcontract terms with a working understanding of flow-down and payment risk.
  • Project management: Proven management of trade scopes on large, schedule-driven construction sites, including manpower planning for crews of 10-30+ and performance under compressed schedules.
  • Safety: OSHA 30 certification (or ability to obtain within 90 days) and a track record consistent with a zero-incident culture.
  • Mobility: Ability to travel and deploy to project sites across the Gulf Coast region for extended periods, including remote-area assignments in North and Central Louisiana.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior employment with, or direct working history alongside, a national mission-critical contractor active in Louisiana.
  Experience structuring or performing second-tier subcontracts, labor-support agreements, or crew augmentation arrangements under a higher-tier trade contractor.
• BICSI RCDD and/or DCDC credential (or active pursuit).
• Direct experience on hyperscale campus construction (Meta, AWS, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, or major colocation providers).
• Manufacturer certifications with Panduit, CommScope, Belden, or Corning fiber systems.
• Familiarity with vendor prequalification portals and badged-site compliance environments (Avetta, ISNetworld) and background-check site access protocols.
• Experience standing up a new service line, division, or market for a contractor.
• Industrial, petrochemical, or utility construction background - a strong cultural match for V.I. and for the Louisiana contractors we intend to partner with.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• First 90 days: Priority vendor registrations and prequalifications complete; introductory relationships established with the national contractors holding scope on Louisiana projects; incumbent ICT subcontractors identified by name; data center capability statement and rate structure in hand.
• First 6 months: At least one working agreement executed with a higher-tier contractor or general contractor; first VIC crews performing on a Louisiana data center site with zero safety incidents and clean documentation; delivery playbook and certification roadmap in progress.
• First 12-18 months: Repeat calls from at least one partner relationship; data center work established as a recurring revenue line with trained crews, a defensible track record, and a pipeline extending across multiple regional projects.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Competitive base salary commensurate with experience, plus a performance incentive tied to data center bookings and delivered margin.

Salary range: $100,000-$120,000 base + bonus.

Benefits include company health coverage, paid time off and holidays, vehicle/travel allowance for site deployments, and support for professional certifications (BICSI, manufacturer programs).