Data Center Operations Lead

thales; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 121,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Thales is seeking a Data Center Operations Lead in Austin, TX to oversee day-to-day data center and infrastructure operations, ensuring availability, reliability, and security of critical environments. The role provides technical leadership, incident coordination, and continuous service improvement, supporting global infra during U.S.

business hours. The candidate will work with engineering, cloud, security, and cross-functional teams to maintain high service levels, lead incident response, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (field) with 5–8+ years of experience or Master's with 4+ years of experience.
• 7+ years IT infrastructure or data center ops.
• 2+ years leading technical or operational teams.
• Experience with Windows and Linux server administration.
• Experience with AWS or Azure.
• Experience with scripting/automation (PowerShell, Python, Bash).
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to work across global teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations of production data center and cloud infrastructure.
• Coordinate and manage major incidents and escalations during U.S. business hours.
• Ensure infrastructure availability, performance, security, and compliance.
• Develop and maintain runbooks and procedures.
• Drive automation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate maintenance, upgrades, and change implementations.
• Monitor health and proactively identify risks.
• Mentor operations engineers and provide guidance.
• Collaborate with Security, Network, Cloud, and Product Engineering teams.
• Participate in on-call rotations and leadership as required.
• Track operational metrics, SLAs, and capacity planning.

Skills

Windows/Linux admin

VMware

Cloud platforms (AWS/Azure)

Scripting/Automation

Incident management

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree (field)

Master's degree (field)

Tools

VMware vSphere

Monitoring tools

Automation frameworks

Job description

Location: Austin, United States of America

Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billions of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.

This is a hybrid position in Austin, TX

#LI-MG1 #LI-Hybrid

Position Summary

The Data Center Operations Lead is responsible for leading day-to-day data center and infrastructure operations, ensuring the availability, reliability, and security of critical production environments. This role provides technical leadership, operational oversight, incident coordination, and continuous service improvement while supporting global infrastructure with dedicated coverage during U.S. business hours. The position works closely with engineering, cloud, security, and cross-functional teams to maintain high service availability and operational excellence.

Essential Functions

• Lead daily operations of production data center and cloud infrastructure supporting global services.
• Coordinate and manage major incidents, problem management, and operational escalations during U.S. business hours.
• Ensure infrastructure availability, performance, security, and compliance with operational standards.
• Develop and maintain operational procedures, documentation, and runbooks.
• Drive automation and continuous improvement initiatives to increase operational efficiency.
• Coordinate maintenance activities, upgrades, and change implementations with engineering teams.
• Monitor infrastructure health and proactively identify operational risks.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to operations engineers.
• Collaborate with Security, Network, Cloud, and Product Engineering teams to resolve complex infrastructure issues.
• Participate in on-call rotations and operational leadership as required.
• Track operational metrics, service levels, and capacity planning.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in field with a minimum of 5-8+ years of relevant work experience or Master's degree in field with 4+ years of relevant work experience
• 7+ years of IT infrastructure or data center operations experience.
• 2+ years leading technical or operational teams.
• Strong knowledge of Windows and Linux server administration.
• Experience supporting VMware or other virtualization platforms.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS or Azure.
• Experience with enterprise monitoring and incident management tools.
• Knowledge of networking fundamentals, storage, DNS, load balancing, and firewalls.
• Experience with scripting or automation (PowerShell, Python, Bash, or similar).
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively across global teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading global infrastructure operations.
• Experience supporting cybersecurity products or SaaS platforms.
• ITIL Foundation certification.
• Microsoft, VMware, AWS, or Azure certifications.
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code and automation frameworks.
• Experience managing major incidents in a 24x7 production environment.

Travel

Up to 10% travel for team meetings, data center activities, and operational planning.

Legal and Visa Information

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer at the time of hire. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or for assuming sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.

Company Commitment

Thales champions inclusion and we believe diversity strengthens the fabric of our culture. Thales is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans.

This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with a criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal law, state law, and local ordinances.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales, please contact us at [e-mail] .

Compensation

Total Target Compensation (TTC) market range for this position, inclusive of annual base salary and the variable compensation target, is between

Total Target Cash (TTC) 121,446.00 - 205,102.00 USD Annual

This reflects how compan