Director, Engineering R&D Infrastructure Operations

Siemens Digital Industries Software; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A global leader in industrial software is seeking a Director of Engineering R&D Infrastructure Operations. This role involves leading the worldwide facilities planning and operations, managing a diverse portfolio of data centers, and orchestrating complex technical environments. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in data center operations and team leadership, with a focus on financial stewardship and operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive experience in data center operations and infrastructure management.
• 10+ years of leadership experience, with at least 5 years managing global teams.
• Proven track record leading large-scale data center operations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the global facilities strategy.
• Oversee technical ecosystem including power, cooling, network, compute, and storage.
• Manage substantial capital and operating budgets for global data center operations.

Skills

Leadership skills

Financial management

Problem-solving

Technical expertise

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field

Tools

VMware

OpenStack

Kubernetes

Job description

Director, Engineering R&D Infrastructure Operations

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Job Overview

We are a global leader in industrial software delivering solutions that transform how products are designed, manufactured, and serviced. Siemens Digital Industries Software combines software agility with engineering excellence and global scale to power digital transformation across industry.

Job Summary

The Director of Engineering R&D Infrastructure Operations will lead Siemens Digital Industries Software's worldwide facilities planning and operations, overseeing an infrastructure ecosystem that spans multiple continents. This leader will manage a diverse portfolio of facilities, including Siemens-owned data centers and strategic colocation partnerships, and will orchestrate a complex technical environment that includes high-performance computing clusters, petabytes of multi-vendor storage, extensive virtualization platforms, and hybrid cloud integrations with AWS, Azure, GCP, and Oracle. The role requires exceptional leadership in balancing technical innovation, operational excellence, financial stewardship, while ensuring 24/7/365 availability of mission-critical services for global R&D operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Infrastructure Planning
  • Develop and execute the global facilities strategy, aligning infrastructure capabilities with business objectives and technology trends
  • Support capacity planning, forecasting, and asset lifecycle to ensure infrastructure scales with business needs
  • Establish technical standards and architectural guidelines for global data center operations
  • Drive innovation in data center design, operations, monitoring/alerting, and sustainability
  • Collaborate with senior leadership to define investment priorities and resource allocation

• Technical Infrastructure Management
  • Oversee the complete technical ecosystem including power, cooling, network, compute, and storage
  • Direct the implementation of advanced cooling technologies such as Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) and Rear Door Heat Exchangers (RDHx)
  • Guide deployment and operation of high-performance storage systems, including parallel file systems
  • Support virtualization strategy across VMware, OpenStack, and Kubernetes platforms
  • Orchestrate hybrid cloud operations across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Oracle environments

• Operational Excellence
  • Establish infrastructure monitoring, observability, and incident management frameworks
  • Apply industry-leading practices for change management and datacenter services delivery
  • Develop and maintain business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities
  • Define and manage dashboards for real-time visibility into system health, incidents, and utilization
  • Partner with Service owners and R&D Service Operations to design high-availability architectures for critical services
  • Oversee data center security operations in partnership with the CISO

• Financial & Resource Management
  • Manage substantial capital and operating budgets for global data center operations and expansion
  • Develop sophisticated TCO models balancing performance and cost
  • Support R&D engineering chargeback/showback models to drive responsible resource consumption
  • Optimize infrastructure investments through strategic vendor partnerships
  • Lead financial transformations from CapEx to OpEx in hybrid environments

• Team Leadership & Development
  • Build and lead high-performing teams across global locations
  • Develop technical career paths and growth opportunities for data center professionals
  • Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence
  • Recruit and retain top talent in data center operations
  • Implement knowledge management and AI systems to preserve institutional expertise

• Compliance & Risk Management
  • Ensure compliance with global regulations affecting data center operations
  • Implement risk management strategies for infrastructure resilience
  • Oversee audit preparations and responses across multiple frameworks
  • Develop and maintain business impact analyses for critical infrastructure
  • Collaborate with teams on security and compliance initiatives across physical and virtual infrastructure

• Vendor & Partner Management
  • Develop strategic relationships with key infrastructure vendors and colocation providers
  • Partner with procurement to negotiate and manage enterprise agreements for equipment, services, and facilities
  • Establish and enforce service level agreements with internal and external partners
  • Create joint innovation initiatives with strategic technology partners
  • Optimize the vendor ecosystem for resilience, performance, and cost-effectiveness

• Sustainability & Environmental Leadership
  • Drive data center sustainability initiatives, including PUE/WUE optimization
  • Implement carbon reduction strategies aligned with Siemens environmental goals
  • Develop metrics and reporting for environmental impact of digital infrastructure
  • Pioneer innovative approaches to sustainable computing and storage

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field
• 15+ years of progressive experience in data center operations and infrastructure management
• 10+ years of leadership experience, with at least 5 years managing global teams
• Proven track record leading large-scale data center operations (multiple 10,000+ sq ft facilities)
• Experience managing hybrid on-premises and cloud environments
• Demonstrated success in digital transformation initiatives
• Experience in software development, enterprise scale

Technical Expertise

• Expert knowledge of data center facility systems including power distribution, cooling, and space planning
• Deep understanding of DLC and RDHx cooling technologies
• Knowledge of enterprise storage architecture, including parallel file systems
• Strong networking background, HPC interconnects like InfiniBand
• Proficiency with VMware, OpenStack, and Kubernetes
• Experience with hybrid cloud architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle)
• Understanding of infrastructure automation and orchestration

Leadership & Business Acumen

• Strong leadership skills to inspire and align global teams
• Financial management capabilities, including budgeting and capital planning
• Excellent communication at technical and executive levels
• Strategic thinking aligned with business objectives
• Experience managing complex stakeholder relationships
• Ability to drive organizational change and technology transformation

Specialized Knowledge

• High-availability infrastructure design and operation
• Monitoring and observability solutions
• Incident management and problem resolution methodologies
• Knowledge of data center and infrastructure compliance frameworks
• Disaster recovery and business continuity principles
• Infrastructure security best practices

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to travel internationally (approximately 20%)
• Ability to work across global time zones for critical incidents
• Strong problem-solving and calm decision-making under pressure
• Commitment to continuous learning and staying current with infrastructure innovations

This position may be subject to ITAR and/or EAR export control requirements. Employment is contingent on U.S. Person status verification or obtaining necessary export licenses.

Note

Siemens Software is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business need. We welcome applications from diverse communities.