Director, Operations SME – Data Centers & Critical Env

Cushman & Wakefield; Augusta (ME); On-site; USD 162,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Vision and Dental Insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Health savings accounts

Retirement savings plans

Life and disability insurance

Paid time off

Unpaid time away from work

Job summary

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking a Director, Operations SME – Data Centers & Critical Env to lead the technical and operational authority for mission-critical data center accounts. This role combines deep domain expertise with strategic account oversight and solution development to ensure best-in-class operational execution and reliability across the portfolio.

The position requires up to 50% travel and will partner with transition leaders, guide incident response, audits, and ongoing improvements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years of experience in data center operations.
• 8+ years in senior leadership, technical advisory, or SME roles.
• Deep knowledge of electrical systems, mechanical systems, and cooling.
• Experience with incident management and RCA methodologies.
• Experience with large-scale enterprise, hyperscale, or colocation environments.
• Certifications (Uptime Institute ATS/Accredited Tier Specialist, PMP, LEED) preferred.
• Knowledge of DCIM/CMMS and data analytics platforms.

Responsibilities

• Develop operating solutions for client data center portfolios.
• Lead site start-up and transition planning with leadership.
• Act as SME for critical facility operations (electrical, UPS, generators, cooling, BMS/EPMS).
• Guide incident response, RCA, and risk mitigation.
• Review MOPs/SOPs/EOPs for accuracy and alignment with best practices.
• Lead audits and operational readiness reviews across sites.
• Support troubleshooting and high-severity incidents as escalation authority.
• Implement training protocols for site teams.
• Drive deployment of maintenance platforms for managing operations.

Skills

Data center ops

Executive leadership

Electrical systems

Mechanical systems

Liquid cooling

Incident management

RCA methodologies

Governance & risk

Client advisory

Contract transitions

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

DCIM

CMMS

Data analytics platforms

Job description

Job Title

Director, Operations SME – Data Centers & Critical Env

Job Description Summary

We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Director, Data Center Account Operations SME. This position is part of the central data center practice and serves as the senior technical and operational authority for complex, mission-critical data center accounts. This role combines deep subject matter expertise in critical infrastructure with strategic account oversight, solution development, ensuring best-in-class operational execution, site start-up support, reliability, and continuous improvement across the data center portfolio.

This role could require travel of 25-50%.

Job Description

Subject Matter Expertise & Technical Leadership

• Support the development of the solution for operating the clients data center portfolios.
• Partner with technical transition leadership to ensure comprehensive due diligence and site start-up is executed to plan.
• Act as the primary account focused SME for critical facility operations, including electrical distribution, UPS systems, generators, cooling systems (CRAC/CRAH), and BMS/EPMS platforms.
• Deep understanding of high density data center layouts and advanced liquid cooling technologies- operations and maintenance.
• Provide expert guidance on incident response, root cause analysis (RCA), and risk mitigation.
• Review and approve MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs, ensuring technical accuracy and alignment with industry best practices.
• Lead technical assessments, audits, and operational readiness reviews across data center sites.
• Support complex troubleshooting and high-severity incidents (SEVs) as escalation authority.
• Implement and advise on training protocols for site teams
• Drive deployment of operational platforms for managing maintenance and operations of critical data center locations.

Account & Operational Strategy

• Ongoing partnership with Account Directors and clients to align operations with business goals, SLAs, and reliability objectives.
• Ensure proper hand-over to ongoing account management team is comprehensive and well planned for operational continuity.
• Drive standardization and scalability of operating models across multi-site or global accounts.
• Identify operational gaps and lead corrective action plans and performance improvement initiatives.
• Serve as a strategic advisor during contract solutioning, transitions, mobilizations, and expansions.

Performance Optimization & Reliability

• Champion best practices in uptime, redundancy, and resilience for all data center environments.
• Drive adoption of reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), predictive maintenance, and condition-based monitoring.
• Analyze performance data to identify trends and proactively mitigate risks.
• Lead initiatives to improve energy efficiency, sustainability, and cost optimization.

Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure adherence to regulatory and industry standards (OSHA, NFPA, ISO, Uptime Institute guidelines, etc).
• Support audit preparation, compliance reviews, and risk management frameworks.
• Develop and implement standardized operational controls and governance models.
• Evaluate and mitigate risks associated with critical infrastructure changes or failures.

Client Engagement & Advisory

• Act as a trusted technical advisor to client and account stakeholders, including client and account data center engineering and operations leadership.
• Participate in executive governance meetings (QBRs, technical reviews).
• Communicate complex technical issues and solutions in a clear, business-focused manner.
• Provide thought leadership and innovation recommendations to enhance client outcomes.

Team Development & Enablement

• Mentor and develop operations leaders, engineers, and technical teams.
• Define competency frameworks and training programs for critical operations roles.
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Support talent strategy and succession planning for technical roles.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, or related field) or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years of experience in data center operations, critical facilities, or mission-critical environments.
• 8+ years in senior leadership, technical advisory, or SME roles.
• Deep knowledge of:
• Electrical systems (medium/low voltage, switchgear, UPS, generators, etc)
• Mechanical systems (HVAC, chilled water, cooling technologies, fire, etc)
• High density liquid cooling systems and configurations
• Critical environment operations and redundancies
• Account operations and site/portfolio start-ups
• Proven experience supporting large-scale enterprise, hyperscale, or colocation environments.
• Strong experience with incident management, RCA methodologies, and risk mitigation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Industry certifications (e.g., Uptime Institute ATS/Accredited Tier Specialist, CFM, PMP, LEED, CRL).
• Experience with global or multi-region accounts.
• Knowledge of digital tools, DCIM, CMMS, and data analytics platforms.

Key Competencies

• Deep technical expertise in critical systems
• Strategic thinking and operational alignment
• Executive communication and client advisory
• Problem-solving under high-pressure conditions
• Risk management and decision-making
• Influencing without direct authority
• Continuous improvement and innovation mindset

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Cushman & Wakefield provides equal employment opportunity. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated. Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity / Affnishative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email [e-mail] . Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.

The compensation for the position is: $ 161,500.00 - $190,000.00

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email [e-mail] . Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”