Director / Senior Director, Critical Facility Operations

Cerebras Systems, Inc.; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equal opportunity employer

Diverse work environment

Job summary

Cerebras Systems, Inc. is looking for a Director/Sr. Director of Critical Facility Operations to oversee systems enabling next-generation AI workloads. Located in Sunnyvale, this role involves leading a no-downtime operational model, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring performance across data centers.

Ideal candidates will have over 12 years of experience in facility operations, strong knowledge of electrical and mechanical systems, and a focus on incident management and uptime improvement. Join a team at the forefront of AI advancements!

Qualifications

• 12–15+ years in mission-critical facilities or data center operations.
• Experience managing multi-site, vendor-heavy environments.
• Strong expertise in electrical and mechanical systems.
• Proven track record in improving uptime and performance.

Responsibilities

• Drive a no-downtime operating model across all facilities.
• Own uptime performance end-to-end including incident response.
• Build a culture where failures are analyzed and not repeated.
• Architect and run a high-discipline vendor operating model.

Skills

Mission-critical facilities experience

Vendor management in multi-site environments

Electrical systems expertise

Mechanical systems expertise

Incident response management

Job description

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services. This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation. Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.

About The Role

At Cerebras, we build systems that redefine the scale of compute. That ambition extends beyond silicon into the infrastructure that powers it. We are looking for a Director / Sr. Director of Critical Facility Operations to lead the environments that enable next‑generation AI workloads. This leader will own availability, operational integrity, and performance across a colocation‑driven data center footprint—ensuring our infrastructure operates with precision, predictability, and zero room for error. This is not a traditional facilities role. You will operate at the intersection of mission‑critical engineering, vendor orchestration, and operational excellence, building systems and teams that can scale with the most demanding compute environments in the world.

Responsibilities

• Drive a no-downtime operating model across all facilities
• Own uptime performance end-to-end including incident response and RCA
• Build a culture where failures are analyzed and not repeated

Vendor & Colocation

• Architect and run a high-discipline vendor operating model
• Convert vendor relationships into measurable systems
• Lead deep operational reviews and enforce accountability

Contracts

• Align SLAs, incentives, and performance
• Eliminate ambiguity in ownership and response

Safety

• Build a zero-incident safety culture
• Ensure rigor in high-risk procedures

Maintenance

• Transform preventive maintenance into failure prevention
• Implement predictive strategies where possible

Operations

• Standardize SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs
• Build a high‑signal operating rhythm
• Benchmark against hyperscale operators

Leadership

• Build high‑performing, high‑agency teams
• Drive ownership, speed, and technical excellence

Scaling

• Ensure operational readiness for new builds
• Influence design and site strategy

Skills & Qualifications

• 12–15+ years in mission‑critical facilities or data center operations
• Experience managing multi‑site, vendor‑heavy environments
• Strong expertise in electrical and mechanical systems
• Proven track record in improving uptime and performance

Success Metrics

• Availability and SLA performance
• Incident reduction and MTTR improvement
• Vendor performance and accountability
• Safety metrics
• Maintenance quality and execution

Why Join Cerebras

People who are serious about software make their own hardware. At Cerebras, we have built a breakthrough architecture that is unlocking new opportunities for the AI industry. With dozens of model releases and rapid growth, we’ve reached an inflection point in our business. Members of our team tell us there are five main reasons they joined Cerebras:

1. Build a breakthrough AI platform beyond the constraints of the GPU.
2. Publish and open source their cutting‑edge AI research.
3. Work on one of the fastest AI supercomputers in the world.
4. Enjoy job stability with startup vitality.
5. Our simple, non‑corporate work culture that respects individual beliefs.

Find out more about what it's like to work at Cerebras here!

Apply today and become part of the forefront of groundbreaking advancements in AI!

Cerebras Systems is committed to creating an equal and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe inclusive teams build better products and companies. We try every day to build a work environment that empowers people to do their best work through continuous learning, growth and support of those around them.

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