Director, Technical Operations

STACK Infrastructure; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) program

Job summary

STACK INFRASTRUCTURE is seeking a Director of Technical Operations to oversee critical facility infrastructure across multiple sites in the US. The role focuses on reliability, governance, and continuous improvement of electrical, mechanical, and supporting systems.

You will lead a center of excellence, champion safety culture, and drive standards across the portfolio. The position requires strong technical judgment, stakeholder influence, and experience guiding cross-functional teams through

Qualifications

• 7+ years in data center or mission-critical operations with multi-site leadership or programs.
• Strong knowledge of electrical and mechanical infrastructure, including power, cooling, and life-safety systems.
• Experience establishing governance, standards, and risk-management processes in critical environments.
• Ability to align Operations, Engineering, Safety, Supply Chain, and other stakeholders across a distributed portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach the Technical Operations team as STACK’s center of excellence for operational standards and reliability.
• Drive capability roadmaps, governance, resources, and priorities across the domain.
• Collaborate with leadership to identify program improvements and drive implementation.
• Ensure standards and programs are scalable, governed, and aligned with field needs.
• Mentor program and capability leaders and ensure effective change adoption.

Skills

Executive communication

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic planning

Data center operations

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

Job description

THE COMPANY:

STACK INFRASTRUCTURE (STACK) provides digital infrastructure to scale the world’s most innovative companies. We are an award-winning industry leader in building, owning, and operating highly efficient, cost-effective wholesale, colocation, and cloud data centers. Each of our national facilities meets or exceeds the highest industry standards in all operational categories of availability, security, connectivity, and physical resilience.

STACK offers the scale and geographic reach that rapidly growing hyperscale and enterprise companies need. The world runs on data. Data runs on STACK.

THE POSITION:

STACK is looking for a Director of Technical Operations (DTO) to support the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of critical data center infrastructure across the portfolio. As a leader in STACK’s Critical Operations team, the Director of Technical Operations is accountable for an integrated Technical Operations domain focused on the operational performance, reliability, and governance of mission-critical electrical, mechanical, and supporting infrastructure. The DTO integrates capability roadmaps, governance, resources, and priorities; resolves competing priorities and risks across the domain; and translates Technical Operations strategy into coordinated execution.Lead and coach the Technical Operations team as STACK’s center of excellence for operational standards, assurance, asset reliability, risk management, and continuous improvement across the portfolio.

• Collaborate with the leadership team to identify opportunities to improve our Technical Operations programs; Develop and implement agreed changes.
• Champion a culture that’s safety-focused, candid, and transparent
• Drive alignment of standards, governance, and improvement initiatives across related capabilities to improve critical operations safety, reliability, productivity, and effectiveness.
• Work with Critical Operations leadership and capability owners to align domain roadmaps, operating priorities, and risk-based improvements with field operational needs.
• Demonstrate strong technical knowledge of mission-critical data center electrical and mechanical infrastructure, including utility and power distribution, emergency power generation, UPS systems, cooling systems, and fire/life-safety systems.
• Provide domain leadership and informed technical judgment across critical facilities operations, asset reliability, operational risk, policies, procedures, and other assigned capabilities.
• Ensure standards and programs developed within the domain are aligned, scalable, and effectively governed to support site operations.
• Ensure appropriate governance exists across the domain for development, review, implementation, and assurance of critical operations standards and procedures.
• Ensure assurance and performance mechanisms identify compliance, systemic risk, and opportunities to improve policies, processes, and program effectiveness across the domain.
• Mentor and develop capability and program leaders, strengthening execution, judgment, and accountability across the domain.
• Ensure capability owners coordinate appropriate field enablement, training, and change adoption for domain programs.
• Ensure significant events and systematic issues are evaluated across relevant capabilities and translated into coordinated corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure field operations tools and processes within the domain have clear ownership, support, governance, and adoption mechanisms.
• Resolve cross-capability issues, competing priorities, and escalated risks that inhibit critical operations performance.
• Participate in departmental leadership meetings.
• Gather, document, and share best practices. Act as a change agent.

THE DETAILS:

• Locations: Portland OR, San Jose, CA, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Chicago, or Northern VA
• Travel: Up to 40%
• Must be eligible to work in the United States
• Must pass a comprehensive background screening

MUST-HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years of experience in data center or comparable mission-critical operations, including experience leading multi-site operational programs, teams, or capabilities.
• Demonstrated experience leading critical operations programs, teams, or capabilities in data center or comparable mission-critical environments, with responsibility across multiple sites or a distributed portfolio.
• Strong working knowledge of mission-critical electrical and mechanical infrastructure, including power distribution, emergency generation, UPS systems, cooling systems, and fire/life-safety systems.
• Demonstrated experience establishing or governing operational standards, maintenance/reliability programs, risk-management processes, or assurance mechanisms in a critical operating environment.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate multiple related programs or capabilities, prioritize competing risks and resources, and drive measurable operational outcomes.
• Proven ability to influence and align Operations, Engineering, Construction, Commissioning, Safety, Supply Chain, and other cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience leading and developing program, technical, or capability leaders.
• Experience managing team budgets and prioritizing resources across multiple programs or capabilities.
• Strong executive communication, problem-solving, and change-leadership skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, facilities management, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.

THIS MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOU IF:

• You are a strong communicator, you are persuasive and clear, blending analytics with experience in decision-making.

• You do not get flustered easily. You can juggle multiple priorities while balancing urgent requests with shifting timelines and deliverables.

• You are a team builder. You take the time to understand and develop the strengths of your resources while formulating long-term plans for the growth and success of the team.

• You are naturally curious and driven toward continual improvement. While you celebrate your successes, you take time to review and analyze campaigns for future learning.

WHY STACK?

• We offer a competitive compensation package with strong benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, flexible spending accounts – even a cell phone subsidy.

• We foster a culture of appreciation, including peer-to-peer recognition and rewards programs.

• Fun is part of our DNA, with events, game nights, happy hours, and barbecues.

• We’re growing – this is a great time to join and make an impact!

STACK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law