Manager, Data Center Hardware & Infrastructure (TS/SCI)

United States Digital Space LLC; Hawthorne (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC is seeking a Manager of Data Center Hardware & Infrastructure to design, deploy, and operate mission-critical data center hardware supporting TS/SCI environments. You will lead a technically hands-on team, driving reliability and performance across Hawthorne and future sites.

The role emphasizes lifecycle management, high-availability operations, security compliance, and close collaboration with network, security, and facilities teams.

Qualifications

• Hands-on, technical leadership for data center hardware and infrastructure.
• Experience with high-density GPU clusters or similar compute environments.
• Familiarity with security requirements for TS/SCI environments.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a data center team across Hawthorne and other sites.
• Own end-to-end hardware lifecycle: capacity planning, rack/stack, power and cooling, storage, networking.
• Establish hardware standards and operational procedures aligned with security requirements.
• Drive high-availability operations: monitoring, incident response, change control, rapid recovery.
• Collaborate with network, security, facilities, and compute teams on power, cooling, cabling, and interconnect design.
• Manage vendor relationships, hardware roadmaps, spares, and budget across sites.
• Implement DCIM tools, telemetry, and automation for capacity, environmental and asset tracking.
• Ensure compliance with TEMPEST, SCIF/SAPF for classified environments.
• Hire, develop and retain talent; foster ownership and urgency.
• Travel 10-25% to company sites for standups, audits and incidents.

Skills

Server rack/stacking

Power and cooling troubleshooting

GPU/AI cluster optimization

Hardware standards enforcement

Vendor management

DCIM and telemetry

Security compliance for TS/SCI

Tools

DCIM tools

Job description

the company was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today the company is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal ofenabling human life on Mars.

MANAGER, DATA CENTER HARDWARE & INFRASTRUCTURE (TS/SCI)

Our data centers and high-performance compute infrastructure form the backbone of mission operations, engineering, production, Starlink, Starshield, and national security programs.

We are seeking a highly technical, hands-on Manager of Data Center Hardware & Infrastructure to build, lead, and scale a team responsible for the design, deployment, operations, and lifecycle management of data center hardware supporting classified (TS/SCI) and enterprise environments across all the company sites.

This is not a pure people-manager role. The ideal candidate will remain deeply technical-capable of racking servers, troubleshooting power and cooling issues,optimizinghigh-density GPU clusters, and driving hardware standards-while simultaneously hiring, mentoring, and orchestrating a distributed team that delivers 24/7 reliability for mission-critical systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build and lead a high-performing team of data center technicians, systems engineers, and infrastructure specialists supporting Hawthorne and all the company sites (including remote/branch locations and future expansions).

• Own end-to-end data center hardware lifecycle: capacity planning, procurement, rack/stack, cabling, power distribution, cooling (air and liquid), high-density compute (GPU/AI clusters), storage arrays, and networking gear.

• Establish and enforce hardware standards, configuration baselines, and operational procedures aligned with DISA STIG, NIST, ICD 705, and the company security requirements for TS/SCI environments.

• Drive high-availability operations: monitoring, incident response, change management, preventive maintenance, and rapid recovery for classified and unclassified data center environments.

• Partner with network, security, facilities, and compute teams on power, cooling, cabling, and interconnect design for new builds and expansions (including modular and hyperscale approaches).

• Manage vendor relationships, hardware roadmaps, spares strategy, and budget for data center infrastructure across sites.

• Implement DCIM tools, telemetry, and automation for capacity, environmental, and asset tracking.

• Ensure compliance with physical security, TEMPEST, and SCIF/SAPF requirements for classified hardware environments.

• Hire, develop, and retaintalent; set clear expectations, conduct performance management, and foster a culture of ownership, technical excellence, and urgency.

• Travel as needed to the company sites to support stand-ups, audits and major incidents (estimated 10-25%).