Operations Manager

Datacenter People LLC; United States; Remote; USD 93,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Datacenter People LLC is seeking a hands-on Operations Director for a UK data centre operator, based in Manchester, to lead M&E engineering and daily site operations.

You will shape the post-acquisition resourcing, oversee live upgrades, budgets, and safety, and drive KPI delivery for availability and capacity while mentoring the engineering team and collaborating with sales to maximise space utilization.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience operating data centre critical facility services.
• Experience managing people at a senior level in a customer-facing technical operations environment.
• Experience with health and safety regulations relevant to data centres, including ISO 27001/14001.
• Willingness to travel between sites and work outside normal hours.

Responsibilities

• Take overall responsibility for the mechanical and electrical engineering and day-to-day operations of the Manchester data centre(s).
• Establish the right resourcing model for facility engineering after acquisition, deciding in-house vs outsourced support.
• Project manage infrastructure upgrades in a live environment with no disruption to customers.
• Act as the point of contact for major capital expenditure activities and manage site budgets.
• Ensure Planned Preventative Maintenance is carried out on time and within budget across Manchester sites.
• Work with suppliers, contractors and FM providers to optimise maintenance contracts.
• Own the risk register and ensure compliance with health, safety and Electricity at Work Act and M&E regs.
• Conduct regular site inspections and enforce Volta standards and safety.
• Assist Sales Director in space utilisation and maximizing available capacity.
• Provide leadership and development to engineering staff as the team expands.
• Attend client meetings and collaborate with leadership to adopt best practice.

Skills

Data centre operations

Leadership of senior staff

Budget management

Health & safety compliance

Vendor management

Education

Senior Authorised Person (SAP)

Job description

Manchester, UK
The Client
Datacenter People has been retained by a UK data centre operator providing carrier-neutral colocation and interconnection services.

What The Job Involves

• Take overall responsibility for the mechanical and electrical engineering and day-to-day operations of the Manchester data centre(s), ensuring the highest levels of availability and performance.
• Work with the Regional Managing Director to establish the right resourcing model for facility engineering following acquisition – deciding whether to build an in-house team or outsource to FM/engineering subcontractors, given no operational engineering staff transfer with the deal.
• Project manage the upgrade and refresh of infrastructure at the first Manchester facility – some of it nearly as old as the building itself – in a live, operational environment, without disruption to existing customers.
• Act as the point of contact for major capital expenditure activities within the region, and manage site budget proposals in line with agreed procedures and authorisation processes.
• Ensure Planned Preventative Maintenance is carried out on time and within budget across all Manchester sites.
• Work closely with suppliers, contractors and FM providers, proactively consolidating maintenance contracts to drive a value-for-money, economy-of-scale approach as the portfolio grows.
• Own the risk register for all Manchester sites, and ensure they operate strictly in accordance with health and safety and security procedures, including compliance with the Electricity at Work Act and related M&E regulations.
• Complete regular full site inspections to ensure areas are clean, free from combustible materials and operating to Volta’s standards, dealing with any breaches per company procedure.
• Proactively assist the Sales Director in achieving effective space utilisation and maximising sales opportunities across the region’s available capacity.
• Provide leadership, management and development to engineering and operational staff within the region as the team is built out, ensuring they have the tools and skills to deliver a high-quality service.
• Attend client meetings as necessary, and collaborate with the Regional Managing Director and wider Volta leadership to ensure best practice is adopted across the group.

We Are Looking For Someone With

• Extensive, hands-on experience operating data centre critical facility services, ideally across multiple sites, with a clear M&E bias.
• A genuinely hands-on, experienced facility operator – real time spent working directly with engineers and managing suppliers on live data centre sites, not solely a desk-based management background.
• Experience managing people at a senior level in a customer-facing technical operations environment, ideally within the colocation industry.
• Experience with health and safety regulations relevant to data centres, including the Electricity at Work Act and related M&E legislation.
• Recognised High Voltage (HV) authorisation, with a minimum of Senior Authorised Person (SAP) status; Authorising Engineer (AE) status is preferred.
• Proven experience project managing infrastructure upgrades in a live, operational environment – directly relevant given the age of the first Manchester facility.
• Experience defining and driving improvements and KPIs for data centre availability and capacity.
• Ownership of managing significant Capex and Opex budgets effectively, maximising value for spend.
• Experience working closely with a sales function to deliver client solutions and support space utilisation.
• Solid technical understanding of data centre M&E infrastructure and industry best practice.
• Working knowledge of the UK regulatory regime relevant to data centres, including health & safety legislation and standards such as ISO 27001/14001.
• Able to lead from the front and operate effectively with Volta’s leadership, customers and third parties.
• An enthusiastic, driven, committed and flexible approach to work, with a positive, can-do outlook.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail, with the ability to work well to deadlines and under pressure.
• A team player, equally able to work on own initiative with minimal supervision.
• Comfortable working with discretion in a confidential, deal-sensitive environment.
• Willing and able to travel between sites in the region, and to work outside normal hours on an occasional basis given the continuous nature of facility care.

We regret that due to the high volume of applications we are unable to acknowledge each one. Please bear in mind that if you are selected for interview we will contact you within the next seven days.