Principal Data Center Operations Engineer

Supermicro; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 195,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Supermicro is seeking a Principal Data Center Operations Engineer to lead colocation facilities, focusing on high-density data centers, electrical redundancy, and direct liquid cooling.

The ideal candidate has 12+ years in data center operations, leadership capabilities, and experience with DCIM/BMS for GPU-based compute environments. A Bachelors in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering is required; MBA preferred for senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
• 12+ years of experience in data center operations.
• Strong understanding of electrical redundancy and power distribution.
• Hands-on experience with direct liquid cooling (DLC) systems.
• Proven ability to manage data hall operations, incident management, and operational reporting.

Responsibilities

• Data Center Solution: design and architect data center infrastructure for scalability, availability and performance.
• Oversee daily operations of high-density data centers; ensure uptime, performance and safety.
• Manage electrical infrastructure including UPS, ATS, generators, and cooling to meet workload needs.
• Lead DLC operations, monitor flow, pressure, and coolant quality; coordinate CDU support.

Skills

Data center ops

Electrical engineering

GPU compute

DCIM tools

BMS systems

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

DCIM

BMS

CDU systems

Job description

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Principal Data Center Operations Engineer

Location: San Jose, California, United States

About Supermicro:

Supermicro® is a Top Tier provider of advanced server, storage, and networking solutions for Data Center, Cloud Computing, Enterprise IT, Hadoop/ Big Data, Hyperscale, HPC and IoT/Embedded customers worldwide. We are the #5 fastest growing company among the Silicon Valley Top 50 technology firms. Our unprecedented global expansion has provided us with the opportunity to offer a large number of new positions to the technology community. We seek talented, passionate, and committed engineers, technologists, and business leaders to join us.

Job Summary:

Supermicro DCBBS team is seeking a results-driven Principal Data Center Operations Engineer, to lead our colocation facilities. The role requires deep operational knowledge of electrical redundancy schemes, direct liquid cooling (DLC) infrastructure, and data center facility operations and general management. The ideal candidate brings a deep understanding of GPU-driven data center trends (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel), power and thermal design, and mechanical/electrical infrastructure. This role requires close collaboration with cross-functional engineering, operations, and vendor teams to enable next-generation capacity at scale.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Data Center Solution: Collaborate with customers to understand data center requirements and develop comprehensive data center solutions, Design and architect data center infrastructure to meet scalability, availability, and performance requirements, ensure data center designs align with industry best practices and compliance standards
• Data Center Operations: Oversee daily operations of high-density data centers, ensuring uptime, performance, and safety standards are consistently met.
• Data Center Electrical Infrastructure: Manage and maintain electrical infrastructure, including UPS systems, ATS, and generators, with backup power solutions, and mechanical cooling to meet demanding workload requirements
• Direct Liquid Cooling: Lead the operation and maintenance of direct liquid cooling (DLC) systems, including:
• Monitoring flow rates, pressure levels, and coolant quality
• Managing water treatment and filtration systems
• Coordinating with engineering teams for CDU (Coolant Distribution Unit) support and upgrades
• Data Center Sourcing & Partnerships: Lead sourcing strategies, site evaluations, and hosting partnership development with global service providers.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with engineering, facilities, and operations teams to deliver projects aligned with business goals and SLA targets.
• Executive Reporting: Provide structured updates on program milestones, risks, mitigations, and ROI metrics to senior leadership including business value proposition updates.
• Customer Facing: Ability to translate customer needs into technical requirements
• On-boarding of Customers: Implementation of technical solution to on-board customer to colocation facilities
• Infrastructure Optimization: Monitor and evaluate the performance and efficiency of data center systems, recommend and implement improvements to optimize infrastructure, enhance energy efficiency, and reduce operational costs

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 12+ years of experience in data center operations, focus on high-density compute
• Strong understanding of electrical redundancy schemes and power distribution systems.
• Hands-on experience operating and maintaining direct liquid cooling systems
• Proven ability to manage data hall operations, including layout optimization and scaling.
• Experience with incident management, root cause analysis, and operational reporting.
• Proficiency in DCIM tools, BMS systems, and operational dashboards.
• Familiarity with AI/ML infrastructure requirements and GPU-based compute environments.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Preferred:

• Experience managing colocation data center environments and vendor SLAs.
• Familiarity with Supermicro CDU systems and liquid-cooled server platforms.
• Certifications such as CDCP, CDCS, or Uptime Accredited Tier Specialist.
• Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA)

Salary Range

$195,000 - $220,000

The salary offered will depend on several factors, including your location, level, education, training, specific skills, years of experience, and comparison to other employees already in this role. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, candidates may be eligible for other forms of compensation, such as participation in bonus and equity award programs.

EEO Statement

Supermicro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and embraces diversity in our employee population. It is the policy of Supermicro to provide equal opportunity to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or special disabled veteran, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.