Vice President, Data Center Operational Readiness

OPPIDAN; Excelsior (MN); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

Oppidan seeks a Vice President, Data Center Operational Readiness to ensure facilities are designed, constructed, commissioned, documented, and transferred to operations with reliability and client expectations in mind.

The role serves as Oppidan's technical representative through turnover and Day 1 readiness, coordinating with consultants, contractors, vendors, and partners. The position is primarily in-office (4 days/week) with one remote day per week per policy.

Qualifications

• 10+ years delivering mission critical facilities or similar complexity.
• Proven ownership of commissioning, site acceptance, turnover, startup, or transition programs.
• Proven ability to lead and communicate across development, design, construction, operations and executives.

Responsibilities

• Own data center commissioning and operational readiness strategy from design through turnover.
• Establish repeatable standards for commissioning, QA/QC, site acceptance, turnover docs, and Day 1 readiness.
• Represent ownership interests during design reviews, construction, testing, and handover.
• Define acceptance criteria, responsibilities, schedules, and escalation paths with partners.
• Evaluate designs for operability, maintainability, redundancy, and operating model alignment.
• Provide technical oversight of electrical, mechanical, controls, BMS/EPMS, cooling, life-safety systems.
• Identify risks early and drive corrective actions to resolution.
• Create executive reporting on status, deficiencies, readiness, and risk.
• Capture lessons learned and influence future design standards and procurement.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Project management

Cross-functional

Education

Bachelor's degree (engineering/related)

Professional engineering certification

Job description

Position Summary

The Vice President, Data Center Operational Readiness ensures Oppidan's data center facilities are designed, constructed, commissioned, documented, and transferred to operations in a manner that protects reliability, schedule, investment, and client expectations.

This role serves as Oppidan's technical representative across the transition from development and construction into operational use. The Senior Director establishes consistent commissioning, site-acceptance, turnover, and Day 1 readiness standards while holding consultants, contractors, commissioning agents, equipment vendors, and operating partners accountable for meeting Oppidan project requirements.

This position is primarily in office (4 days per week), with one remote workday per week permitted in accordance with company policy.

Key Responsibilities

• Own Oppidan's data center commissioning and operational readiness strategy from design development through final acceptance, turnover, and warranty closeout.
• Establish practical, repeatable standards for commissioning, QA/QC, site acceptance, punch-list management, turnover documentation, operator training, and Day 1 readiness.
• Represent Oppidan's ownership interests during design reviews, construction, equipment startup, functional testing, integrated systems testing, and operational handover.
• Partner with development, design, construction, legal, finance, asset management, operating partners, commissioning agents, and customers to define acceptance criteria, responsibilities, schedules, and escalation paths.
• Evaluate data center designs for operability, maintainability, redundancy, service access, controls integration, and alignment with the intended operating model before changes become costly in the field.
• Provide technical oversight of critical electrical, mechanical, controls, BMS, EPMS, cooling, life-safety, and supporting infrastructure systems.
• Identify commissioning, design, construction, documentation, and turnover risks early, then drive corrective actions to documented resolution.
• Hold design consultants, general contractors, commissioning providers, equipment vendors, and other project partners accountable for design intent, testing requirements, documentation quality, and contractual deliverables.
• Create clear executive reporting on commissioning status, unresolved deficiencies, operational readiness, schedule exposure, technical risk, and decisions requiring leadership attention.
• Capture lessons learned from commissioning, startup, and operations, then incorporate those lessons into design standards, procurement decisions, future project requirements, and delivery processes.

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years' experience in delivering mission critical facilities, data centers, large industrial facilities or projects with similar complexity.
• Demonstrated ownership of commissioning, site acceptance, turnover, startup, operational readiness, or construction-to-operations transition programs.
• Proven ability to lead/communicate across development, design, construction, commissioning, operations, vendors, customers and executive team.

Preferred

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, construction management, facilities engineering, or a related field.
• Professional engineering, commissioning, project-management, reliability, or mission-critical facility certification.
• Experience with both air-cooled and liquid-cooled infrastructure.

Additional Requirements

• Occasional travel to project sites may be required.
• Ability to visit active construction sites and comply with site safety requirements.

Core Soft Skills

• Strong organizational and prioritization skills
• Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Adaptability in a fast-paced environment
• Professional judgment and discretion