Senior Data Center Manager

Bidvestfacilitiesmanagement; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

Bidvest Facilities Management seeks a senior operations leader to ensure regional MTN Master Services Agreement delivery across data centres and critical facilities. You will manage 24/7 readiness, safety, and contractual governance with subcontractors and MTN stakeholders.

You will oversee 24/7 maintenance across generator, electrical, HVAC and DC plant, drive performance metrics, risk mitigation, and reporting while ensuring commercial controls and asset availability.

Qualifications

• Matric (Senior Certificate).
• Diploma or degree in Engineering, Facilities Management or Operations Management.
• Postgraduate qualification in business, contract management or leadership advantageous.
• Professional registration or demonstrable competence in critical facilities.
• Valid SA Driver’s License.
• Minimum 15 years’ experience with 8+ years in senior operational management.

Responsibilities

• Own regional contract financial performance, including monthly fee protection and invoicing support.
• Ensure pre-approval and alignment of expenditures with pricing and MTN authorisation.
• Interface with MTN regional/national reps for governance and performance reporting.
• Drive SLA achievement: MTTr/MTTR, incident updates, RCA timelines and maintenance closure.
• Lead end-to-end delivery of technical, generator, electrical, HVAC and UPS maintenance.
• Oversee reports on maintenance status, readings, spares, and asset lifecycle.

Job description

ROLE PURPOSE

Accountable for the successful regional delivery of the MTN Master Services Agreement across data centres, switches, remote hubs and associated critical facilities. The role ensures full compliance with the service schedules, SLA targets, 24/7 operational readiness, preventative and reactive maintenance obligations, subcontractor/vendor performance, safety and statutory compliance, reporting, commercial controls, risk mitigation, asset availability, incident response, RCA closure and client governance requirements.

MAIN OUTPUTS

• Own regional contract financial performance, including monthly fee protection, service credit exposure, penalty avoidance, cost recovery, ad hoc works governance, overtime approval, material mark-up compliance and invoice support documentation.
• Ensure expenditure above delegated thresholds, breakdowns, repairs, travel, accommodation and subcontractor costs are pre-approved, evidenced and aligned to the pricing schedule, purchase order process and MTN authorisation requirements

2. Client, SLA and Performance Governance:

• Act as senior operational interface with MTN regional and national representatives, ensuring disciplined governance, performance meetings, escalation management, service reporting and proactive communication on risks, incidents, delays and corrective actions.
• Drive achievement of all SLA measures, including MTTr, MTTR, incident update intervals, RCA/RFI timelines, reporting completeness, planned maintenance compliance and corrective maintenance closure
• Ensure client satisfaction while protecting the company’s commercial position through factual issue management, documented decisions, timely escalation and disciplined contract administration.

3. Regional Operations and Critical Infrastructure Delivery:

• Lead end-to-end delivery of technical, generator, electrical, HVAC, DC plant and UPS maintenance services across assigned MTN sites, including 24/7 resources, standby, call-outs, emergency response and business-hours service obligations.
• Maintain operational control over planned, preventative, predictive, corrective, reactive and emergency maintenance programmes, ensuring work is completed to OEM standards, MTN procedures, signed job cards and approved maintenance schedules.
• Ensure effective incident ownership from detection to resolution, including make-safe actions, fault diagnosis, restoration, temporary workarounds, permanent repair, RCA, lessons learned and prevention of recurrence.
• Oversee site capacity, availability, power, cooling, fuel, water treatment, spares, maintenance management system records, reference libraries, asset registers and lifecycle replacement inputs.
• Define the broad contract requirements & principles for supplier contracts (together with Supply Chain).
• Ensure all daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports are accurate, complete, evidence-based and submitted on time, including maintenance status, readings, diesel levels, facility health, PPM compliance, incidents, root cause analysis and spares visibility.

4. People, Vendors and Capability Management:

• Ensure regional staffing, technical competence, qualification matrices, trade certifications, factory training, standby rosters and escalation structures are fit for SLA delivery and approved site coverage requirements.
• Manage subcontractors, OEMs and specialist vendors to ensure back-to-back SLA performance, approved access, safety compliance, quality workmanship, spares availability, warranty enforcement and documented service evidence.

5. Risk, Compliance, Safety and Contract Governance:

• Ensure compliance with the MTN contract, service schedules, SLA, OHS Act, COID, NEMA, SANS requirements, site rules, access protocols, SHE files, risk assessments, PPE, permits, statutory appointments and environmental controls.
• Maintain governance over change management, MTN change advisory approvals, rollback plans, emergency work, variation control notes, audit readiness, document control, data protection, information security and confidentiality obligations.
• Identify operational, commercial, compliance, reputational and client-impacting risks early; implement mitigation plans; elevate material issues; and ensure corrective actions are owned, tracked and closed within agreed timelines.

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

The Applicant must meet the following requirements:

• Matric (Senior Certificate)
• Degree/B-Tech/National Diploma in Engineering, Facilities Management or Operations Management. Postgraduate qualification in business, contract management or leadership advantageous.
• Professional registration or demonstrable technical competence in critical facilities, engineering maintenance, data centre operations, electrical/mechanical systems or facilities management preferred. Knowledge of OHS statutory appointments advantageous.
• Valid SA Driver’s License
• Minimum 15 years’ relevant experience, including at least 8 years in senior operational management within facilities management, telecommunications infrastructure, data centres, critical environments, engineering maintenance or outsourced service contracts. Proven experience managing SLAs, penalties/service credits, client governance, subcontractors, incident response, planned maintenance, SHE compliance and commercial risk.
• Critical facilities operations; SLA and KPI management; planned, preventative, predictive, corrective and reactive maintenance; generator, UPS, DC plant, HVAC and electrical systems; incident management; RCA; contract management; vendor management; procurement governance; financial controls; safety management; data centre operating procedures; change control; reporting and audit readinesss
• MS Word, MS Excel & MS Outlook (Intermediate skill level)
• MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Project & MS Outlook (Intermediate skill level), SAP knowledge
• Knowledge of OHS Act

FUNDAMENTAL COMPETENCIES

• Deadline Driven & Highly Motivated
• Proactivity & Result orientation
• Negotiation Skills
• Solid Supervisory Skills
• Problem Analysis
• Planning/Scheduling/Objective Setting
• Teamwork & Partnering
• Relationship Building
• Interactive Reasoning