Director, Data Center Operations

Job description

Who are we? Equinix is the world’s digital infrastructure company®, shortening the path to connectivity to enable the innovations that enrich our work, life and planet. A place where bold ideas are welcomed, human connection is valued, and everyone has the opportunity to shape their future. Joining our operations team means being at the center of everything – maintaining and evolving critical infrastructure that powers the digital world and delivers real impact for our customers, communities and society. You’ll find belonging, purpose, and a team that welcomes you—because when you feel valued, you’re empowered to do your best work. About the Role We are seeking a dynamic leader who can build exceptional teams, lead mission-critical operations, and drive business performance across a growing portfolio of data centers. As Director, Data Center Operations, you will be responsible for the leadership, performance, and strategic direction of multiple data center operations functions. You will oversee operational excellence, customer experience, financial performance, talent development, critical infrastructure reliability, and long-term site strategy while partnering closely with senior business leaders. Success in this role requires a unique combination of people leadership, business acumen, and technical expertise. What You'll Do Lead and Develop High-Performing Teams Lead, coach, recruit, and develop managers and operational teams across multiple sites. Build a strong leadership pipeline through mentoring, succession planning, and capability development. Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement. Drive workforce planning strategies that support business growth and operational readiness. Drive Business Performance Own operational performance across a portfolio of mission-critical facilities. Lead budgeting, forecasting, capital planning, and financial management activities. Evaluate investment decisions and operational trade-offs by balancing customer experience, risk, reliability, and business outcomes. Partner with commercial, operational, and executive stakeholders to support business growth, strategic initiatives, and customer success. Use operational and financial insights to drive efficiency, productivity, and long-term operational excellence. Provide Technical and Operational Leadership Provide leadership across Critical Facilities, Customer Operations, Security, and site support functions. Ensure the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of electrical, mechanical, cooling, and power infrastructure in a 24x7 environment. Lead major incident response, risk management, root cause investigations, and corrective action programs. Drive infrastructure lifecycle planning, capacity management, operational readiness, and continuous improvement initiatives. Support facility expansions, technology deployments, and infrastructure modernization efforts, including emerging technologies such as liquid cooling and high-density compute environments. Customer, Risk and Compliance Leadership Build trusted relationships with customers, vendors, regulators, and executive stakeholders. Act as the senior operational escalation point for strategic customers and critical operational events. Ensure adherence to global standards, regulatory requirements, and operational policies. Champion a safety-first culture and proactive risk management practices across all sites. Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, Operations Management, Business Management, or a related field. 15+ years of experience in data center operations, critical facilities, mission-critical environments, or related industries. Proven experience leading large, multi-disciplinary operational teams across multiple sites or locations. Demonstrated success developing leaders and building high-performing teams. Strong business and financial acumen, including ownership of operating budgets, capital investments, forecasting, and strategic planning. Deep technical knowledge of critical infrastructure, including electrical, mechanical, cooling, and power systems. Experience managing customer-facing operations in highly available environments. Strong communication, decision-making, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills. Why Join Equinix? At Equinix, you'll lead some of the world's most critical digital infrastructure while shaping the next generation of operational leaders. This is an opportunity to influence business strategy, drive growth, develop talent, and deliver industry-leading reliability for customers around the world. Equinix is committed to ensuring that our employment process is open to all individuals, including those with a disability. If you are a qualified candidate and need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know by completing this form . Equinix is an Equal Employment Opportunity and, in the U.S., an Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to unlawful consideration of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, place of birth, citizenship, sex, pregnancy / childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, age, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, political / organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law. We use artificial intelligence in our hiring process. Learn more here .