Infrastructure Project Manager

Job description

Projects are initiated by internal product teams (CDN, Cloud, Edge AI, DDoS) or by Technical Support on behalf of external customers. At this level, the PM owns more than Jira tracking: the quality of the plan, realistic timelines, a sound budget estimate, risk management, and coordination of several parallel work streams: architects, procurement, logistics, data centre engineers, and operations teams. We expect a PM to take on a technically and organisationally complex project - a large deployment at a new site, or a multi-vendor integration, and deliver it with minimal involvement from their manager, while proactively communicating status and risks. Projects you will run: PoP build-outs and colocation - new sites, expansion of existing ones, racks and cage space in third-party data centers. Server and network hardware deployments for internal product demand and for external customers (dedicated hardware, managed connectivity). Capacity expansion, hardware refresh, and decommissioning. Connectivity and interconnection procurement - IP transit, cross-connects, dark fiber, wavelengths, leased lines, in coordination with the Peering team. Migrations and relocations of physical equipment between sites. What You'll Do: End-to-end project ownership Setting the project up in Jira ( GI master ticket), breaking it down into tasks, and building a realistic schedule that accounts for dependencies. Identifying the critical path and key risks at kick-off - not waiting for your manager to do it for you. Orchestrating linked tasks across counterpart teams' Jira projects: IDS (architecture), PRO (procurement), DCI (on-site installation), HDWR (repair and replacement). Knowing where the work physically lives, and reporting on the active linked tickets, not just the master ticket. Making operational decisions inside the project yourself. Escalating only what sits outside your authority: budget, priorities between projects, conflicts with other departments. Budget estimation and approvals Initiating cost estimation at the Initiation stage: breakdown by NRC / MRC and by component (colocation, leased lines, hardware, small parts), benchmarked against comparable past projects and reference cost tables. Driving the project through the approval chain, tracking approval turnaround, and handling objections. Reconciling budget plan versus actuals at project closure. Technical design and architecture Briefing the Infrastructure Architects team (RFS / HLD / SDD) and contributing substantively to discussions on BoM, rack layout, power, and network. Being able to tell a realistic technical plan from an unrealistic one, and to ask architects the right clarifying questions. Procurement, vendors, and contractors Briefing the Procurement team (what to buy, by when, for which project) and tracking execution. Vendor negotiations are run by Procurement. Monitoring request and PO statuses, and escalating early when timelines are at risk. Agreeing responsibility boundaries (RACI) between the project, Procurement, and the vendor where this affects the plan. Logistics and delivery to site Briefing the Logistics team (what needs to go where, and by when) and tracking execution. Shipping, customs, warehousing, and delivery to the data center are run by the Logistics team. Tracking ETAs and escalating early when delivery is at risk of slipping. On-site installation Briefing the DCIM team on equipment installation: agreeing installation windows, tracking timelines and quality of execution. Handling discrepancies found at acceptance: missing equipment, equipment routed to stock, equipment routed to repair. Hand-over to operations Running the hand-over to the Server Operations and Network Operations teams. These teams sit outside the Infrastructure Department, so the hand-over requires explicit agreements on content, quality, and timing: documentation, configurations, monitoring on-boarding. Organizing and confirming acceptance testing, formally closing the project (sign-off), and capturing lessons learned. Risk and stakeholder management Identifying risks proactively, before they become problems, and proposing options rather than only reporting the issue. Communicating regularly and substantively with stakeholders at different levels: product teams, vendors, operations teams, leadership. Managing scope changes: assessing impact on timeline and budget, getting agreement, recording it in Jira. Flow and metrics (Kanban) The team operates as a Kanban system: no sprints, with WIP limits and flow metrics. Jira statuses are the source of truth for all reporting, so status hygiene is part of the job rather than a nice-to-have: tickets move when work actually starts and finishes, not at the end of the week and not retroactively. Understanding the difference between Customer Lead Time (what the requester experiences) and System Lead Time (what the team controls), working to the target P85 for your components, and acting on your own Aging WIP before your manager has to point it out. Process improvement Contributing to better processes and templates inside IPM: RACI, readiness checklists, documentation standards, status entry and exit criteria. What We're Looking For: Minimum 2 years in project management in infrastructure, data centres, telecom, or IT operations. Readiness to run a project without step-by-step support is a hard requirement. Solid understanding of server and network hardware and how a data center works : racks, PDUs, power and cooling, basic network topology (switches, cross-connects, IP addressing) — at a level sufficient for a substantive conversation with architects and engineers, not just to recognize the terminology. Experience with Jira (or an equivalent tracker) at project-administration level: linking tasks across projects, working with workflows and fields, not only changing statuses. A high degree of personal ownership and autonomy. There is no micromanagement in this team: you keep your projects under control, surface risks yourself, and keep the team informed on substance without being asked. Ability to work with ambiguity and to run several projects in parallel. English at B2 or above - enough for correspondence and negotiation with international partners and vendors. Documentation is written in English. Strong communication skills: able to convey complex technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences. Nice to have: Experience with flow-based management (Kanban) and with Lead Time, Throughput, and WIP metrics. Experience in multi-vendor / multi-partner projects with a formal RACI. Experience with budget estimation for infrastructure projects (NRC / MRC, colocation, leased lines). Project management certification (PMP, Kanban Management Professional, or similar). Experience working in a distributed international team. Benefits: At Gcore, we want you to do your best work and enjoy the journey. Our benefits are designed to support your growth, well-being, and life beyond work: Competitive compensation Flexible working hours and hybrid or remote options, depending on your role Work from anywhere in the world for up to 45 days per year Private medical insurance for you and your family* Extra paid vacation and sick leave days* Support for life’s important moments and celebrations Language courses to help you connect and grow Modern, welcoming offices with snacks, drinks, and entertainment* Team sports and social activities* *Benefits may vary depending on your location. Equal Opportunity Employer We provide equal opportunity to all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability, or any other legally protected characteristics. The world’s digital experiences run on something invisible: the infrastructure and software that keep them fast, reliable, and secure. At Gcore, you’ll help design and deliver that foundation for an AI-driven world. We’re a global provider of infrastructure and software solutions for AI, cloud, network, and security, powering everything from real-time communication and streaming to enterprise AI and secure web applications. With 210+ edge locations, 50+ cloud regions, and thousands of GPUs , your work here can reach users and businesses across the globe. You’ll collaborate with leading technology partners such as Intel, NVIDIA, Dell, and Equinix , and work on platforms that power digital products used around the world. Our vision is simple: to connect the world to AI, anywhere, anytime. Want to work on technology that goes beyond a single product or industry? Join a global team of 550+ professionals building infrastructure and software that supports the entire digital ecosystem. We are currently looking for an Infrastructure Project Manager, who will independently run projects that deploy and change Gcore infrastructure - from intake through hand-over to operations and formal closure. This is not a role for learning the basics: we expect someone who already runs projects end-to-end, makes operational decisions without constant oversight, and resolves priority and resource conflicts on their own.