Vice President, Data Center Operations

Job description

**About the Company** Armada is the hyperscaler for the edge, delivering modular AI infrastructure from first deployment to AI factory with speed, scale and sovereignty. Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies and to the CNBC Disruptor 50, Armada’s solutions are deployed in over 60 countries globally for organizations ranging from energy to defense. With nearly $500 million in funding to date, Armada is backed by leading investors including Founders Fund, Lux, BlackRock and Microsoft (M12), alongside strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Dell, Palantir, NVIDIA, SpaceX, and Skydio. We are building the infrastructure layer for sovereign and edge AI - rugged, deployable compute for customers that cannot rely on centralized cloud. Working at Armada means taking ownership, driving autonomy, and delivering impact. You’ll tackle challenges that haven’t been solved before and help build something transformative from the ground up. What you do here will not only define your career but help further Armada’s mission to bridge the digital divide for customers around the world. **About the role** We are seeking a VP, Data Center Operations.  This is an executive leader role focused on scaling and optimizing the company's operational functions to support rapid growth and business objectives while overseeing all aspects of data center operations, including facility management, critical environment operations, capacity planning, infrastructure reliability, safety, compliance, workforce development, and operational readiness for customers using MDCs across the full range of Armada’s offerings. This role will be responsible for the strategic leadership, operational performance, and continuous improvement of the organization's global data center portfolio. You will bridge the gap driving cross-functional alignment, improve processes and systems, manage operational performance, and ensure efficient execution across teams. The VP, Data Center Operations partners closely with the Engineering and Executive leadership team to develop strategic initiatives, establish key performance metrics, and build the infrastructure needed to support a high-performing operations organization. **Location.** This role is remote-based on the continental US. **What You'll Do (Key Responsibilities)** **Strategic Leadership** - Define and execute the long-term vision, strategy, and operating model for data center operations. - Develop and implement operational roadmaps that support business growth, technology innovation, and capacity expansion. - Partner with executive leadership to align operational priorities with organizational objectives. - Drive organizational transformation initiatives that improve efficiency, reliability, scalability, and customer experience. **Data Center Operations Excellence** - Manages Co-location facilities around the world - Provide executive oversight of 24x7 mission-critical data center operations. - Establish and maintain world-class operational standards, procedures, and performance metrics. - Lead continuous improvement initiatives across operational processes, workflows, and service delivery. - Ensure operational readiness for new customer deployments, expansions, and technology deployments. - Champion a culture of accountability, operational rigor, and customer focus. **Reliability and Availability** - Own operational performance and service availability across all data center sites. - Drive initiatives that improve uptime, resiliency, maintenance effectiveness, and incident response capabilities. - Lead root cause analysis and corrective action programs for critical incidents and service disruptions. - Develop strategies for risk mitigation, business continuity, and disaster recovery. **Infrastructure and Capacity Management** - Partner with sales, engineering, construction, networking, and cloud infrastructure teams to ensure customer capacity requirements are met. - Oversee capacity planning, resource utilization, and lifecycle management of critical infrastructure assets, supporting customer deal cycles to define these customer by customer. - Ensure seamless integration of operational requirements into new product designs and deployments. - Optimize operational efficiency while maintaining service reliability and customer commitments. **Safety, Compliance, and Risk Management** - Foster a safety-first culture across all operational environments. - Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, security protocols, and internal policies. - Lead operational audits, risk assessments, and compliance reviews. - Establish robust governance frameworks for operational risk management and performance monitoring. **Financial and Business Management** - Develop and manage operating budgets and investment plans. - Drive operational efficiency and cost optimization while maintaining service quality and reliability. - Monitor financial performance and identify opportunities for productivity improvements and resource optimization. - Manage vendor relationships, service providers, and strategic partnerships. **Leadership and Talent Development** - Build, lead, and develop a geographically distributed team of operational leaders and technical professionals. - Attract, retain, and develop top operational talent. - Establish succession planning and leadership development programs. - Create an inclusive, high-performance culture focused on innovation, collaboration, and results. **Required Qualifications** - US Citizenship - 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in data center operations, critical facilities, cloud infrastructure, telecommunications, or related industries. - 10+ years of executive or senior leadership experience managing large-scale operational organizations. - Proven experience leading globally distributed teams and mission-critical environments. - Demonstrated success managing large operational budgets and complex capital investment programs. - Experience scaling infrastructure operations to support significant business growth. - Excellent analytical, strategic planning, problem-solving, and negotiation skills. - Exceptional cross functional leadership, communication, and collaboration abilities. - Prior experience at a relevant AI infrastructure, high-growth infrastructure business, cloud infrastructure, defense technology, data centers, compute platforms, or adjacent sectors. - Experience supporting hyperscale, cloud, colocation, or enterprise data center environments. - Strong understanding of critical power, cooling systems, network infrastructure, and operational technologies. - Experience leading large-scale operational transformations and continuous improvement initiatives. - Knowledge of sustainability, energy management, and environmental compliance programs. - Bachelor's degree required in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Operations Management, or a related field; MBA or Advanced Engineering degree preferred. **Required Key Competencies** - Executive Leadership - Strategic Planning and Execution - Operational Excellence - Critical Infrastructure Management - Organizational Transformation - Financial Acumen - Risk Management - Incident and Crisis Leadership - Talent Development - Stakeholder Management - Data-Driven Decision Making - Customer and Service Orientation **Success Measures** - Data center availability and reliability performance - Safety and compliance outcomes - Operational efficiency and cost optimization - Capacity delivery and operational readiness - Incident reduction and response effectiveness - Employee engagement, retention, and leadership development - Customer satisfaction and service performance - Achievement of strategic business objectives **Citizenship Requirements** For select roles, due to the nature of our clientele and the technologies involved, there may be specific nationality or citizenship indicated in the required qualifications section. These roles may involve access to sensitive information that is subject to export control regulations or other legal restrictions. In such cases, employment offers will be contingent upon your ability to comply with these requirements. **Compensation** For U.S. Based candidates: To ensure fairness and transparency, the starting base salary range for this role for candidates in the U.S. are listed below, varying based on location experience, skills, and qualifications. In addition to base salary, ***this role will also be offered equity and subsidized benefits*** (details available upon request). **Benefits** - Competitive base salary and equity - Medical, dental, and vision (subsidized cost) - Health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), and dependent care FSAs (DCFSA) - Retirement plan options, including 401(k) and Roth 401(k) - Unlimited paid time off (PTO) - 14 paid company holidays per year #LI-AB1 #LI-Remote Compensation $239,920—$299,900 USD **You're a Great Fit if You're** - A go-getter with a growth mindset. You're intellectually curious, have strong business acumen, and actively seek opportunities to build relevant skills and knowledge - A detail-oriented problem-solver. You can independently gather information, solve problems efficiently, and deliver results with a "get-it-done" attitude - Thrive in a fast-paced environment. You're energized by an entrepreneurial spirit, capable of working quickly, and excited to contribute to a growing company - A collaborative team player. You focus on business success and are motivated by team accomplishment vs personal agenda - Highly organized and results-driven. Strong prioritization skills and a dedicated work ethic are essential for you **Equal Opportunity Statement** At Armada, we are committed to fostering a work environment where everyone is given equal opportunities to thrive. As an equal opportunity employer, we strictly prohibit discrimination or harassment based on race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, and compensation. Our hiring is guided by qualifications, merit, and the business needs at the time. **Unsolicited Resumes and Candidates** Armada does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from external agencies or recruiters. All candidates must apply directly through our careers page. Any resumes submitted by agencies without a prior signed agreement will be considered unsolicited and Armada will not be obligated to pay any fees.