Data Center Operations Manager, Global Server Ops, Hardware Operations (English)

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a technical field (e.g., Computer Science, Information Systems) or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience leading and managing technical operations teams, including experience with performance evaluation.
• Experience managing and troubleshooting data center hardware, server architectures, Linux/Unix operating systems, and computer networking concepts (e.g., TCP/IP, routing, switching).
• Ability to communicate in English fluently to communicate with internal teams, local site staff, and external partners/authorities.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience managing technical operations in large-scale, mission-critical 24/7 data center environments or hyperscale cloud infrastructure.
• Experience managing vendor contracts, statement-of-work (SOW) deliverables, and extended workforce operations.
• Proficiency in operational analytics, workflow tracking, and metric-driven problem-solving (e.g., SQL, dashboards, labor utilization, capacity modeling).
• Proven track record of driving Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) programs and fostering a safety-first team culture.
• Demonstrated ability to drive data security compliance, media sanitization protocols, and chain-of-custody procedures.

About the job

Google isn't just a software company. The Hardware Operations team is responsible for monitoring the state-of-the-art physical infrastructure behind Google's powerful search technology. As a Hardware Operations Manager, you will manage a team of Data Center Technicians. You will oversee the quality installation of server hardware and components and take charge of complicated installations/troubleshooting.

Your team will install, configure, test, troubleshoot and maintain hardware (like servers and its components) and server software (like Google's Linux cluster). They will also take on the configuration of more complex components such as networks, routers, hubs, bridges, switches and networking protocols. They may lead small project teams on larger installations and develop project contingency plans.

In this role, you will lead one or more teams to deliver critical data center initiatives (e.g., data security, machine maintenance, networking), identify trends via data analytics at the project level, and drive the changes needed to address them (e.g., improve tools, processes, or procedures). You will be the point of contact for escalation for one or more data center sites, quantifying systemic issues and escalating when appropriate. You will work with the partners (e.g., program managers, data center operations) to provide input into short-term and long-term strategy, process changes, and task orders for the site. You will manage projects to budget, timeline, and resourcing needs.

The AI and Infrastructure team is redefining what’s possible. We empower Google customers with breakthrough capabilities and insights by delivering AI and Infrastructure at unparalleled scale, efficiency, reliability and velocity. Our customers include Googlers, Google Cloud customers, and billions of Google users worldwide.

We're the driving force behind Google's groundbreaking innovations, empowering the development of our cutting-edge AI models, delivering unparalleled computing power to global services, and providing the essential platforms that enable developers to build the future. From software to hardware our teams are shaping the future of world-leading hyperscale computing, with key teams working on the development of our TPUs, Vertex AI for Google Cloud, Google Global Networking, Data Center operations, systems research, and much more.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Belgium: €116000 - €118000 (EUR) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

• Direct and mentor a team of Data Center Technicians, setting clear expectations, guiding career development, and managing performance to foster high engagement and operational excellence.
• Drive deployment, maintenance, and lifecycle operations across mission-critical compute, storage, high-density machine learning accelerators, and network infrastructure to consistently meet SLAs, SLOs, and key business KPIs.
• Lead an uncompromising Environmental Health and Safety culture while enforcing rigorous compliance with Google data security standards, media chain-of-custody protocols, and incident investigations.
• Manage workflow tracking and trend analysis to eliminate non-productive tasks, optimize labor utilization, and partner with engineering teams to influence automation and tooling improvements.
• Oversee extended workforce and vendor deliverables for contractual compliance while aligning cross-functionally with Facilities, Platforms, and Network Engineering stakeholders.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form.