Data Centre Operations Lead

The Project (Account) Lead acts as the senior onsite operational authority, accountable for day-to-day data centre operations, facilities management, security/EHS, asset management, network support, and server delivery coordination across the site.

This role ensures all engineering and operational activities meet company standards, SLAs, and compliance requirements, executing with a safety-first, hands-on leadership approach to protect uptime and prevent downtime.

Data Centre Operations

• Lead 24x7 onsite data centre operations across the technical, FM, security, asset, network, and server delivery workstreams, ensuring continuous availability of critical infrastructure.

• Oversee routine checks, preventive maintenance coordination, and fault management for critical electrical, mechanical, and network systems.

• Support customer onboarding, site access, and execution of MOPs/SOPs/EOPs

• Act as the primary onsite operational escalation point, ensuring strict adherence to internal SOPs and technical standards across all site activities.

Facilities Management

• Oversee and coordinate facility infrastructure operations.

• Coordinate preventive and corrective maintenance plans with Data Centre Provider operations teams, including review and validation of MOPs and SOPs.

• Liaise with DC Providers for all planned and unplanned M&E maintenance activities impacting live environments.

Account Oversight

• Responsible for account management and client relationship.

• Oversees compliance, audits, and KPI tracking

Security & EHS

• Implement physical security procedures, access control, and visitor management, and oversee 24x7 manned security operations, CCTV monitoring, and incident logging.

• Monitor and manage contractors, vendors, and suppliers onsite, including conducting safety audits, toolbox talks, and training.

• Support security system health checks (CCTV, Access Control, Intrusion, Intercom, Key Cabinets) and coordinate vendor maintenance and troubleshooting.

• Travel between data centres as required (40–50km apart) to provide operational and security support.

Network & Server Delivery

• Collaborate with cabling vendors, DC providers, telco providers, and contractors to ensure tasks are completed to schedule.

• Coordinate with supply chain, cabling vendor, DC operations, and asset management teams to ensure smooth server delivery, closely monitoring progress against daily SLAs.

• Act as the primary onsite escalation point for the NOC and oversee the DC operations technician team in ensuring prompt escalation and monitoring of alerts for technical, FM, security, asset, network, and server delivery concerns.

Reliability, Incident & Risk Management

• Own operational incident, problem, and change management processes, providing rapid response and escalation for critical facility, security, and network incidents.

• Monitor operational KPIs and availability targets to proactively mitigate risk.

• Deliver regular operational performance reports covering progress, incidents, and closure of action items to relevant stakeholders.

People & Vendor Management

• Manage and supervise data centre engineers, technicians, and operational vendors, ensuring shift coverage, on-call rosters, and succession planning.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across safety, reliability, and operational efficiency, including process automation and tooling enhancements.

Network Operations

• Leads telecom fibre deployment, vendor work, and day-to-day network operations across the Data Centre campus.

• Manages the network operations team, ensuring effective provision of visibility and hands onsite to the client, monitoring vendor progress and quality, and responding to fibre breaks and network incidents both on and off campus.

Requirements:

• Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, IT, Telecommunications, Network Engineering.

• Minimum 5 years of experience in mission critical/data centre field

• Proven experience leading incident response and operational risk management, including post-incident reviews and continuous service improvement.

• Expertise in maintenance planning, reliability engineering, and capacity management, with experience supporting hyperscale or colocation data centre operations.

• Experience managing managers or senior engineers, including recruitment, training, and succession planning for operational teams.