Director of Data Center Operations

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Netherlands, +1 more country.

📋 Description

• Oversee the daily operations of the Company’s European data center facilities.

• Ensure optimal uptime, operational readiness, and service quality that aligns with customer SLAs.

• Manage maintenance, customer projects, installations, operational modifications, migrations, and decommissioning activities.

• Strategically plan and support capacity for power, space, cooling, and infrastructure utilization.

• Develop and enhance operational standards, procedures, and site safety regulations.

• Administer relationships with third-party vendors, maintenance contractors, and landlord/colocation partners.

• Take responsibility for PUE/WUE monitoring, reporting, and enhancement across European sites.

• Ensure adherence to EU Energy Efficiency Directive data center reporting requirements and national implementations.

• Propel energy efficiency and decarbonization initiatives.

• Coordinate efforts across Operations, Engineering, NOC, Deployment, Logistics, Security, Facilities, Procurement, and Customer Success.

• Prioritize operational tasks across various sites and countries, aligning resources with customer commitments and SLAs.

• Facilitate daily operational stand-ups, incident reviews, and escalation management.

• Engage with works councils or employee representative bodies when necessary.

• Oversee capacity planning for rack space, power, cooling, and network infrastructure.

• Assist in new site selection, readiness, permitting, and ramp-up processes.

• Contribute to the European operational roadmap and infrastructure planning.

• Schedule maintenance windows and confirm readiness prior to production changes.

• Manage MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs while mitigating operational risks through standardized change management.

• Support European operational budgets and forecasting initiatives.

• Monitor operating expenses, vendor performance, and contractual adherence.

• Lead and supervise European operational compliance programs.

• Oversee the Quality & Compliance Manager.

• Responsible for certification and compliance with ISO 27001, ISO 27701, ISO 9001, ISO 50001, SOC 2, GDPR, national data protection laws, NIS2-aligned obligations, and customer security, audit, and sovereignty requirements.

• Frequent travel to Company data centers and customer locations throughout Europe.

• Participate in an escalation rota and provide support for major operational events outside of regular business hours.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

• 8–10 years of progressive experience in matrixed or larger operations, particularly in mission-critical settings.

• 3–7 years of leadership or management experience, ideally in multi-country operations.

• Proven experience in managing multi-megawatt, high-density data center environments.

• Solid understanding of European regulatory frameworks including GDPR, EU EED, and local HSE and environmental permitting.

• Strong organizational, operational, and project management capabilities.

• Excellent communication and customer service skills.

• Proficient in written and spoken English.

• Demonstrated success in high-growth or rapidly changing environments.

• Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on operational execution.

• Eligibility to work in the relevant EU member state(s) or the UK as applicable.

• Experience supporting AI, HPC, GPU, or cloud infrastructure, including environments utilizing NVIDIA or AMD GPUs.

• Familiarity with direct-to-chip or immersion liquid-cooled, high-density infrastructure.

• Lead Auditor or implementation experience in ISO 27001/27701/9001 and SOC 2 programs.

• Background in carrier-neutral colocation or managed services environments.

• Experience engaging with works councils and operating within collective frameworks.

• ITIL or equivalent service management experience.

• Proficiency in additional European languages such as Dutch, German, or French is a plus.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive base salary and benefits aligned with local market practices.

• Statutory pension contributions.

• Holiday entitlement.

• Discretionary performance bonus based on individual performance, overall company performance, and company profitability (not guaranteed).