Regional Director of Operations – EMEA

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Europe.

📋 Description

• Oversee the technical aspects of daily data centre operations and service delivery across Volta's EMEA portfolio.

• Manage the Data Centre Manager, Logistics Manager, and Asset and Inventory Manager.

• Provide strategic guidance to site management, facilities, IT infrastructure, logistics, asset and inventory, and services teams.

• Enhance departmental capabilities and promote operational excellence throughout the portfolio.

• Review and approve high-risk activities, such as DNO outages, significant project works, capacity upgrades, customer fit-outs, deployments, and product refreshes.

• Ensure compliance of data centres with local and regional regulations.

• Implement and enhance operational standards, processes, and procedures.

• Serve as the senior escalation point across EMEA, offering guidance, support, and coaching.

• Lead operations during key meetings with customers, vendors, and leadership within EMEA.

• Collaborate with operational engineering to enhance data centre design and operations.

• Initiate energy-efficiency programs across the EMEA region.

• Manage and mitigate operational risks documented in the portfolio risk register.

• Represent Volta Operations in external discussions, including with environmental agencies and regulatory authorities.

• Execute the pillars of safety, security, availability, and efficiency in operations.

• Facilitate zero-downtime site activities through risk assessment and mitigation strategies.

• Ensure preparedness to meet customer contractual SLAs.

• Monitor organizational health through key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Oversee critical vendors, including colocation providers, IT integrators, and OEMs.

• Maintain uniform operational standards across the EMEA region.

• Advocate for EMEA projects and initiatives.

• Drive progress towards a safety culture, achieving 100% uptime, robust security, team growth, operational excellence, and reduction of technical debt.

⛳️ Requirements

• Electrical or mechanical qualification, preferably at the degree level, or equivalent experience; or an IT qualification, ideally at the degree level, or equivalent experience.

• Significant experience in data centre facilities, IT infrastructure, or another critical environment.

• Proven track record of leading data centre operations, IT infrastructure, and operations engineering teams.

• Strong, demonstrable experience in establishing and managing processes in a live critical operational setting.

• Extensive real-time incident and fault management experience in a business-critical context.

• Experience overseeing third-party suppliers to ensure compliance with stringent SLAs.

• Familiarity with business continuity, risk management, incident management, and change control.

• Knowledge of electrical systems, mechanical cooling, fire and life safety, IT/OT systems, or data centre compute, storage, and network infrastructure.

• Experience in project management.

• Strong technical proficiency from a facility M&E or IT infrastructure standpoint.

• Excellent understanding of health and safety, ISO standards, regulations, and compliance within data centres.

• Thorough knowledge of customer installations in data centres and their contractual arrangements.

• Capability to lead or assist in post-incident reviews and incident reports.

• Good working knowledge of Microsoft 365.

• Ability to collaborate with multiple internal and external stakeholder groups.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

• Right to work in the country where the position is located.

• Membership in a professional body and relevant IT, data centre, or AI infrastructure certifications are advantageous.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary based on your contributions, not your previous compensation.

• Equity in Volta, providing you with the opportunity to participate in the company's long-term success.

• Contributions to retirement/pension plans.

• Comprehensive health, wellness, and insurance benefits.

• Generous vacation days each year.

• Discretionary bonuses.

• Global team benefits, which may vary by country due to local regulations.