Senior Director of Data Center Operations

ADP - Alpharetta, GA

Full-time - Senior

Alpharetta, GA

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

ADP is hiring a Senior Director of Data Center Operations, a pivotal role responsible for overseeing the operations of ADP's Data Centers. This position entails comprehensive responsibilities including the planning, design, installation, and maintenance of facilities systems and technology hardware, ensuring the success of key ADP hosted applications. The Senior Director will provide leadership to facilities managers, field technicians, and consultants, ensuring the operability of critical systems such as electrical, mechanical, and HVAC. This includes coordinating day-to-day maintenance activities for essential equipment like UPS, generators, battery plants, chillers, and cooling towers. The role also involves collaboration with corporate real estate, security, and service partners to maintain building integrity, secure access, and uphold fire and life safety systems. A key focus will be to ensure that the data center operates at maximum efficiency, both financially and environmentally, aligning with set budgets and meeting ADP's carbon emission reduction targets. In addition to facilities management, the Senior Director will lead technology managers, field engineers, and consultants to ensure proper planning, installation, and maintenance of data center technology equipment. This encompasses data center floor layout, power and HVAC design, low voltage cabling, and the installation of network, storage, mainframe, and server technology, all in alignment with technology and application needs. The role requires a strategic vision to work with other technology managers to meet installation goals while ensuring compliance with corporate change control processes. To excel in this role, candidates must have a proven track record in managing large-scale data centers, adeptly navigating the daily challenges that arise. Strong leadership and communication skills are essential, enabling effective discussions with technicians and engineers while also providing a strategic vision to senior leadership. Experience in audit compliance, budget management, capacity management, project management, executive presentations, vendor management, and negotiation is crucial. The Senior Director will coordinate with data center team leaders to prioritize daily installation, maintenance, and break-fix activities, create and maintain long-term strategies for facility and technology hardware, and ensure that operational, financial, and environmental metrics meet well-defined SLAs. Additionally, the role involves leading a team in the design, build, and maintenance of critical data center facility services, developing and implementing standards to ensure peak efficiency and maximum reliability, and managing capital and operating budgets for new initiatives and resource planning.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with data center team leaders to prioritize daily installation, maintenance, and break-fix activities for technicians, engineers, and vendors.
• Create and maintain long-term strategy for facility and technology hardware in coordination with corporate real estate, technology partners, and key vendors.
• Ensure operational, financial, and environmental metrics meet well-defined SLAs.
• Lead a team in the design, build, and maintenance of critical data center facility services, including mechanical, electric, and HVAC.
• Work with technology leaders to ensure install, build, and operational requirements for systems and applications housed in ADP data centers.
• Develop and implement standards to ensure facility runs at peak efficiency and maximum reliability to ensure uptime.
• Create and maintain Capital and Operating budgets, business cases for new initiatives, and resource plans for BAU and project-based hires.

Requirements

• 15+ years' experience in data center facility/technology design, operations, and/or maintenance.
• 8+ years of people management experience.
• Proven technical depth required to run this blended technical/engineering focused role, with individual contributor experience in mechanical or electrical engineering, or data center technology.
• Strong leadership skills, experience in leading teams and projects in person and remotely, and the ability to work with leaders across the spectrum of Technology, Facilities, Managed Services, etc.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related subject area, or equivalent work experience required; advanced degree is beneficial.
• Extensive knowledge of data center power and cooling technologies, industry standards for building and safety, as well as regionality in design/application in the US, Canada, and possibly global.

Benefits

• Best-in-class benefits starting on Day 1.
• Focus on mental health and wellbeing with support services.
• Company-paid time off for volunteering for causes you care about.
• Opportunities for ongoing training, development, and mentorship.