Senior Manager, Data Centre Operations
Location: London
Reporting to: Director, EMEA Data Centre Operations
Direct Reports: Data Centre Facilities Manager, Data Centre M&E Manager
Salary: £85,000–£100,000 + allowances & benefits (detailed below)
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Senior Manager, Data Centre Operations to lead the operational performance, service quality, and resilience of a major carrier-dense, globally connected data centre campus. The site supports mission-critical colocation services, high-density deployments, extensive interconnection ecosystems, and 24/7 operational demands.
This role oversees facilities operations, engineering/M&E teams, and incident management processes while ensuring excellence in service delivery and compliance with strict availability, safety, and security standards.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
* Oversee day-to-day data centre operations, ensuring consistent adherence to uptime, safety, and customer SLAs.
* Lead and develop the Facilities Manager and M&E Manager, providing strategic direction for engineering, maintenance, and site operations teams.
* Manage site operations across power, cooling, security, fire systems, critical infrastructure, and building services.
Infrastructure & Risk Management
* Ensure all critical systems are maintained to world-class standards, following rigorous preventive and corrective maintenance programmes.
* Lead root-cause analysis, incident response, and post-incident reviews for all operational events.
* Maintain operational risk registers, capacity planning, and resilience strategies.
Governance, Compliance & Standards
* Uphold compliance with required ISO standards, safety regulations, and internal operational frameworks.
* Drive continuous improvement initiatives aligned with global data centre best practices.
* Work closely with compliance and security teams to maintain audit readiness.
Customer & Stakeholder Interaction
* Act as a senior operational point of contact for enterprise, cloud, and carrier customers.
* Collaborate with internal stakeholders including engineering design, commercial, security, and IT teams.
* Support customer tours, technical clarifications, and operational reporting.
People Leadership
* Foster a high-performance culture within the operations team.
* Lead workforce planning, recruitment, succession planning, and skills development.
* Ensure teams adhere to safety, quality, and technical training requirements.
Standards & Compliance Requirements
Experience with the following standards is required or strongly preferred:
* ISO 27001 – Information Security Management
* ISO 20000-1 – IT Service Management
* ISO 22301 – Business Continuity
* ISO 9001 – Quality Management
* ISO 14001 – Environmental Management
* ISO 45001 – Occupational Health & Safety
* ISO 50001 – Energy Management
Engineering Practices & Technical Experience
Candidates must demonstrate strong engineering competence across the following data centre disciplines:
Electrical Systems
* HV/LV distribution systems, transformers, switchgear, busbars and panel boards
* UPS systems (static & rotary), battery technologies (VRLA, Lithium-ion)
* Generator systems, fuel delivery, and synchronisation controls
* Electrical Protection Systems (EPS), load testing and discrimination studies
* Grounding/earthing systems and power quality analysis
* Familiarity with N+1, 2N, and 2N+1 electrical architectures
Mechanical & Cooling Systems
* CRAC/CRAH units, chilled water systems, DX cooling and adiabatic cooling
* Chillers, pumps, cooling towers, heat exchangers and associated controls
* Hot/cold aisle containment and airflow management strategies
* Environmental monitoring and optimisation for PUE/energy efficiency
* Understanding of high-density deployments (liquid cooling beneficial)
Controls, Monitoring & Automation
* BMS, EPMS and PLC-driven controls
* Asset monitoring, alarm management, and remote telemetry
* Interpretation of trend data for predictive maintenance and incident analysis
* Familiarity with CMMS platforms for asset management and maintenance planning
Facilities, Safety & Critical Infrastructure
* Fire detection & suppression systems (VESDA, gas suppression, water mist)
* Access control, CCTV, mantrap systems, and physical security controls
* Compliance with electrical and mechanical safety legislation (UK-specific)
* Authorised Person experience (AP/CP) for HV/LV or mechanical systems desirable
Operational Engineering Practices
* Creating and reviewing Method Statements, Risk Assessments, and SOPs/EOPs
* Hands-on oversight of maintenance activities, change controls, and energised work restrictions
* Managing engineering vendors, SLAs, performance reporting, and site audits
* Strong understanding of resilience, redundancy, failover paths and fault-tolerant design
Skills & Experience Required
* 5+ years of data centre operations management experience within a critical-environment setting.
* Proven leadership of engineering, facilities or operations teams in a 24/7 environment.
* Strong technical understanding of electrical/mechanical systems, BMS/EPMS, and critical facility infrastructure.
* Demonstrated experience in incident management, root cause analysis and operational risk management.
* Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with a customer-centric approach.
* Ability to operate effectively in high-availability, multi-site or campus-scale environments.
Compensation & Benefits
* Base Salary: £85,000–£100,000
* Annual Travel Allowance: £5,000 (paid monthly)
* Annual Car Allowance: £5,650 (paid monthly)
* Annual Bonus: Equivalent to 2.5× monthly salary, paid every May
* Private Medical & Dental Plan
* Pension:
* Year 1: 9% employer contribution
* Year 2: 10% employer contribution
* Year 3+: 11% employer contribution
* Additional benefits include life assurance, enhanced leave, wellbeing support, and professional development programmes.
Why Join Us?
This is a senior leadership opportunity within one of Europe’s most interconnected and engineering-intensive data centre environments. You will shape operational strategy, drive engineering excellence, and ensure the resilience and performance of a globally significant critical infrastructure facility.
Apply Now!!!!