Location: Buffalo ,New York
Expected Start Date: Jul 17, 2026
Facility Operations Lead - Data Center InfrastructureLocation: Buffalo, NY (relocation assistance provided) Overview We are seeking an experienced Facility Operations Lead to oversee critical infrastructure operations within a live data center environment. This individual will serve as the on-site authority for facility systems, ensuring operational excellence, infrastructure reliability, and effective coordination of vendors, contractors, and service providers.
This role is ideal for someone who has worked directly within mission-critical facilities and understands the demands of supporting high-availability operations where uptime is non-negotiable.
Key Responsibilities - Serve as the primary point of contact for facility and infrastructure operations at the site.
- Provide technical leadership for electrical, mechanical, cooling, and building systems supporting the data center.
- Direct and oversee maintenance activities performed by contractors, vendors, and third-party service providers.
- Lead operational reviews and risk assessments for maintenance and infrastructure modifications.
- Manage change-control activities to ensure work is executed safely and without impact to critical operations.
- Coordinate response efforts during infrastructure incidents, outages, and emergency situations.
- Evaluate maintenance programs and operational practices to ensure reliability and compliance with established standards.
- Partner with internal stakeholders and external providers to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence.
- Document findings, identify risks, and implement corrective actions to strengthen overall site performance.
Qualifications - Experience leading facility operations within a live data center, colocation, or other mission-critical environment.
- Strong working knowledge of critical infrastructure systems, including power distribution, backup power, HVAC, and cooling systems.
- Proven success managing vendors, contractors, and external service providers.
- Experience with change management, maintenance planning, and operational risk mitigation.
- Ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex infrastructure issues in a fast-paced environment.
- Comfortable serving as an escalation point and coordinating incident response efforts.
- Strong communication, documentation, and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Qualifications - Experience supporting hyperscale or large-scale colocation facilities.
- Familiarity with Uptime Institute standards, NFPA requirements, and critical-environment best practices.
- Experience developing or executing MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs.
- Exposure to AI computing environments or high-density infrastructure deployments.
- Experience supporting liquid cooling systems and advanced thermal-management technologies.
Additional Information This position operates within a 24/7 mission-critical environment. Candidates should be comfortable with extended hours when required, after-hours incident response, and the responsibility that comes with maintaining highly available infrastructure.
