Position Summary
The Senior Director of Special Projects is responsible for leading the planning, governance, and execution of capital and operational projects across operational data centers after initial construction and commissioning are complete. This role serves as the strategic owner for all post-handover infrastructure projects, ensuring facilities continue to evolve to meet customer demand, operational requirements, technology advancements, and asset lifecycle needs.
The Senior Director partners closely with Data Center Operations, Engineering, Capacity Planning, Real Estate, Design & Construction, Supply Chain, Finance, Product, and Customer organizations to deliver projects safely, on schedule, within budget, and with minimal impact to production environments.
This leader develops standardized execution strategies, establishes project governance, and builds a high-performing organization capable of managing a diverse portfolio of infrastructure, mechanical, electrical, customer-driven, and facility enhancement projects across a global data center portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and lead the global strategy for post-construction capital projects across operational data centers.
- Establish governance, prioritization frameworks, and execution standards for all special projects.
- Build and lead a geographically distributed organization of project managers and technical leaders.
- Drive continuous improvement through standardized processes, metrics, reporting, and lessons learned.
- Partner with executive leadership to align project priorities with business objectives and long-term infrastructure strategy.
Portfolio Management
Lead the execution of projects including:
- Customer-specific infrastructure requests
- Rack infill and capacity expansion
- Rack refresh and modernization programs
- Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) asset replacement and end-of-life programs
- Facility infrastructure upgrades
- Power and cooling enhancements
- Design modifications and engineering improvements
- Operational resiliency projects
- Capacity optimization initiatives
- Building infrastructure enhancements
- Commissioning and recommissioning efforts
- Final construction project closeouts and punch list completion
- Deferred scope execution
- Compliance-driven improvements
- Sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives
- Emergency infrastructure recovery projects
- Technology refresh initiatives
Project Delivery
- Ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and with minimal operational disruption.
- Establish standardized project planning, budgeting, scheduling, risk management, and change control processes.
- Oversee contractor and vendor performance across multiple programs.
- Manage project financial performance, forecasts, and capital expenditures.
- Drive schedule adherence and executive-level reporting.
Operational Partnership
- Serve as the primary executive interface between Construction, Operations, Engineering, and customers for post-handover projects.
- Coordinate maintenance windows and project execution with operational teams.
- Balance customer commitments with operational risk and infrastructure availability.
- Resolve complex cross-functional issues that impact project delivery.
Asset Lifecycle Management
- Develop long-term infrastructure renewal strategies.
- Prioritize replacement of aging mechanical and electrical assets.
- Manage lifecycle planning for critical facility infrastructure.
- Coordinate capital planning with Finance and Asset Management teams.
Customer & Business Support
- Lead execution of customer-requested modifications and expansions.
- Support new product introductions requiring infrastructure changes.
- Deliver projects that improve customer experience, capacity, reliability, and operational efficiency.
- Ensure commitments to internal and external stakeholders are met.
Governance & Compliance
- Maintain compliance with corporate engineering standards and applicable regulatory requirements.
- Ensure projects follow change management, commissioning, quality assurance, and safety processes.
- Develop executive dashboards and portfolio health reporting.
Internal Responsibilities
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Business, or related field.
- 15+ years of progressively responsible experience managing large-scale infrastructure, mission-critical facilities, or capital construction programs.
- 8+ years leading large technical organizations.
- Experience managing multi-million-dollar capital portfolios.
- Strong understanding of mission-critical data center infrastructure, including:
- Electrical distribution
- Mechanical cooling systems
- Power generation
- Building automation systems
- Facility operations
- Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
- Strong financial acumen, including capital planning and budget management.
- Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred
- Experience managing operational data center infrastructure.
- Experience transitioning projects from construction into operations.
- Professional Engineer (PE), PMP, or equivalent certification.
- Experience leading global teams.
- Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier Standards, NFPA, ASHRAE, IEEE, and other applicable industry standards.
Core Competencies
- Strategic Leadership
- Executive Communication
- Portfolio Management
- Capital Program Management
- Organizational Leadership
- Customer Focus
- Operational Excellence
- Infrastructure Lifecycle Management
- Risk Management
- Financial Stewardship
- Vendor Management
- Continuous Improvement
- Change Leadership
- Decision Making
- Collaboration and Influence
Success Measures
Success in this role will be measured by:
- Safe execution of all projects with zero preventable incidents.
- On-time and on-budget delivery of capital projects.
- Improved data center reliability and operational resilience.
- Effective management of infrastructure lifecycle replacement programs.
- Customer satisfaction with infrastructure enhancements and special project execution.
- Reduction of operational risk through proactive modernization initiatives.
- Consistent executive reporting and portfolio transparency.
- Continuous improvement of project delivery processes and organizational performance.
Scope
The Senior Director oversees a diverse portfolio of post-construction projects supporting operational data centers, including customer-driven modifications, infrastructure modernization, lifecycle asset replacement, operational enhancements, compliance initiatives, and strategic capital improvements. The role is accountable for project governance, execution excellence, financial performance, and cross-functional coordination across multiple regions, ensuring data centers continue to evolve safely and efficiently throughout their operational lifecycle.
#LI-KT1
External Responsibilities
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Business, or related field.
- 15+ years of progressively responsible experience managing large-scale infrastructure, mission-critical facilities, or capital construction programs.
- 8+ years leading large technical organizations.
- Experience managing multi-million-dollar capital portfolios.
- Strong understanding of mission-critical data center infrastructure, including:
- Electrical distribution
- Mechanical cooling systems
- Power generation
- Building automation systems
- Facility operations
- Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional initiatives.
- Strong financial acumen, including capital planning and budget management.
- Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred
- Experience managing operational data center infrastructure.
- Experience transitioning projects from construction into operations.
- Professional Engineer (PE), PMP, or equivalent certification.
- Experience leading global teams.
- Familiarity with Uptime Institute Tier Standards, NFPA, ASHRAE, IEEE, and other applicable industry standards.
Core Competencies
- Strategic Leadership
- Executive Communication
- Portfolio Management
- Capital Program Management
- Organizational Leadership
- Customer Focus
- Operational Excellence
- Infrastructure Lifecycle Management
- Risk Management
- Financial Stewardship
- Vendor Management
- Continuous Improvement
- Change Leadership
- Decision Making
- Collaboration and Influence
Success Measures
Success in this role will be measured by:
- Safe execution of all projects with zero preventable incidents.
- On-time and on-budget delivery of capital projects.
- Improved data center reliability and operational resilience.
- Effective management of infrastructure lifecycle replacement programs.
- Customer satisfaction with infrastructure enhancements and special project execution.
- Reduction of operational risk through proactive modernization initiatives.
- Consistent executive reporting and portfolio transparency.
- Continuous improvement of project delivery processes and organizational performance.
Scope
The Senior Director oversees a diverse portfolio of post-construction projects supporting operational data centers, including customer-driven modifications, infrastructure modernization, lifecycle asset replacement, operational enhancements, compliance initiatives, and strategic capital improvements. The role is accountable for project governance, execution excellence, financial performance, and cross-functional coordination across multiple regions, ensuring data centers continue to evolve safely and efficiently throughout their operational lifecycle.
#LI-KT1
