Director, Critical Operations

The Company STACK INFRASTRUCTURE (STACK) provides digital infrastructure to scale the world’s most innovative companies. We are an award‑winning industry leader in building, owning, and operating highly efficient, cost‑effective wholesale, colocation, and cloud data centers. Each of our national facilities meets or exceeds the highest industry standards in all operational categories of availability, security, connectivity, and physical resilience. STACK offers the scale and geographic reach that rapidly growing hyperscale and enterprise companies need. The world runs on data. Data runs on STACK. The Position As a leader in STACK’s Critical Operations organization, the Critical Operations Director possesses an elite level of leadership and will be responsible for maintaining the mechanical, electrical, fire life safety, base building, and other various internal data center systems. The Critical Operations Director is responsible for all operational aspects and uptime of the data center region, and is focused on implementation and the pursuit of operational excellence for programs related to Safety, Team, Availability, Communication, and Knowledge. The Critical Operations Director reports to the regional VP of Critical Operations. All data center operations site teams in the region will report to the Critical Operations Director. The Critical Operations Director is responsible for the implementation and continuous improvement of the Data Center Operations Program at their sites, including employee training to ensure all staff is adequately qualified. Leading regular team meetings and individual 1:1 sessions is required. The Director leads the site teams in the development and maintenance of CAPEX and OPEX budgets, and is responsible for overseeing project execution and management, including developing scopes, obtaining proposals, creating purchase requisitions, and ensuring invoices are routed properly. Responsibilities Lead and implement standardized culture of always working safely across all STACK data centers. Data center subject matter expert for electrical, mechanical, fire life safety, and other data center systems. Advise the regional VP of Critical Operations on the status of site level preventative and corrective maintenance programs. Operate, monitor, maintain, and respond to abnormal conditions within the facility. Implement site level efficiency projects and maintain overall site design PUE. Ensure preventative and predictive maintenance program is executed. Training and mentoring of staff. Manage vendor relationships and service contracts. Manage vendor procurement and billing process. Site budgeting and forecasting for both CAPEX and OPEX. Evaluate and critique highly detailed technical procedures for maintenance events, emergency situations, standard site evolutions, etc. Ensure construction and commissioning activities do not impact existing critical operations. Lead development and maintenance of individual training plans for each employee in line with the STACK training and development program. Be a customer liaison for all site level inquiries. Lead incident reporting and root cause analysis processes to deep dive into abnormal occurrences within the data center. Expert technical review of procedures. Expert technical review of company standards and policies. Manage site audits both internal and external. Adhere to compliance standards. Manage systems to avoid unplanned, client‑impacting outages. Manage the data floor and back of house mechanical loading capacity to ensure cooling system operates at highest efficiency. Navigate and utilize CMMS, EPMS, and BMS systems. Provide day‑to‑day exceptional customer service and support. Be on‑call to respond to emergency situations at the data centers. Take on other duties as required by STACK. Job duties, roles, and responsibilities are subject to change over time. The Details Location: Chicago, IL or New Albany, OH Benefits: Healthcare, Dental Care, Vision Insurance, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, Paid Leave Programs Travel: Up to 30% Must be eligible to work in the United States Must pass a comprehensive background and drug screening Must-have Qualifications High school diploma or equivalent; Bachelor’s Degree preferred Minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in a data center or other related mission critical operations role. 3-5 years' experience administering and managing facility preventative maintenance programs. 3-5 years' experience in vendor and project management. Expert understanding of the electrical and mechanical systems used in a data center environment, including UPS, Transformers, PDU’s, RPP’s, Chillers, CRAH, CRAC, STS, ATS, and Pre‑action systems. Exceptional leadership skills. Experience managing multiple multi‑million‑dollar budgets while maintaining 100% availability and minimizing total cost of ownership. Expert knowledge of NFPA70e, NFPA72, NFPA25, NFPA101 and related fire or life safety codes, as well as other building codes. Expert knowledge and experience in data center trending and analysis, with the ability to rapidly learn and use PC‑based site monitoring systems. Experience designing, constructing, and commissioning critical systems and buildings. Ability to communicate effectively with customers and internal staff. Ability to coordinate, supervise, and communicate with contractors performing maintenance in the data center. Proven knowledge of customer contracts and SLA levels in line with ASHRAE standards. Experienced people manager. Must be able to develop team players. Compensation Range $213,408.00 - $239,004.00 This Might Be Right For You If You are a strong communicator, persuasive and clear, blending analytics with experience in decision‑making. You do not get flustered easily and can juggle multiple priorities while balancing urgent requests with shifting timelines and deliverables. You are a team builder, taking the time to understand and develop the strengths of your resources while formulating long‑term plans for the growth and success of the team. You are naturally curious and driven toward continual improvement. You celebrate successes while reviewing and analyzing campaigns for future learning. WHY STACK? We offer a competitive compensation package with strong benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, flexible spending accounts, and a cell phone subsidy. We foster a culture of appreciation, including peer‑to‑peer recognition and rewards programs. Fun is part of our DNA, with events, game nights, happy hours, and barbecues. We’re growing – this is a great time to join and make an impact! STACK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, national origin, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. #J-18808-Ljbffr STACK Infrastructure