Vice President Operations

Location West Coast, Southwest a must Employment Type Full-Time Reports To Co-CEO The Role Blue Star Group is the control platform for AI data center decommissioning. We own the full retirement lifecycle for AI infrastructure — GPU clusters, NVLink fabric, InfiniBand networks, and the most sensitive data any organization has ever retired. The VP of Operations is the person who makes that promise real on the ground. This is not a traditional ITAD operations role. AI hardware retirement is a different category of complexity — asset values 5–10x higher than commodity hardware, data sensitivity that requires per-device destruction verification rather than batch certification, and timelines measured in weeks not months because a new GPU deployment is waiting on the rack space. The right candidate has led operations at scale in a demanding environment and has the builder's mindset to design and implement a new operating model from the ground up. What Makes This Different Blue Star's operational model is the competitive differentiator. Every workflow — from asset intake through data destruction, logistics, and secondary market routing — is governed by our platform. The VP of Operations builds and runs the execution layer that the platform controls. You are not inheriting a mature operation. You are building the one that defines the category. What You Will Own End-to-end execution — own all operational functions: AI infrastructure decommissioning, secure data destruction, logistics, asset recovery, grading, and downstream disposition Platform operations — work alongside the technology team to implement and operationalize the Blue Star control platform in the field; the platform governs your workflows and you govern its real-world execution AI hardware operations — lead data center client engagements involving GPU cluster decommissions, NVLink/InfiniBand fabric removal, on-site coordination, and asset movement controls at enterprise and hyperscaler‑adjacent environments Data destruction at scale — own per-device data destruction operations per NIST 800-88, DoD 5220.22‑M, and customer-specified protocols; chain‑of‑custody integrity and per-asset certificate issuance are non‑negotiable Operating model design and implementation — build the SOPs, playbooks, KPI frameworks, and quality standards that define how Blue Star executes across every client event Multi‑site scaling — design and implement scalable operating infrastructure as the facility footprint expands via organic growth and M&A; build for repeatability from the first site Compliance — own R2v3, e‑Stewards, RIOS, and NAID AAA compliance across all operations; these are table stakes for the enterprise market M&A integration — lead operational due diligence on acquisition targets and post‑close integration to unify processes, systems, and standards across acquired entities Team leadership — recruit, develop, and lead a growing operations team across facilities, logistics, and compliance functions What We Are Looking For 5‑10 years of operations leadership with a minimum of 5 years managing ITAD, data center services, or enterprise reverse logistics at scale AI and data center hardware experience — direct experience with GPU, NVLink, InfiniBand, and high‑density compute environments is a meaningful differentiator; standard enterprise ITAD experience alone is not sufficient for this role Data destruction expertise — deep familiarity with per-device destruction verification, NIST 800-88, DoD 5220.22‑M, and chain‑of‑custody documentation requirements for regulated data environments Multi‑site operations track record — proven experience running operations across multiple facilities and building the systems that make multi‑site scale repeatable R2/NAID compliance depth — working knowledge of R2v3, NAID AAA, and e‑Stewards certification requirements and what it takes to maintain them at scale Platform and technology orientation — comfortable working alongside a technology team to operationalize a platform‑governed execution model; experience with CMDB integration or chain‑of‑custody platforms is a plus Builder mindset — Blue Star's operating model does not fully exist yet; the right candidate has built operating infrastructure from the ground up and is energized by that challenge M&A integration experience from an operations perspective is a strong differentiator Background at organizations such as Iron Mountain, ERI, Ingram Micro ITAD, DMD Systems Recovery, or comparable data center services providers is relevant Compensation Base Salary $175,000 – $225,000 commensurate with experience Annual Bonus Target 20–30% of base, tied to throughput, compliance, hub expansion milestones, and company EBITDA Equity Executive equity participation (EOP) Benefits Comprehensive health, dental, and vision; 401(k); paid time off #J-18808-Ljbffr