Director, Data Center Campus Planning & Program Management

Fleet Data Centers designs, builds and operates mega-scale data center campuses. Fleet provides its customers flexibility and predictability to meet their upside demand forecasts, addressing a key need in the market as traditional leased models are struggling to keep pace with the demand for new Cloud and AI infrastructure. Fleet is led by a team of industry veterans that have already made a lasting imprint on the evolution of global digital infrastructure and are committed and uniquely capable of upleveling data center development scale and operations in the face of rising demand. Fleet is well positioned to bring in-house design, engineering and operational capabilities to collaborate with customers on tailored solutions for campuses of 500MW . This unique model enables Fleet to provide the world’s largest and most sophisticated customers a seamless extension of their own data center fleets with constant access to design innovation. Fleet is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with satellite offices in Seattle, WA and Arlington, VA.

Position Overview:

The Director of Data Center Campus Planning and Program Management owns end-to-end program management of data center campus infrastructure deployments in North America. They are a key member of a multi-disciplined team of engineers and technical program managers that plan, schedule, coordinate and direct the activities of customers, vendors and Fleet Data Centers teams including data center engineering, construction and commissioning, procurement, and supply chain, legal and finance. They are accountable for data center campus infrastructure delivery commitments, project and annual financial plans and budgets, and year-on-year improvements in unit cost, lead times and productivity. Additionally, the Director of Data Center Campus Planning and Program Management is accountable for optimizing data center infrastructure delivery and collaborating with internal stakeholders and external customers to onboard and install network and server infrastructure and resolve turn-up and handover issues as they arise. The Director of Data Center Campus Planning and Program Management reports to the VP Data Center Planning and Delivery, Fleet Data Centers.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop end-to-end, muti-phase program plans and project schedules that align customer needs and delivery dates, vendor equipment and supply chain lead times, power and utility delivery, data center construction and commissioning, regulatory filings and permit requirements, and customer deployments (network and server). You are accountable for on-time and on-budget end-to-end delivery of data center campus infrastructure.
• Work with internal stakeholders and external customers to onboard and deploy their network, compute, storage and AI infrastructure and align their IT load ramp and utilization to peak available utility capacity.
• Design and implement mechanisms that track program and project plans in detail that reliably catch and escalate delays, rework, and other risks to meeting our customer commitments. Your project plans and schedules anticipate and account for failures and delays with pre-determined mitigation plans.
• Coordinate, track, and drive on-site execution team activities who perform the construction of new data centers and upgrade and repair existing data centers as it relates to on time overall program delivery. Drive accountability with construction leaders that own the quality, schedule, and cost of physical data center infrastructure deployment, and coordinate construction and commissioning including all critical infrastructure disciplines including civil, architectural, structural, mechanical cooling, fire systems, acoustics and electrical including high voltage (HV), medium voltage (MV), and low voltage (LV) systems.
• Construction project management and oversight of construction related activities as they relate to builds. This will include monitoring of the base build project scope, timeline, and budget and ownership of the fit-out project scope, timeline, and budget.
• Coordinate and support negotiations with general contractors and developers and evaluate bids/proposals with detail and accuracy with supplier management and procurement.
• Collaborate and innovate on data center designs, engineering, tools and build process innovations that improve delivery reliability, quality, sustainability, and efficiency, and reduces cost. Own and drive trade-off decisions on design and construction with material differences in cost, schedule, scale, or the service/product specifications delivered to the customer.
• Develop mechanisms to ensure that contracted resources (General Contractors, design consultants, etc.) deliver work to meet duration and quality targets, addressing and ensuring the correction of under-performance.
• Develop annual capital plans and budgets tied to infrastructure and capacity delivery. Execute draw downs on that budget including capital allocation requests and other investment and ROI-driven business cases. financial analysis of design and construction work including change orders, purchase orders, and invoicing.
  
  

Qualifications:

• Minimum 10-15 years of increasing scope and responsibility for physical infrastructure delivery including planning, construction, and commissioning of critical facilities infrastructure. Scope to include network deployment and server deployment readiness at a regional level.
• Demonstrable results associated with on-time delivery, continuous improvement, new technology introduction and innovation business case development.
• Productive engagement of customer engineering and business leaders at all levels.
• Development of capacity planning and project planning, budgeting, and tracking tools and processes.
• Deep experience with sourcing, contract negotiation, and supplier relationship management within the construction and services industry.
• Strong leadership, communication, and team development skills.
• Data center engineering and operations service procurement.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Computer Science, Finance, or other technical discipline.
  
  

Required Traits and Skills:

• Integrity and Ethical Standards: Build trust, ensure fairness, and foster long-term, transparent relationships with suppliers.
• Effective Communication: The ability to clearly convey expectations and requirements to suppliers and negotiation parties, while understanding their needs and concerns. Comfortable delivering written and verbal presentations to internal leadership teams.
• Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Ability to understand the emotions, cultural nuances, and motivations of others, while effectively managing one’s own emotions during high-pressure negotiations.
• Strategic Thinking: Recognize how supplier relationships and negotiations align with the broader organizational goals, while aiming for outcomes that benefit both parties.
• Critical Thinking Skills: Finding innovative solutions and being flexible in addressing unexpected challenges.
• Analytical Ability: Make data-driven decisions, assess cost structures, and identify potential risks, ensuring informed and strategic outcomes.
• Influence and Persuasion: Able to effectively advocate for their position, build consensus, and secure favorable agreements without compromising relationships.
• Operational Paranoia: Anticipate risks, identify vulnerabilities, and proactively implement mechanisms to prevent and minimize disruptions and safeguard safety, security, availability, and scale.
• Relationship Management: Cultivate trust, collaboration, and long-term partnerships, while building a broad network that provides valuable benchmarking, industry insights, and alternative sourcing options.
• Leadership and Team Management: Inspire and guide teams to achieve their objectives while enhancing performance, effectively managing disputes, and fostering a collaborative team environment.
  
  

Expected Salary Range: $132,000 – $180,000 plus Bonus.

Fleet Data Centers Employment

Fleet Data Center employees enjoy competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, standard paid holidays, and unlimited PTO.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties as assigned to meet the organization’s ongoing needs.

Fleet Data Centers is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status.

If you need assistance applying for any of our open positions, please contact us at info@fleetdatacenters.com.