Lambda · 1 month ago
Director, Data Center Operations - North America
United States
Full-time
Remote
Director/Executive
$220K/yr - $330K/yr
10+ years expLambda is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure serving a diverse range of customers. They are seeking a Director of Data Center Operations to oversee AI and high-performance computing infrastructure across North America, ensuring operational excellence and strategic leadership in data center operations.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Cloud ComputingGPUMachine Learning
Responsibilities
Develop and execute the North American data center operations strategy aligned with AI infrastructure goals and organizational growth
Drive continuous improvement across facility operations, emphasizing sustainability, efficiency, and resilience
Partner with Engineering, Capacity Planning, and Infrastructure teams to forecast and support future AI and GPU-based compute requirements. As well as provide operational feedback on designs and system improvements
Oversee expansion projects, retrofits, and site selection in collaboration with Data Center Infrastructure Engineering and HPC Architecture teams
Lead a multi-site operations team ensuring 24/7/365 reliability, availability, and SLA response across all facilities
Establish standardized procedures, metrics, and best practices for preventive maintenance, incident management, and service delivery
Monitor operational KPIs including uptime, PUE, safety, and compliance with corporate and regulatory standards
Implement automation and AI-driven monitoring solutions to optimize system performance and predictive maintenance. Coordinate and communicate data center provider maintenances with customers and impacted teams
Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of operations managers, technicians, and engineers across multiple regions
Routinely visit all sites to maintain standards, develop relationships, and identify areas of efficiency
Foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous learning driving data center operations to take on more responsibility and work up the stack
Assist in the build out of new data center whitespace and deployment of AI Infrastructure
Develop and manage operating budgets, capital expenditures, and cost-optimization initiatives
Oversee strategic vendor partnerships with numerous data center providers for power, cooling, maintenance, and critical infrastructure components
Ensure compliance with environmental, safety, and industry regulations (e.g., NFPA, OSHA, ISO standards)
Lead incident response and root cause analysis to drive preventive improvements for incidents related to data center operations or infrastructure
Act as primary point of contact for audits related to data center operations for compliance such as SOCII, ISO, etc
Qualification
Required
10+ years of experience in data center operations, with at least 7 years in a leadership role managing multi-site or hyperscale facilities
Proven experience supporting AI, HPC, or cloud infrastructure at scale
Deep understanding of power and cooling systems, networking, capacity planning, and facility automation tools (DCIM, BMS, etc.)
Strong track record of improving operational efficiency and managing relationships with data center providers
Exceptional communication, cross-functional collaboration, and stakeholder management skills. Ability to build relationships and consensus and positive team culture
Willingness to travel (up to 50%) to data center sites across North America and data center sites under construction
Preferred
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field; Master's bonus
Experience with GPU clusters, AI infrastructure networking, and large-scale storage systems
Familiarity with cloud-scale operational practices (e.g., AWS, Google, Microsoft data center standards)
Certifications such as CDCDP, CDCP, PMP, or PE are a plus
Benefits
Generous cash & equity compensation
Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
Wellness and commuter stipends for select roles
401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)
Flexible paid time off plan that we all actually use
Company
Lambda
Lambda is a cloud-based platform that provides high-performance GPU hardware and cloud infrastructure for AI model training and inference.
501-1000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Lambda has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (16)
2024 (1)
2023 (3)
2022 (2)
2021 (2)
2020 (3)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$3.19BKey Investors
TWG GlobalJP MorganMacquarie Group
2025-11-18Series E· $1.5B
2025-08-19Debt Financing· $275M
2025-02-19Series D· $480M
Leadership Team
Stephen Balaban
Co-founder, CEO
Michael Balaban
Co-Founder / CTO
Recent News
2025-12-25
2025-12-22
2025-12-20
Company data provided by crunchbase