Senior Director, Data Centre Operations

About VIRTUS

VIRTUS Data Centres is a leading European data centre developer and operator, delivering secure, energy-efficient and flexible infrastructure for the rapidly growing demands of cloud, AI and digital services. With an established UK presence and a growing footprint across Europe, including Germany and Italy, VIRTUS is investing in next-generation, AI-ready infrastructure at scale. Our ambition is to lead the industry by being different by design, underpinned by our values: Clarity & Quality, Accountability, Customer Commitment, Purposeful Innovation, and Capability & Growth.

Job Summary

VIRTUS Data Centres is seeking a highly experienced Senior Director, Data Centre Operations to build and lead our data centre operations organisation in Berlin, Germany. The Senior Director, Data Centre Operations will be accountable for the full operational performance of both campuses, ensuring it remains Safe, Secure, and Continuously Available. This leadership position requires a people centric, culturally intelligent leader with experience leading hyperscale, mission critical operations. A dynamic and entrepreneurial mindset is essential, with the ability to balance strategic direction and operational detail while driving clarity, execution, and results.

Duties and Responsibilities The role includes but is not limited to the following:

Safety, Security & Availability

• Established a safe, secure, and highly available operational environment, with all data centre facilities fully prepared and operationally ready to support customer workloads.

• Implemented robust operational governance, risk management, compliance, and business continuity processes, ensuring the campus consistently meets VIRTUS operating standards and customer commitments.

Operational Excellence

• Successfully supported the operational readiness program including people, processes, systems, and facilities, enabling the seamless onboarding of customers and services.

• Developed a strong understanding of VIRTUS policies, processes, procedures, and performance expectations, embedding them within the operations function while driving continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Leadership

• Built and developed a high-performing operations organisation, with the capability, culture, and leadership required to support current operations and future campus growth.

• Established trusted relationships with key internal stakeholders, customers, and strategic partners, ensuring successful customer onboarding, effective collaboration, and the consistent delivery of customer expectations.

Person Specification Qualifications:

• Degree qualified in Engineering, Business Management, or related experience.

• Significant leadership experience within hyperscale, mission-critical, or critical infrastructure environments.

• Proven track record of leading large-scale operations with accountability for safety, security, availability, customer outcomes, and business performance.

• Deep understanding of operational governance, risk management, compliance, and business continuity.

• A people-centric and culturally intelligent leader with strong emotional intelligence and a demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams.

• Experience building, scaling, or transforming operational organisations to support growth and operational readiness.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and build trusted relationships across customers, partners, and executive leadership teams.

• Proven ability to balance strategic leadership with operational detail, translating strategy into clear priorities and measurable outcomes.

• Strategic and commercially minded, with a focus on innovation, continuous improvement, and customer experience.

• Demonstrated ability to lead change, solve complex business challenges, and deliver results in dynamic, fast-paced environments.

This role comes with an on-call element, which will require the post holder to participate in an out-of-hours on-call escalation rota.

In line with VIRTUS’ Vetting Policy, the successful applicant must be willing to undergo a BS7858 screening process.

VIRTUS is an equal opportunity employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment. We reserve the right to close this post for applications should sufficient applications be received.

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