Director, Data Center Facilities Operations

ABOUT THE ROLE:

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead and develop a multi-layered organization of managers, supervisors, and technicians across multiple data centers to deliver 24/7/365 reliability with zero unplanned interruptions to employees, customers, and flight-critical systems.
• Set site-wide strategy, multi-year roadmaps, budgeting (CapEx/OpEx), and resource forecasting for all data center facilities infrastructure; drive extreme ownership of total execution, safety culture, and reliability engineering.
• Partner with engineering, IT, operations, and executive leadership to plan, prioritize, resource, and execute large-scale projects that support launch manifests, capacity expansion, and efficiency improvements across the site.
• Establish and continuously improve standardized work instructions, maintenance strategies, and operational processes for all data centers; drive best practices, lessons learned, and continuous improvement across the entire portfolio.
• Conduct ongoing assessment of resource needs, life-cycle costs, and capacity planning for multiple facilities; own long-term capital planning and total cost of ownership for data center infrastructure.
• Oversee all contractors and vendors supporting mechanical, structural, HVAC, electrical, power, cooling, fire/life safety, and water systems across multiple data centers; enforce corporate standards, SLAs, and performance.
• Own site-wide preventative and predictive maintenance programs; develop prioritization frameworks and multi-year strategies for major repairs, upgrades, and replacements to maximize uptime and efficiency (including PUE optimization).
• Define, track, and communicate key performance indicators (safety, uptime/availability, quality, labor productivity, energy efficiency, and operating expenses) to executive leadership and drive accountability across the organization.
• Provide strategic oversight of emergency response and on-call frameworks; ensure robust 24x7 support models and rapid recovery capabilities for all data center facilities.
• Lead talent development, succession planning, and organizational design for a high-performing multi-site facilities team.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, facilities management, architecture, construction management, or related technical field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in facilities operations, data center infrastructure, or critical facilities management, including at least 5 years in a leadership role managing multi-site or multi-facility operations.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams responsible for high-availability environments (data centers, mission-critical, or industrial facilities).

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree in engineering, business, or related field; professional certifications (e.g., CEM, PMP, CFM, or data center-specific credentials) preferred.
• Deep expertise in data center critical infrastructure: high-power electrical systems, UPS/generators, precision cooling/HVAC, fire suppression, BMS/DCIM systems, telecommunications infrastructure, fuel systems, and redundancy/resiliency design (Tier standards, concurrent maintainability, etc.).
• Proven track record of managing large budgets, multi-year capital programs, and complex vendor ecosystems across multiple facilities.
• Excellent executive communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical and operational issues to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Strong leadership presence with a track record of building high-performing teams, driving cultural change, and delivering results in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.
• Ability to provide strategic input on facility design, capacity planning, and long-term infrastructure roadmaps.
• Highly organized, self-driven leader capable of operating with significant autonomy while aligning to company priorities.
• Experience managing large-scale projects and portfolios under aggressive timelines with frequent changes in scope and priority.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Willingness to travel as needed across the site and occasionally to other SpaceX locations.
• Ability and willingness to work extended hours, weekends, and non-standard schedules as required to support critical operations.
• Comfort operating in a high-stress, high-tempo environment while balancing multiple strategic priorities and rapidly adapting to changing business needs.