Data Center Facilities Manager / Critical Facilities Manager

Position: Data Center Facilities Manager / Critical Facilities Manager / Electrical & HVAC
Location: Montgomery, TX (Onsite)
Full time
Industry: Data Center / GPU Cloud Infrastructure
Job Summary:
We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Data Center Facilities Manager to oversee the electrical and mechanical infrastructure of a Tier III colocation data center and its upcoming expansion into a high-density NVIDIA GPU cloud campus. The facility is located approximately 45 minutes north of Houston, Texas, with expansion planned through 2027.
The ideal candidate will be responsible for maintaining 100% uptime at the existing facility, upgrading and restoring aging electrical and mechanical systems, and representing the owner during the construction, commissioning, and handover of the new expansion building. This role will lead facilities technicians and contractors while working closely with IT Operations to ensure reliable power, cooling, and uninterrupted data center operations.
Key Responsibilities:

• Facilities Operations: Manage day-to-day operations, maintenance, and reliability of critical data center electrical and mechanical infrastructure.
• Power Infrastructure: Oversee switchgear, generators, UPS systems, electrical distribution, and associated backup power systems.
• Cooling Systems: Manage chilled water plants, HVAC systems, and cooling infrastructure supporting high-density computing and GPU workloads.
• Uptime and Reliability: Maintain 100% uptime at the existing facility and proactively identify and resolve infrastructure risks.
• Maintenance and Upgrades: Restore, repair, and modernize aging electrical and mechanical systems while minimizing operational disruptions.
• Expansion and Commissioning: Serve as the owner's representative for the new data center building, overseeing infrastructure readiness, commissioning, testing, and handover.
• Maintenance Procedures: Develop and execute Methods of Procedure (MOPs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), and emergency operating procedures (EOPs) for critical maintenance activities.
• Team Leadership: Lead facilities technicians, contractors, and service vendors, ensuring safe and effective execution of maintenance and repair activities.
• Vendor Management: Coordinate service providers, maintenance schedules, equipment repairs, and infrastructure improvement projects.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with IT Operations to align power and cooling capacity, maintenance activities, and infrastructure availability with IT requirements.
• Safety and Compliance: Ensure compliance with electrical safety standards, facility operating procedures, and applicable regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience working in mission-critical facilities such as data centers, colocation facilities, hospitals, or telecommunications facilities.
• 3+ years of experience leading facilities technicians, maintenance teams, contractors, or vendors.
• Hands-on experience with critical electrical infrastructure, including switchgear, generators, UPS systems, and electrical distribution.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical and cooling systems, including chilled water plants and HVAC infrastructure.
• Experience developing and executing MOPs and performing live maintenance activities without impacting customers or critical operations.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot infrastructure issues, manage maintenance activities, and maintain high facility availability.
• Experience managing vendors, maintenance projects, and critical facilities operations.
• Strong leadership, communication, troubleshooting, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work on-site at the data center facility north of Houston, Texas.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with data center construction, commissioning, integrated systems testing, and operational handover.
• Familiarity with high-density NVIDIA GPU clusters and the associated power and cooling requirements.
• Experience with liquid cooling technologies for high-performance computing environments.
• Texas electrical license or Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (ACR) license.
• Previous U.S. Navy nuclear power program or Seabee experience.
• Experience serving as an owner's representative during data center construction or expansion projects.

Ideal Candidate Profile:
The ideal candidate is a hands-on critical facilities leader with strong electrical and mechanical expertise who can maintain the reliability of an existing Tier III data center while helping deliver a new, high-density GPU cloud campus. The candidate should be comfortable leading technicians and vendors, executing maintenance in live environments, resolving infrastructure challenges, and overseeing commissioning and operational readiness for the expansion.