Head of Data Center Operations

Overview

Head of Data Center Operations Jobs in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates at Robert Walters

Title: Head of Data Center Operations

Company: Robert Walters

Location: Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates

• To lead the effort from design completion through commissioning and into full steady-state operations.
• You will work directly with the CEO to bring the facility to life – overseeing construction, standing up a 20-50 person operations team, and establishing the processes, standards, and culture that will underpin the delivery capability in market.
• This a defining opportunity for a leader with deep expertise in both critical infrastructure and GPU-dense, high-density compute environments.

KEY RESPONSIBILITES:

Construction & Commissioning

• Lead construction management, general contractor oversight, and MEP commissioning for the Abu Dhabi facility.
• Define and implement operational readiness plans for AI/HPC workloads, including high-density power (20-40+ kW/rack) and liquid or rear-door cooling systems.
• Own all vendor and supplier relationships: UPS, generators, cooling, structured cabling, and network interconnect providers.

Operations & Standards

• Develop and enforce data center SOPs, DCIM frameworks, and change management procedures.
• Establish and maintain 24/7 operational coverage, SLA frameworks, and incident response playbooks.

Team Leadership

• Recruit, structure, and lead a 20-50 person operations team: facility engineers, NOC operators, DCIM analysts, and physical security personnel.
• Build a high-performance culture from day one, establishing hiring standards, career frameworks, and training programmes.

Regulatory & Government Relations

• Establish and manage relationships with ADDC for power supply agreements and ADDA / Abu Dhabi free zone authorities for licensing and permitting.
• Implement physical security, data sovereignty controls, and compliance with ISO 27001 and UAE data protection frameworks.

Commercial & Executive Reporting

• Partner with the commercial team to define customer SLAs for managed AI infrastructure services.
• Own operational KPIs – PUE, uptime, capacity utilisation – and report directly to the CEO and board.
• Manage capex and opex budgets with full financial accountability.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum 12 years in data center or critical infrastructure operations, with at least one full facility build-out or major commissioning in a senior leadership role.
• Hands-on expertise with high-density compute environments, GPU cluster infrastructure, or HPC data centers.
• Deep technical knowledge of critical systems: HV/LV power distribution, UPS and generator systems, precision cooling (CRAC, CRAH, liquid cooling), and structured cabling.
• Proven track record of hiring and scaling technical operations teams of 15 or more people from scratch.
• Strong command of Uptime Institute Tier standards, ISO 27001, EN 50600, and TIA-942.
• Experience operating in the UAE or GCC, with demonstrable understanding of local regulatory, utility, and permitting processes.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multi-million dollar construction and capex programmes.
• Executive-level stakeholder management and board reporting experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Uptime Institute certifications: CDCP, CDCS, or CDCMP.
• Prior experience at a hyperscaler (AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle) or major colocation operator (Equinix, Digital Realty, Gulf Data Hub).
• Familiarity with ADDC power frameworks, Abu Dhabi Economic Zones, and TDRA licensing.
• Experience with NVIDIA DGX, AMD Instinct, or similar GPU cluster deployment and operations.
• Existing network within Abu Dhabi's technology and government ecosystem.