Head of Data Center Operations

Head of DC Operations (M/F)

Paris Region

Your Mission

In an environment where infrastructure availability and reliability are essential, Isatalent is looking for a Head of DC Operations to lead its data center operations in the Paris region.

Reporting to management, you will be responsible for operational performance, service continuity, and infrastructure reliability. You will manage site managers and work in close collaboration with central expertise teams, clients, and maintenance partners.

In a context of reorganization and evolving scope, you will play a key role in harmonizing practices, structuring operational management, and supporting change.

Your objective: to build a consolidated operational vision, manage risks, and unite teams around common requirements for performance, security, and service quality.

Your Responsibilities

Manage multi-site operations strategy and performance

• Develop a short and medium-term operational roadmap, defining priorities, action plans, and the necessary human and financial resources.

• Define and harmonize the management methods for operational activities across all sites.

• Consolidate and evolve KPIs and dashboards focusing notably on infrastructure availability, maintenance, customer communication, and procedure compliance.

• Analyze results, identify performance gaps, and manage corrective actions.

• Produce structured reporting for management and inform strategic decisions.

Manage site managers and support transformation

• Supervise and support site managers in managing their activities and developing their skills.

• Provide operational and technical expertise to challenge choices, priorities, and action plans.

• Foster team autonomy, accountability, and cooperation.

• Organize resource allocation and monitor workload plans.

• Support the reorganization of the scope, harmonize practices, and contribute to the integration of new sites.

• Work transversally with the Head of the Expertise Unit and other company functions.

Ensure infrastructure reliability and manage risks

• Guarantee the availability, resilience, and operational continuity of critical infrastructures.

• Oversee preventive, corrective, and regulatory maintenance, as well as works, extensions, retrofits, and changes performed in an operational environment.

• Take over and consolidate the mapping of operational and technical risks, particularly single points of failure (SPOFs) and critical obsolescence.

• Prioritize risks, define treatment plans, assess financial and human impacts, and identify necessary investments.

• Manage major incidents, escalations, root cause analyses, and the follow-up of corrective and preventive actions.

• Ensure compliance with security, conformity, and service continuity requirements.

Develop client relations and partnerships with maintainers

• Ensure compliance with contractual commitments, SLAs, and quality standards expected by clients.

• Strengthen the quality of operational communication and trust with client contacts.

• Develop a constructive and partnership-based relationship with maintainers and service providers.

• Improve intervention coordination, commitment tracking, and service quality.

• Identify areas for improvement and manage actions to enhance partner performance.

Manage budgets and continuous improvement

• Develop and monitor OPEX and CAPEX budgets for the scope.

• Arbitrate maintenance, renewal, and investment priorities based on risks, capabilities, and client commitments.

• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, environmental, HSE, ICPE, and ISO standards.

• Deploy standardized, homogeneous work methods and procedures.

• Contribute to the improvement of the energy performance of facilities, particularly PUE, and to the control of operating costs.

Your Profile

Education and Experience

• Higher education, ideally Bac +5 (Master's degree), such as an engineering degree or a specialized Master's in electrical engineering, energy, climate, industrial maintenance, or operations management. A Bac +3 (Bachelor's degree) in a technical field may be considered based on particularly solid experience.

• Significant experience in the operation, maintenance, or technical management of critical infrastructures.

• Significant experience in managing managers, multi-site management, or a comparable operational responsibility role.

• Proven experience in a critical environment operating 24/7, with high demands for availability, security, and compliance.

• Experience in managing major incidents, budget control, risk management, and driving operational transformations.

Technical Skills

• Good understanding of data center operational challenges and comprehension of electrical, mechanical, HVAC, fire protection, GTB/BMS, and control systems architectures.

• Proficiency in managing preventive, corrective, and regulatory maintenance.

• Knowledge of SLAs, availability KPIs, capacity, service quality, and energy performance.

• Ability to analyze and challenge technical risks, maintenance plans, and investments.

• Proficiency in OPEX/CAPEX budget management and applicable regulatory requirements.

Personal Qualities

• Leadership and ability to manage experienced managers.

• Technical credibility and sense of responsibility.

• Ability to structure an organization, harmonize practices, and drive change.

• Aptitude to unite teams and develop cross-functional cooperation.

• Decision-making, arbitration, and prioritization skills.

• Composure in crisis situations, rigor, and results orientation.

• Client focus and ability to build lasting partnership relationships.

Languages: Fluent French and professional English, both spoken and written.

Success Factors

During the first few months, your objectives will notably include developing a clear operational roadmap, consolidating indicator-based management, prioritizing risks, and defining the necessary resources for their treatment.

You will also contribute to strengthening managerial cohesion, harmonizing practices between sites, and supporting the evolution of the organization with a sustainable logic of performance and continuous improvement.

Do you wish to put your expertise in critical infrastructures at the service of a demanding environment, with a strong managerial, strategic, and cross-functional dimension?

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