SVP Operations

Serverfarm is a leading developer and operator of data centers with over 750+ locations and key customer relationships in 45 countries. We're revolutionizing how data centers operate across North America, Western Europe, and Israel, serving the world's leading technology and hyperscale companies. With Manulife Investment Management's acquisition in 2023 and our award-winning InCommand platform we're positioned for explosive growth as AI adoption and cloud migration drive unprecedented demand for data center capacity. A career at Serverfarm means being at the forefront of digital infrastructure innovation, where your work directly impacts how the world's data is managed and secured. As we target 4x growth over the next four years, you'll have unprecedented opportunities to take on new challenges, develop cutting-edge skills, and grow your career across our expanding global operations. Join our team of innovators and help shape the future of sustainable data centers while building a career without boundaries. Serverfarm is a leading developer and operator of data centers in North America, and EMEA, and has key customer relationships with rapidly growing hyperscale, technology and enterprise customers. In September 2023, Manulife Investment Management acquired a controlling interest in Serverfarm, which allows the company greater access to capital to accelerate the expansion of its data center portfolio on a worldwide basis. The company is positioned to capture the growing demand for data center capacity that continues to grow globally, fueled by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and companies’ continued transition of data workloads and storage to the cloud. Key Accountabilities Executive Leadership • Deputize for the COO, providing leadership across global operations, strategic priorities, and major business initiatives; serve as second-in-command ensuring continuity of decision-making and execution • Represent Operations with Executive Leadership, the Board, investors, and key customers; translate corporate strategy into operational plans and long-term growth roadmaps, partnering with Product, Development, Construction, Finance, Legal, Security, and Commercial teams Operational Governance & Performance • Establish and govern global operational standards, SOPs, maintenance frameworks, and KPI framework (uptime, SLA, MTTR, energy, safety, staffing, customer experience) • Ensure robust compliance frameworks are maintained across all operating regions, including regulatory obligations, customer commitments, certifications, and internal controls • Oversee business continuity, disaster recovery, and crisis management processes are maintained, tested, and continuously improved, lead RCA and executive response for major incidents • Drive continuous improvement, standardization, and efficiency across regions, embedding best practice and operational discipline • Provide executive oversight of the Global Network Operations Centre (GNOC), ensuring 24x7 monitoring, incident response, escalation management and service continuity across the portfolio Safety, Reliability & Engineering • Lead the global safety program, ensuring strong safety culture, regulatory compliance, risk management, and consistent standards across all regions • Provide executive oversight of critical environment management (electrical, mechanical, cooling, controls) and lifecycle management of in-life critical assets • Partner with Development, Construction, and Engineering to embed operational requirements in new designs and retrofits; standardize commissioning, integrated systems testing, and operational handover Customer & Service Delivery • Establish executive relationships with key hyperscale, enterprise, and strategic customers; own oversight of escalations and ensure timely resolution and clear communication • Lead operational service delivery to consistently achieve SLAs and contractual commitments, drive transparency through reporting, service reviews, and improvement planning • Support commercial and sales teams during major customer pursuits, due diligence, and operational solution development Financial Planning & Growth • Lead operational OpEx and CapEx planning and delivery, with accountability for forecasting, cost control and financial performance against plan • Partner with Finance on cost modelling for new sites, expansions, customer opportunities, and strategic investment plans; supporting commercial decision-making and capital allocation • Oversee long-term capacity planning across power, space, cooling, staffing, and infrastructure; lead operational due diligence and integration for acquisitions and expansion • Develop hiring and workforce strategies to support new campus openings, expansions, and long-term operational capability; Take a lead in establishing new regional structures to facilitate growth Energy, Sustainability & ESG • Own operational energy strategy, including procurement, resilience planning, renewables, efficiency, and utility relationships • Ensure compliance with regulatory, environmental, H&S, and industry certification requirements (ISO, SOC, customer-specific programs) • Develop resilience strategies addressing grid constraints, utility risks, climate-related impacts, and infrastructure vulnerabilities Technology & Automation • Drive adoption of automation, infrastructure technology, and digital tools to improve monitoring, maintenance, reporting, and operational efficiency • Manage strategic supplier and vendor relationships, ensuring service quality, resilience, innovation, and value for money People & Organization • Lead, coach, and develop operational leaders and teams; build succession planning frameworks • Foster a high-performance culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement; provide regular reporting on operational performance, talent, safety, risk, and strategic progress Key Qualifications • Proven senior leadership experience in colocation, hyperscale, mission-critical facilities, or similarly complex multi-site environments • Strong track record of leading large-scale operations with accountability for uptime, safety, customer service, and financial performance • Demonstrated success delivering operational growth, new site launches, or capacity expansion programs across multiple locations • Strong commercial capability with experience managing significant operational CapEx budgets • Knowledge of energy strategy, utilities management, sustainability programs, or infrastructure efficiency initiatives • Experience driving operational excellence through automation, technology enablement, and continuous improvement methodologies • Strong strategic planning capability, including long-term capacity planning and scaling operations to meet business growth • Customer-focused mindset with experience managing escalations, service delivery, and executive stakeholder relationships • Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams across geographies and functions • Honesty and integrity, with excellent communication, influencing, and executive stakeholder management skills • Strong analytical and decision-making capability, using data and KPIs to drive performance and prioritization • Role involves international travel (approximately 30%) Serverfarm is committed to providing an equal opportunity workplace and offers paid time off, paid holidays, 401k and FULL coverage medical, dental and vision. Our compensation philosophy rewards employees for achieving the values and objectives aligned with the company’s goals and strategic initiatives. The listed salary range for this position is an estimate based on the competitive job market. Final compensation will be based on your own individual skills, experience, and location. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed in this role. They are not intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all possible responsibilities and duties. We encourage you to apply even if your experience isn't an exact match to the job description. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. 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