Datacenter Operations Manager

Overview

As a Datacenter Operations Manager, you will lead the day-to-day operations of a critical datacenter environment, ensuring the highest standards of reliability, availability, safety, and operational excellence. You will oversee teams responsible for infrastructure operations, maintenance, and service delivery while driving continuous improvement across processes, capacity management, and operational readiness.

This role offers the opportunity to have a direct impact on the performance and scalability of the technology infrastructure that powers global services, working in a fast-paced environment where innovation, collaboration, and customer focus are essential to success.

Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a CO+I Datacenter Operations Manager (DCOM), you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform. As a group, CO+I is focused on the personal and professional development for all employees and offers trainings and growth opportunities including Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion trainings and events, and professional certifications.

Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 100 datacenters and 1 million servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.

With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

Do you want to empower billions across the world? Come and join us in CO+I and be at the forefront of the action!

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team, creating an environment of accountability, empowerment, continuous learning, and professional growth.
• Attract, retain, and develop talent by aligning team capabilities, career aspirations, and business needs to build a sustainable workforce.
• Establish clear objectives, priorities, and performance expectations, driving execution and adaptation to changing business requirements.
• Oversee the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of critical data center infrastructure, ensuring adherence to operational, safety, and regulatory standards.
• Provide technical leadership across Critical Environment (CE) infrastructure, including high-voltage and low-voltage electrical systems, UPS and battery systems, standby generators, fuel systems, electrical distribution, cooling infrastructure, BMS, EPMS, and fire detection and suppression systems.
• Ensure compliance with service level agreements, operational processes, maintenance standards, and all applicable regulatory and safety requirements.
• Lead and govern maintenance activities, including the execution and review of MOPs, SOPs, EOPs, permits to work, change management activities, and operational risk assessments.
• Manage vendor, landlord, contractor, and stakeholder relationships to ensure operational excellence, service reliability, and effective service delivery.
• Drive service quality, infrastructure availability, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement initiatives across data center operations.
• Lead major incident management activities, coordinating response efforts, recovery actions, root cause investigations, and corrective and preventive measures.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate operational, electrical, mechanical, and facility-related risks that could impact safety, service availability, or business continuity.
• Support operational readiness, capacity planning, commissioning activities, lifecycle management, and long-term infrastructure strategy for critical facility assets.
• Plan and manage budgets, forecasting, resource allocation, and operational priorities while maintaining fiscal responsibility and efficiency.
• Partner cross-functionally to deliver strategic initiatives, support environmental health and safety programs, strengthen risk management practices, and achieve business objectives.
• Foster a culture of safety, quality, accountability, collaboration, and customer obsession throughout all operational activities.
• Remove operational barriers, proactively resolve issues, and implement improvements to enhance reliability, performance, and business continuity.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to stakeholders by communicating risks, dependencies, operational impacts, costs, and mitigation strategies to enable informed decision-making.
• Ensure teams are prepared to respond to and recover from incidents affecting mission-critical infrastructure, maintaining operational resilience and service continuity.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent AND experience of mission-critical service management (e.g., providing IT services, manufacturing, warehouse, retail, military, or managing physical operations in an IT).
• Experience in critical environment infrastructures (e.g., mechanical systems, electrical systems, controls systems)
• Proven experience leading, directly managing, and influencing a diverse organization across multiple disciplines and platforms.
• This role requires fluency in reading, writing, and conversational French and English, as all business operations and stakeholder communications are conducted in these languages

Background Check Requirements

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications

• Enterprise-level experience managing large scale and complex projects/programs AND experience in physical IT infrastructures (e.g., Servers, SANs, Networking, Capacity, DC Rack/Enclosures, structured cabling) AND Experience managing budget $500k+.
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Math, Telecommunications, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or related field.
• Experience of managing managers, leading diverse, technical workforce or managing global and virtual teams.
• Applicable certifications: ASICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA, Microsoft, Network Certifications, CCNA Certifications, ITIL v3 Foundation, Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) Certifications, Leadership Development Certifications, PMP, CDCP.

Pay and benefits

Data Center Operations Management M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across France is € 91,700.00 - € 137,500.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Find additional benefits and pay information here

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.