Lead Technical Program Manager, Critical Facility Operations

About the role

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services.

This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation.

Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.

The Role

Reporting to the Director of Critical Facility Operations, this role establishes and leads the technical programs that enable Cerebras’ capacity to enter service safely, operate reliably and scale consistently. Combining practical data center engineering and operations experience with strong program leadership and lessor engagement expertise, the role translates operational requirements into executable programs, clear commitments and measurable outcomes, across internal teams, colocation providers and service partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead CFOps operational readiness for incoming sites, coordinating staffing and service coverage, maintenance arrangements, spares, training, operating procedures, monitoring, escalation paths and turnover documentation.
• Engagement with colocation providers, understanding operational needs and translating contractual obligations into working responsibilities, service reviews, escalation mechanisms and action plans, in partnership with internal stakeholders responsible for capacity delivery and Cerebras services.
• Develop and operationalize needed operational programs, including definitions, command, communications, response exercises, reviews, RCAs, and project execution.
• Establish the CFOps program portfolio, priorities, ownership, milestones, dependencies, and reporting.
• Coordinate operational acceptance with engineering, construction, commissioning and receiving operations teams, ensuring gaps and residual risks are documented and presented to the appropriate decision owners.
• Engage with leadership and executives on state of Operations and be able to effectively communicate with clarity and drive actional next steps for our team and across the company (across business teams and functions).
• Work in partnership with Operational engineering on program development and maturity, providing programmatic and execution support.
• Represent CFOps during site evaluation, contract development, expansions and renewals, partnering with Acquisition, Contracts and Engineering to define operational requirements, assess gaps in provider commitments, and establish mitigations before commitments are made.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in mission-critical infrastructure, including data center operations, engineering, construction, or technical program management.
• Proven experience leading complex programs across multiple sites, global teams, and cross-functional organizations.
• Strong technical background in electrical, mechanical, or controls systems, gained through direct operational or engineering responsibility in data centers.
• Experience working with lessors or colocation providers.
• Demonstrated success building, implementing, and sustaining programs adopted by operational teams.
• Working knowledge of data center white space, including servers, storage, networking equipment, racks, and associated data hall infrastructure.
• Strong incident management, operational readiness, and executive communication skills.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent practical experience.

How the Role Will Grow

As the portfolio expands, this role will likely evolve into leadership of the CFOps technical program-management function and business operations, building a team and extending standardized programs across regions. Its scope will grow to include availability and reliability program management and integrating reliability planning, maintenance and asset-management improvement, provider performance, operational tooling and portfolio-wide risk reduction. This role will involve heavy travel to sites in the first year of the role. Travel expectations, especially long-term are negotiable.

Team Environment and Culture

Cerebras is scaling at a tremendous pace and requires a team player who can handle a balance between driving maturity for the future and handling near-term ambiguity with a bias toward getting things done for the good of the team, with the goal of building and maturing the program over time into a resilient, effective and efficient operations organization. The ideal candidate will strike a balance between contributing, making sound decisions when needed, and providing data, information and clarity for others to make sound decisions, and be able to navigate between the three.

LOCATION: Fully remote, with up to 50% travel in the first year required.