SpaceXAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.
ABOUT THE ROLE:
SpaceX is launching at an incredible tempo out of multiple launch complexes and processing more payloads than ever. The Director of Data Center Facilities Operations is responsible for the strategic leadership, reliability, and operational excellence of all data center facilities infrastructure across an entire SpaceX site. This role owns the full lifecycle of critical infrastructure supporting multiple data centers—including power systems, HVAC/cooling, fire protection, compressed air, plumbing, building structures, and general facilities utilities—ensuring zero unplanned downtime and maximum availability for mission-critical operations.RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead and develop a multi-layered organization of managers, supervisors, and technicians across multiple data centers to deliver 24/7/365 reliability with zero unplanned interruptions to employees, customers, and flight-critical systems.
- Set site-wide strategy, multi-year roadmaps, budgeting (CapEx/OpEx), and resource forecasting for all data center facilities infrastructure; drive extreme ownership of total execution, safety culture, and reliability engineering.
- Partner with engineering, IT, operations, and executive leadership to plan, prioritize, resource, and execute large-scale projects that support launch manifests, capacity expansion, and efficiency improvements across the site.
- Establish and continuously improve standardized work instructions, maintenance strategies, and operational processes for all data centers; drive best practices, lessons learned, and continuous improvement across the entire portfolio.
- Conduct ongoing assessment of resource needs, life-cycle costs, and capacity planning for multiple facilities; own long-term capital planning and total cost of ownership for data center infrastructure.
- Oversee all contractors and vendors supporting mechanical, structural, HVAC, electrical, power, cooling, fire/life safety, and water systems across multiple data centers; enforce corporate standards, SLAs, and performance.
- Own site-wide preventative and predictive maintenance programs; develop prioritization frameworks and multi-year strategies for major repairs, upgrades, and replacements to maximize uptime and efficiency (including PUE optimization).
- Define, track, and communicate key performance indicators (safety, uptime/availability, quality, labor productivity, energy efficiency, and operating expenses) to executive leadership and drive accountability across the organization.
- Provide strategic oversight of emergency response and on-call frameworks; ensure robust 24x7 support models and rapid recovery capabilities for all data center facilities.
- Lead talent development, succession planning, and organizational design for a high-performing multi-site facilities team.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, facilities management, architecture, construction management, or related technical field.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in facilities operations, data center infrastructure, or critical facilities management, including at least 5 years in a leadership role managing multi-site or multi-facility operations.
- Demonstrated experience leading teams responsible for high-availability environments (data centers, mission-critical, or industrial facilities).
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Master’s degree in engineering, business, or related field; professional certifications (e.g., CEM, PMP, CFM, or data center-specific credentials) preferred.
- Deep expertise in data center critical infrastructure: high-power electrical systems, UPS/generators, precision cooling/HVAC, fire suppression, BMS/DCIM systems, telecommunications infrastructure, fuel systems, and redundancy/resiliency design (Tier standards, concurrent maintainability, etc.).
- Proven track record of managing large budgets, multi-year capital programs, and complex vendor ecosystems across multiple facilities.
- Excellent executive communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical and operational issues to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Strong leadership presence with a track record of building high-performing teams, driving cultural change, and delivering results in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.
- Ability to provide strategic input on facility design, capacity planning, and long-term infrastructure roadmaps.
- Highly organized, self-driven leader capable of operating with significant autonomy while aligning to company priorities.
- Experience managing large-scale projects and portfolios under aggressive timelines with frequent changes in scope and priority.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Willingness to travel as needed across the site and occasionally to other SpaceX locations.
- Ability and willingness to work extended hours, weekends, and non-standard schedules as required to support critical operations.
- Comfort operating in a high-stress, high-tempo environment while balancing multiple strategic priorities and rapidly adapting to changing business needs.
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