Datacenter Operationschef

At Verda, we’re building a full-stack AI cloud, covering everything from data centers and hardware to our own cloud platform that the world’s leading AI teams use to do serious AI work. We strive to make a positive mark on the world through the infrastructure we build and give leading teams a service they can truly depend on. Headquartered in Helsinki, we operate globally with offices in London and San Francisco. Join Verda while it’s still being built - not once it’s finished. Why Verda Cash and equity compensation along with local benefits. 40+ nationalities, with 6 different ones on the management team. A real chance to make an impact and work alongside world class engineers, researchers, and partners across the global AI ecosystem. Practicalities Work mode: On-site in Madrid, Spain Level: Manager Employment type: Full-time and permanent About the role Verda operates high-density GPU infrastructure across its data center sites, and we are looking for a hands-on Data Center Operations Manager to lead our shift-based technician team and take ownership of day-to-day site operations and the complete hardware lifecycle. You will maintain high operational standards across deployments, break/fix, cabling, inventory and incident response, while planning future installations, upgrades and build-outs as the site grows. You will also build strong working relationships with our facility partners, ensuring that issues affecting Verda’s infrastructure are communicated, escalated and resolved effectively. And as the site scales, you may be the one hiring and growing the team around you. Your responsibilities Lead, support and develop a shift-based team of Data Center Technicians. Organise shift coverage, workload, priorities, handovers and daily operational activities. Take ownership of Verda’s hardware lifecycle, including receiving, inventory, deployment, break/fix, replacement, relocation, RMAs and decommissioning. Ensure rack-and-stack, component replacement, copper and fibre cabling, and link-level troubleshooting are completed safely and to a high standard. Coordinate cluster deployments, capacity expansions, hardware refreshes and other on-site projects. Lead the on-site response to hardware and connectivity incidents, ensuring clear documentation, escalation and communication. Build and improve operating procedures, runbooks, safety practices and escalation paths. Maintain accurate records covering assets, inventory, incidents, maintenance activities and completed work. Recruit, onboard, coach and performance-manage technicians as the operation grows. Monitor the provider’s communication regarding power, cooling, security and facility-related events, and assess the potential impact on Verda’s infrastructure. Escalate service, safety or operational concerns to the colocation provider and relevant Verda stakeholders. Participate in an on-call rotation and provide leadership during urgent incidents outside normal working hours when required. Your key competencies We are looking for an operationally strong people manager who understands physical data-center work and can lead a team in a fast-moving environment. Hands-on experience in data-center operations or a comparable critical-infrastructure environment. Experience leading shift-based technical teams, with strong knowledge of server hardware, rack-and-stack, component replacement and structured cabling. Working knowledge of copper and fibre installation, optics and link-level troubleshooting. Experience managing hardware deployments, incidents, inventory and operational priorities. Strong operational judgement, including knowing when to stop work, document the situation and escalate. Comfortable operating in an ambiguous, fast-evolving environment, with the ability to establish clear processes across a broad scope of work. Strong people-management skills, including coaching, performance management, recruitment and team development. Clear communication and stakeholder-management skills, with professional fluency in English — our internal working language and the language of daily contact with colleagues in Finland. Nice to have Experience operating high-density GPU infrastructure or hands-on exposure to enterprise GPU platforms based on NVIDIA Ampere, Hopper or Blackwell generations. Experience with liquid cooling, including direct-to-chip liquid cooling loops. Experience leading cluster deployments, data-hall expansions or large hardware refresh projects. Experience establishing a new site, building a technician team or creating operational procedures from the ground up. Experience working across both large, structured organisations and fast-growing or less-defined environments. Familiarity with colocation service agreements, provider escalation procedures and operational performance reviews. What’s next We’re building fast and this role needs the right person behind it. There’s no artificial deadline, but when we find who we’re looking for, we move. If this sounds like your next move, apply now. If you have a CV in English, you are welcome to submit it. Applications in Spanish are equally accepted. Please apply through our careers page, as we do not accept applications by email.