Critical Facilities Operations Manager

Location:

Montgomery, TX

Our Client is a Houston-based group of companies spanning managed IT and cybersecurity, energy services, insurance, and commercial real estate. Our Client is developing a data center and GPU cloud platform on a multi-building campus in Montgomery, Texas, approximately 45 minutes north of Houston.

Our Client is seeking a hands-on Critical Facilities Operations Manager to oversee the electrical and HVAC/mechanical infrastructure of its data center campus. The campus currently operates a Tier III colocation facility and is expanding to support high-density NVIDIA GPU (AI) clusters through 2027.

This individual will maintain 100% uptime at the existing facility, lead the restoration of aging electrical and cooling equipment, and oversee the power and cooling infrastructure for the expansion building. The role will manage facility technicians, contractors, and OEM vendors while collaborating closely with the Data Center IT, Network & DCIM Operations Manager.

• Oversee the operation and lifecycle of the complete power chain, including utility service, transformers, medium- and low-voltage switch gear, ATS and paralleling gear, generators, UPS systems and batteries, PDUs, RPPs, and rack power (A/B feeds).

• Manage generator programs, including weekly and monthly runs, annual load-bank testing, fuel quality and polishing, and fuel supply contracts.

• Maintain and update one-line diagrams, arc-flash studies, breaker coordination studies, and panel schedules.

• Plan and execute switching and shutdowns using written MOPs, enforcing lockout/tagout and NFPA 70E practices.

• Monitor power capacity by room, rack, and circuit, addressing power-factor and demand issues with the utility.

• Oversee the chilled water plant, including chillers, cooling towers or dry coolers, pumps, valves, water treatment, and controls.

• Maintain CRAC/CRAH units, air handlers, humidification, containment, and raised-floor airflow management.

• Lead the replacement of end-of-life chillers and cooling units, from project scoping and vendor selection through startup.

• Review designs and commission high-density cooling systems for GPU racks (40-60+ kW per rack), including rear-door heat exchangers, direct-to-chip liquid cooling, and CDUs.

• Monitor and optimize temperature, humidity, and PUE in accordance with ASHRAE TC 9.9 guidelines.

• Manage 24/7 facility operations, including shift rounds, alarm response, escalation, and on-call rotations.

• Transition the site from paper-based rounds to a CMMS with preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance schedules.

• Develop and maintain SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs for all critical systems.

• Lead incident response, root cause analysis, and corrective actions for facility events.

• Report monthly KPIs, including uptime, maintenance compliance, open work orders, capacity utilization, PUE, and energy costs.

• Serve as the owner's representative for the expansion building by reviewing MEP designs, managing contractors, and leading Level 1-5 commissioning and integrated systems testing.

• Plan and execute the electrical and mechanical restoration program at the existing facility within schedule and budget.

• Coordinate GPU cluster deployments with the IT team, including rack layouts, power whips, cooling readiness, and handover.

• Develop CAPEX and OPEX budgets for facility work and track spending against approved budgets.

• Manage OEM service contracts for generators, UPS systems, chillers, switch gear, and fire suppression, along with electrical and mechanical contractors.

• Oversee…