Associate Director, Operational Excellence

Job Type: Full-Time |
Location: Fort Worth, Texas |
Department: Engineering |
Reporting to: Global Director, Asset Management and Operational Excellence |
Work Location Type: #hybrid IREN is a vertically integrated AI Cloud provider, delivering large-scale data centers and GPU clusters for AI training and inference. IREN’s platform is underpinned by its expansive portfolio of grid-connected land and power in renewable-rich regions across North America, Europe and APAC. Reporting to the Global Director, Asset Management & Operational Excellence, the Associate Director, Operational Excellence & Compliance owns the operating standards, performance governance and operational readiness program across IREN’s data centre portfolio.

The role leads the Operational Excellence & Compliance pillar, growing from a team of one to a multi-site team of Operational Readiness & Compliance Leads as the portfolio expands. It works with site operations teams to optimize asset and system performance, owns operational readiness including the transition from construction and commissioning into steady-state operations, and defines the competencies needed to scale reliably.

The pillar is the operate side’s technical accountability for readiness: it sits on the receiving side of the commissioning gate, not inside the organization handing over. With 100% renewable energy, we build, own and operate our data centers and take pride in being at the forefront of sustainable solutions for the ever-evolving applications of high-performance compute. We believe that human progress is invaluable, but it should be done in the right way – responsibly, sustainably and having a positive impact on the communities we operate in.

Job requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline (Engineering, Technical Studies, or equivalent), with relevant certifications or technical leadership training considered an asset.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in critical infrastructure or mission-critical operations with multi-site scope, preferably within hyperscale, colocation, or large-scale industrial environments.
• Demonstrated experience building and owning KPI tracking, audit frameworks, or operational governance processes across multiple sites.
• Experience operating across the construction-to-operations boundary, including facility onboarding and commissioning handover, with accountability for the acceptance decision.
• Demonstrated progression from hands-on site-level execution to leadership of operational governance or process improvement, including leading a team.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to lead through functional direction without direct line authority across site teams.
• Sound technical judgment and the ability to hold technical accountability (approve standards and deviations) while aligning with enterprise standards.

• Own the operating standards suite (SOPs, MOPs, EOPs, maintenance playbooks and technical documentation) across IREN’s data center portfolio, setting the standard method for maintenance effectiveness, work execution and operational planning and assuring it is followed.
• Lead the operational audit and assurance program: set the audit framework, direct reviews of site adherence to company and customer requirements and hold sites to corrective action closure.
• Own the performance framework, KPIs and stewardship process, including dashboards for maintenance completion, work order resolution and labor efficiency, that give leadership visibility and drive decisions as the portfolio scales
• Own the reporting partnership with the integrated operations center and the data model the KPIs read from.
• Own operational readiness for the transition from construction and…