Operations Lead

Job Title: UK Operations Lead
Location: Didcot, Oxford, UK
Department: Operations

At CloudHQ, our mission is to deliver flexible, efficient, and resilient data center solutions to businesses worldwide. Founded by a pioneer in data center REITs, we are a rapidly growing organization with state‑of‑the‑art data center sites globally in locations such as Ashburn, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Osaka and São Paulo.

As we embark on an exciting phase of global growth, we are looking for top‑tier talent to drive our success and shape the future of CloudHQ.

The UK Operations Lead is responsible for the full operational leadership of all CloudHQ data centers across the United Kingdom. This role ensures operational excellence, regulatory compliance, financial performance, and alignment with regional and global strategies.

Reporting directly to the EMEA Regional Operations Director, this position requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to manage multi‑site operations, high‑performing teams, and complex mission‑critical environments. The role combines business ownership, technical oversight, and stakeholder engagement at executive level.

• Lead and manage all data center operations across the UK, ensuring alignment with regional and global business strategies.
• Develop and execute country‑level operational strategies, including cost optimization, performance improvement, and risk mitigation initiatives.
• Build, lead, and develop high‑performing teams across operations, engineering (electrical & mechanical), facilities, security, and compliance functions.
• Provide leadership and direction to managers and functional leaders, ensuring accountability and performance delivery.
• Drive a culture of operational excellence, safety, and continuous improvement across all locations.
• Establish succession planning, talent development, and leadership capability within the UK organization.
• Act as the primary escalation point for major operational incidents and critical business risks.
• Represent the company with regulators, customers, industry bodies, and key strategic partners.

• Ensure operational excellence across all UK data center facilities, delivering maximum uptime, resilience, and service quality.
• Define, monitor, and report on KPIs related to availability, efficiency, maintenance performance, and service delivery.
• Ensure implementation and compliance with global operational standards, procedures (SOPs, MOPs, EOPs), and best practices.
• Drive continuous improvement programs across reliability, maintenance strategy, and operational efficiency.
• Oversee capacity planning and ensure readiness for customer growth and expansion.
• Collaborate with engineering and design teams on new developments, ensuring scalability and resilience of infrastructure.
• Ensure robust risk management frameworks, including business continuity (BCP) and disaster recovery (DR) planning.
• Maintain oversight of all infrastructure systems (without direct hands‑on responsibility), including electrical, mechanical, and critical support systems.

• Own and manage the UK operational budget, including forecasting, cost control, and financial performance.
• Drive cost optimization initiatives while maintaining performance and service quality.
• Ensure full compliance with UK legislation, including Health & Safety (HSE), environmental regulations, and energy compliance frameworks.
• Oversee governance, audit readiness, and regulatory reporting requirements.
• Partner with finance, legal, procurement, and compliance teams to mitigate business and operational risks.
• Manage vendor contracts, SLAs, and commercial performance across all service providers.