Senior Manager - Facility Operations

Rowan Digital Infrastructure is redefining how data centers are delivered—faster, smarter, and at scale. We partner with hyperscale customers to provide tailored, high-performance infrastructure with a focus on sustainability, efficiency, and flexibility.

Our experienced, end-to-end team delivers custom solutions across a growing portfolio of strategic sites in key markets across the United States. Backed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, Rowan is committed to enabling the next generation of digital infrastructure—and building a more sustainable future in the process.

Ready to help transform how the world’s most important technologies are powered? Join us.

Role Summary

The Senior Manager of Facilities Operations is the senior-most leader responsible for the daily operations of a growing data center portfolio. Reporting to the Vice President of Critical Operations, this role ensures high availability, operational consistency, and cost-effective performance across all active sites. The Senior Manager of Facilities Operations will lead site-level operations teams and manage vendor-delivered services, focusing on uptime, safety, preventive and predictive maintenance, and operational readiness. This role is central to the integrated operations strategy, working closely with peers in engineering, operations analytics, HSE, energy controls, and change management to drive cross-functional performance and reliability.

Travel: Ability to travel up to 25% for company gatherings or for site visits.

Location: Denver, CO (hybrid in-office role).

Compensation: $150-$185K (Offers Bonus)

Essential Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership: This role requires a seasoned operational leader capable of executing daily facilities operations across a complex, industrialized data center portfolio while maintaining a clear connection to strategic objectives. The leader will be directly responsible for the performance of critical systems, vendor relationships, and oversight of a distributed team of facilities managers and on-site technicians. Success hinges on cultivating a high-performing, safety-focused team culture that delivers consistent results across multiple locations. The position demands unwavering operational readiness and disciplined execution to meet stringent uptime targets, such as “Five Nines”, and prevent unplanned outages. At the same time, the leader must stay attuned to the customer experience, ensuring reliable service delivery and high satisfaction. Balancing tactical control with strategic foresight, this leader will operate with one foot on the plant floor and the other in the executive suite.

• Vendor & Contract Oversight: The Senior Manager of Facilities Operations will oversee all contracted service providers, focusing on safety, performance, and financial discipline, ensuring full alignment with the organization’s operational and regulatory standards. This includes managing preventive maintenance schedules, coordinating corrective repairs, and maintaining critical spare parts inventory to minimize risk and downtime. A key responsibility of the role is to drive vendor performance through clearly defined scopes of work, measurable service level expectations, regular performance reviews, and corrective action protocols when standards are not met. Throughout all vendor activities, whether routine maintenance or emergency response, the leader will prioritize safety as non-negotiable, ensuring that all third-party work is executed to protect personnel, maintain compliance, and uphold the integrity of critical infrastructure.

• Customer & Stakeholder Engagement: The Senior Manager of Facilities Operations serves as the primary operational point of contact for customers and internal stakeholders, directly influencing the customer experience through transparency, responsiveness, and operational reliability. This role is accountable for maintaining strong communication channels with tenant teams, addressing service issues proactively, and resolving escalations with urgency and clarity. Engaging customers is not an ancillary task; it is a core domain where trust is built, expectations are managed, and value is delivered. The Senior Manager will represent Facilities Operations in regular business reviews, status updates, and planning sessions, ensuring that operational realities are clearly conveyed and customer feedback is actively translated into action.

• Budget & Financial Stewardship: The Senior Manager of Facilities Operations oversees OPEX budget execution across all sites, aligning financial performance with operational goals. This role partners closely with the Manager of Facilities Operations to ensure site-level OPEX budgeting aligns with sound maintenance strategies, best operational practices, and accountability for spending. They develop the cross-site budget strategy, identify systemic cost drivers, and use variance reporting to support decision-making. The Senior Manager also informs Business Development of material site-level financial and operational developments to support portfolio growth and contractual alignment.

• Compliance & Safety: The Senior Manager of Facilities Operations will enforce strict compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and industry standards such as ASHRAE, NFPA, and OSHA, embedding these frameworks into daily operations and vendor activities. Beyond routine oversight, the leader will take an active role in incident response, leading or supporting investigations, driving root cause analysis, and implementing corrective actions to prevent recurrence. This function requires a firm command of compliance expectations, a methodical approach to incident resolution, and a commitment to fostering a culture where safety, accountability, and continuous improvement are deeply integrated into the operational fabric.

Education, Skills, and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, facilities management, or a closely related field, providing a foundational understanding of technical systems and operational disciplines.

• Advanced certifications such as Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Project Management Professional (PMP) that signal a strong command of process improvement, project execution and operational rigor are preferred, though not strictly required.

• A minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in high-reliability, technically intensive operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role overseeing teams, vendors, and systems in high-stakes operational settings.

• Demonstrated success managing complex facilities operations across geographically distributed environments with stringent uptime requirements, where system resilience, rapid decision-making, and cross-functional coordination are critical to sustained performance

• Extensive knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and life safety systems within high-consequence or technically intensive environments, focusing on performance, reliability, and safety.

• Strong financial acumen, including hands-on experience managing operational budgets, analyzing cost drivers, and negotiating vendor contracts to balance value and performance.

• Proven leadership and communication skills, with the ability to manage geographically dispersed teams, build alignment, and drive accountability across all levels of the organization.

• Strategic mindset paired with a strong execution orientation, consistently translating broad organizational goals into coordinated, cross-functional operational outcomes.

Fueled by Excellence & Collaboration

At Rowan, we are a distributed team united by a common mission to transform data center delivery. Across our two offices, we offer a hybrid work environment supported by the teamwork, technology, and in-office gathering time to help you be successful. We are headquartered in Denver, Colorado and have an office in Seattle, Washington. Our team of talented and passionate individuals is spread out across the U.S.

Here to support you

At Rowan, we want to make sure you can do great work. We offer competitive benefits focused on helping you be and achieve your best.

• Hybrid working environment

• Team building and educational opportunities

• Generous benefits package including robust health benefits and a 401(k) company contribution

• Unlimited PTO

• Competitive compensation and bonus plan

Equal Opportunity Employer

Rowan Digital is an equal-opportunity employer. We welcome and celebrate diversity in all aspects of our workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected status. We strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.