Data Centre Engineering Manager

London Source: WhatJobs

£60,000–£80,000

Our client, a Data Centre Operator with facilities across UK and Europe, have a requirement for an engineering (M&E) manager to join their existing facility in Central London, close to the City of London. A 24/7 facility providing colocation space for their customers, the organisation self-deliver, employing their M&E engineering team direct and making this a coveted “in-house” opportunity within the Data Centre M&E engineering space. Guideline salary for this position is circa £70,000 basic, as well as package including annual bonus (10%), healthcare & dental plan, pension, and access to training and development courses.

This role will report into the on-site DC Operations Manager, and assume responsibility for the safe, reliable and effective operation of the data centre critical mechanical and electrical infrastructure.

The Engineering Manager will provide leadership and technical oversight to a team of four M&E Shift Engineers responsible for the 24/7 operation and monitoring of the data centre. One of the key functions is ensuring that critical infrastructure is operated and maintained to the required standards, engineering risks are effectively managed, incidents are appropriately responded to and investigated, and the engineering team has the competence, procedures and support required to perform their duties safely and effectively. Working closely with customers, 3rd party contractors, equipment manufacturers and other internal stakeholders they will maintain site availability, improve operational resilience and support the continued development of the data centre.

Ideally the successful candidate will have existing engineering / technical management (M&E) within the data centre sector, however they will consider those within similar critical environments like banking, telecoms, financial services, etc.

Key Responsibilities

Lead, manage and develop a team of four M&E Shift Engineers providing 24/7 operational coverage of the data centre.
Provide clear leadership, direction and technical support to the shift engineering team.
Conduct regular one-to-one meetings, performance reviews and development discussions.
Establish clear objectives and performance expectations for the engineering team.
Identify training and competency requirements and develop appropriate training and development plans.
Maintain an engineering competency framework and ensure engineers are appropriately trained, assessed and authorised for the activities they undertake.

Technical Duties

Oversee the safe and reliable operation of the data centre critical mechanical and electrical infrastructure, including HV and LV electrical distribution systems, UPS systems, standby generators, cooling systems, BMS, fire detection and suppression systems and associated building services.
Ensure critical infrastructure is operated in accordance with approved procedures, manufacturer recommendations, statutory requirements and industry best practice
Monitor the condition, performance, capacity and resilience of critical infrastructure and identify emerging risks or potential points of failure.
Ensure equipment defects, alarms and abnormal operating conditions are appropriately investigated, escalated and managed.
Maintain appropriate operational resilience and ensure risks to data centre availability are identified, communicated and mitigated.
Review engineering alarms, trends and operational data to identify recurring issues and opportunities to improve system performance and reliability.
Support capacity planning, infrastructure upgrades, customer installations and expansion projects.
Act as a High Voltage Authorised Person (HVAP), subject to appropriate competency assessment and appointment.
Undertake or oversee HV switching activities in accordance with the site Electrical Safety Rules and approved switching procedures.
Support the management, appointment and competency assessment of Authorised Persons and Competent Persons where applicable.
Act as the first management escalation point for engineering incidents and significant operational issues.
Participate in the site management escalation and on-call arrangements as required.
Provide technical leadership and support to the shift engineering team during incidents and abnormal operating conditions.
Ensure engineering activities are undertaken safely and in accordance with applicable legislation, companypolicies and site procedures.
Promote a strong safety culture within the engineering team.
Ensure appropriate risk assessments, method statements, permits and safe systems of work are in place for engineering activities.
Participate in safety inspections, audits, incident investigations and compliance reviews.

Qualifications and Experience

Recognised technical qualification in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Building Services Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
Significant experience working within a critical infrastructure environment such as data centres, telecommunications, healthcare, financial services, utilities or other 24/7 operational facilities.
Strong understanding of critical mechanical and electrical infrastructure.
Experience managing or supervising engineering teams.
Previous engineering management experience within a data centre environment.
High Voltage Authorised Person experience or the ability to achieve HVAP authorisation following appropriate training and competency assessment.
Recognised health and safety qualification such as IOSH Managing Safely or NEBOSH.
Experience implementing or managing Electrical Safety Rules.
Experience with critical infrastructure maintenance management systems and Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS).
Experience with BMS, EPMS and other critical infrastructure monitoring platforms.
Knowledge of data centre standards and frameworks such as Uptime Institute, EN 50600 or ISO management systems.
Experience supporting infrastructure upgrades, commissioning and integrated systems testing.