Director of Data Center Operations

Job Title
Director of Data Center Operations

Requisition Number
RE53973

Working Title

Department Name
3L400:ITS Enterprise Systems

Work Location
Lexington, KY

Grade Level
51

Salary Range
$93,954-159,744/year

Type of Position
Staff

Position Time Status
Full-Time

Required Education

BA

Click here for more information about equivalencies:
https://hr.uky.edu/employment/working-uk/equivalencies

Required Related Experience

8 yrs

Required License/Registration/Certification

None

Physical Requirements

Sitting for long periods of time, walking while carrying up to 25 pounds

Shift

Primarily days (Typically 8:00am-5:00pm), weekends and evenings could be required due to work load

Job Summary

The Director of Data Center Operations is responsible for overseeing the daily operations and maintenance of the organization’s data center infrastructure, ensuring optimal functionality, reliability, and security of systems, networks, and equipment. This role entails developing and implementing workflows to minimize downtime, monitoring performance metrics, and addressing potential issues proactively.

The manager leads a team of technical staff, fostering a collaborative and high-performance environment while ensuring adherence to industry best practices. This position also involves coordinating with vendors for procurement, negotiating contracts, and driving continuous improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency and reliability.

Key responsibilities include:

• maintaining the physical infrastructure of the data center
• conducting regular inspections and preventive maintenance
• managing inventory
• implementing security protocols to safeguard data and infrastructure

The role requires the ability to align data center operations with organizational goals, ensure compliance with industry standards, and lead incident response efforts effectively.

This role demands a proactive leader with strong technical expertise, excellent team management skills, and a strategic mindset to optimize data center performance and support the organization’s objectives.

Internal Employee Being Considered

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities?
Yes

Preferred Education/Experience

Deadline to Apply
04/16/2026

Our University Community

We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.