Data Centre Operations Lead

Job Title: Data Centre Operations Lead

Location: Rockville, MD (Onsite from Day 1)

Duration: 6 Months - Contract to Hire





Job Summary



We are seeking an experienced Data Centre Operations Lead to lead and manage end-to-end data center operations in a highly available, secure, and performance-driven environment. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership capabilities, deep technical expertise across data center infrastructure, virtualization, cloud services, monitoring tools, security, and incident management, and the ability to drive operational excellence while collaborating with cross-functional teams and stakeholders. This role is 100% onsite from Day 1 and offers a contract-to-hire opportunity.





Key Responsibilities



Leadership & Team Management



Lead the data center operations team, providing guidance, training, and ongoing support to ensure high performance and operational excellence.

Act as the primary point of contact for all data center-related issues, escalations, and operational decisions.

Lead, mentor, and manage a team of data center operations engineers.

Provide guidance for professional development and performance improvement.

Coordinate and manage daily team activities, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities.





Data Center Operations & Infrastructure Management



Oversee daily operations of data center facilities, ensuring high availability, reliability, and performance of all systems.

Manage the end-to-end data center infrastructure technology stack, including but not limited to:

VMware

VxRail

Citrix

LogicMonitor

Moogsoft

Active Directory (AD)

Azure AD & Azure AD SSO

Azure Security Policies

PKI

Windows & Linux Servers

Vulnerability Management

BeyondTrust Password Safe and AD-Bridge

Storage and Backup tools



Ensure adherence to operational standards, best practices, and organizational policies.

Incident & Problem Management



Drive major incidents and potential incidents end-to-end, providing periodic updates to client stakeholders and obtaining approvals or recommendations as required.

Lead the response to data center incidents, ensuring timely resolution and minimal business impact.

Perform root cause analysis (RCA) and implement preventive measures to avoid recurrence.

Develop, maintain, and improve incident management processes and procedures.

Provide 24x7 support oversight through ITSM queue-based monitoring.

Perform triage and first-level troubleshooting based on alert severity.

Ensure incident resolution using established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).



Maintenance, Capacity & Optimization



Plan and oversee scheduled maintenance, patching, and upgrades of data center infrastructure.

Ensure all hardware and software components are current and functioning optimally.

Monitor and analyze data center resource usage to ensure efficient utilization and avoid over-provisioning.

Conduct capacity planning to support future growth and business demand.

Implement optimization strategies to improve performance and reduce operational costs.





Security, Compliance & Risk Management



Ensure data center infrastructure adheres to security policies, standards, and best practices.

Implement and maintain security controls to protect data, systems, and access.

Ensure compliance with regulatory and industry standards, including ISO 27001, HIPAA, and other applicable frameworks.

Support audits and compliance initiatives, including JSOX, FDA, and GQS audits.

Ensure vulnerability management processes are followed and risks are mitigated.





Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity



Develop and implement disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BCP) plans for data center operations.

Ensure regular testing and validation of DR procedures.

Maintain a resilient infrastructure capable of rapid recovery from failures or disruptions.

Active Directory & Cloud Services



Administer Azure AD, including security groups, GPOs, SSO, and application configurations.

Provide end-to-end support for Active Directory domains, including Azure AD, AD security groups, GPOs, SSO, and application integrations.

Manage public cloud directory services, Oracle IDCS, network and file shares, SCP policies, privileged user management, and service account passwords.

Conduct AD audits, schema updates, and backup/restore services.

Manage ticket queues and follow up on aging tickets to ensure SLA compliance.

Vendor & Stakeholder Management



Coordinate with vendors and service providers for maintenance, support, and infrastructure services across public and private cloud environments.

Maintain vendor contact details and escalation matrices.

Collaborate with vendors to evaluate and integrate new technologies and services.

Work closely with IT teams, business units, and stakeholders to understand requirements and deliver effective solutions.

Communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders, providing regular updates on operations, incidents, and performance.

Citrix Architecture & Optimization



Maintain and support Citrix architecture, ensuring stability and performance.

Continuously identify and implement optimization opportunities.

Participate in architecture design and planning discussions with steering committees.

Recommend system and end-user performance improvements.

Implement approved performance enhancements.

Documentation & Reporting

Maintain comprehensive documentation for data center infrastructure, configurations, processes, and procedures.

Generate regular reports on data center performance, incidents, capacity, and operational metrics.

Ensure all documentation is accurate, current, and accessible to relevant stakeholders.





Work Environment



100% onsite role in Rockville, MD (from Day 1).

Participation in on-call support and after-hours maintenance as required.