Data Center Operations Team Lead

At Verda, we're building a full-stack AI cloud, covering everything from data centers and hardware to our own cloud platform that the world's leading AI teams use to do serious AI work. We strive to make a positive mark on the world through the infrastructure we build and give leading teams a service they can truly depend on. Headquartered in Helsinki, we operate globally with offices in London and San Francisco. Join Verda while it’s still being built - not once it’s finished. WHY VERDA - Cash and equity compensation along with local benefits. - 40+ nationalities, with 6 different ones on the management team. - A real chance to make an impact and work alongside world class engineers, researchers, and partners across the global AI ecosystem. PRACTICALITIES - Location: Verda's data center site in Kymenlaakso Region, Finland | Relocation support avaliable - Employment: Full time, Permanent - Work model: On site ABOUT THE ROLE As Data Center Operations Team Lead, you'll run day-to-day operations at Verda's site in Finland. You'll lead the activities on the floor, decide who does what on each shift, and be the person on site who takes charge when something goes wrong. You'll still be hands-on, because the best leads stay close to the work. We're building and growing, and you'll get to decide what great looks like for data center operations here. That means you'll guide the technicians on procedures and best practice as you go, and help shape how the work gets done while our processes are still being built. You'll work closely with the deployment team on handovers into operations, and with the Site Critical Facilities Manager on anything that touches power and cooling. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES - Shift execution and task allocation: Run the shift on site, plan and allocate work across the technicians, and make sure tasks are completed on time and to standard. - On-site incident response: Lead the first response to incidents in the data hall, from triage through to resolution, escalating to the Data Center Operations Manager and the Site Critical Facilities Manager where needed. - Quality of work: Own the quality of the work done on site, including reviewing it, giving technical feedback and keeping accurate records of tickets, incidents and changes. - On-the-job guidance: Guide the technicians on procedures and best practice, and share your know-how on GPU servers, networking and liquid cooling as the site grows. - Processes and procedures: Help define, document and improve the operating procedures and runbooks as they are built. - Handovers from deployment: Work with the deployment team so each new capacity step is accepted into operations in good shape, with clear procedures and a ready team. - Facilities coordination: Work with the Site Critical Facilities Manager on power and cooling issues, planned maintenance and any work that affects live hardware. - Safety: Set the example for safe working on site, follow permit-to-work and site safety rules, and make sure the team does too. - Hands-on work: Stay hands-on in day-to-day operations and step in alongside the technicians when needed. YOUR KEY COMPETENCIES - Experience leading shift activities on site in a live 24/7 data center or comparable mission-critical environment - Hands-on data center operations experience, and you're still doing the work yourself - Experience with liquid cooling systems in a data center environment - Experience with GPU servers and high-density hardware - Experience handling live incidents on site, with the judgement to stabilise the situation and escalate it properly - Experience allocating work, guiding technicians on the job and holding the work to a quality standard - A strong safety mindset and a structured, documentation-minded way of working - Professional working proficiency in English - Willingness to work fully on site NICE TO HAVE - Finnish language skills - Experience building or improving operating procedures in a new or growing facility - Experience with handovers from construction or deployment into operations - A technical degree (e.g. engineering) or equivalent experience - Certifications such as ITIL, Uptime Institute, CDCP/CDFOM, NEBOSH/IOSH, first aid, or the Finnish occupational safety card WHAT'S NEXT We're building fast and this role needs the right person behind it. There's no artificial deadline, but when we find who we're looking for, we move. If this sounds like your next move, apply now. Please submit your application through our Careers page. We don't accept applications sent by email.