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CloudflareEngineering Manager, Data Center Operations
Cloudflare seeks an Engineering Manager for Data Center Operations to build and oversee a distributed technical team responsible for physical infrastructure across the United States. In…
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About This Role
Cloudflare seeks an Engineering Manager for Data Center Operations to build and oversee a distributed technical team responsible for physical infrastructure across the United States. In this position, the manager handles the full lifecycle of data center sites, spanning greenfield constructions via third-party partners, ongoing production operations, and secure end-of-life hardware decommissioning. Cloudflare runs a massive global network designed to accelerate and secure internet properties, ranging from small blogs to…
Job Description
Cloudflare seeks an Engineering Manager for Data Center Operations to build and oversee a distributed technical team responsible for physical infrastructure across the United States. In this position, the manager handles the full lifecycle of data center sites, spanning greenfield constructions via third-party partners, ongoing production operations, and secure end-of-life hardware decommissioning.
Cloudflare runs a massive global network designed to accelerate and secure internet properties, ranging from small blogs to major enterprise organizations, without requiring code modifications or extra hardware. This infrastructure-focused department brings together engineering, hardware, operations, and logistics to maintain a presence across numerous cities globally.
This role suits an experienced operations leader with a background in managing remote technical staff, driving site delivery timelines, and ensuring hardware availability. The position requires balancing competing priorities such as build deadlines against quality, managing colocation vendors, establishing 24x7 on-call rotations, maintaining accurate DCIM documentation from day one, and aligning with compliance frameworks. The individual will leverage automation and tooling to reduce repetitive work and streamline operational health reporting across teams.
Responsibilities
- Hire, mentor, and manage Data Center Engineers situated at locations across the United States
- Establish coverage models, handover protocols, and incident service-level agreements while participating in a 24x7 on-call rotation
- Manage greenfield site builds alongside third-party integrators, contractors, and colocation partners from readiness to production handoff
- Maintain accountability for production hardware availability targets, break-fix procedures, repairs, and spares strategies
- Oversee colocation providers and vendors regarding power and cooling issues, remote-hands quality, and contractual commitments
- Ensure complete and accurate DCIM documentation of rack elevations, power, cabling, and asset tracking from the arrival of hardware
- Supervise physical hardware decommissioning, chain of custody verification, and secure destruction handoffs with ITAD vendors
- Enforce physical security, access control, and compliance obligations, providing continuous audit-ready evidence
- Collaborate with automation teams to find and remove manual tasks and adopt AI-assisted workflows for incident triage and root-cause analysis
- Deliver regular business reviews and status reports on availability, build progress, and operational health to leadership
Requirements
- At least 6 years of experience in data center operations
- Minimum 3 years of direct experience managing on-site technical teams, including geographically distributed staff
- Demonstrated track record of operating multi-site data center fleets at hyperscale or large-cloud scale
- Hands-on technical background with IT hardware including servers, network gear, optics, and cabling
- Experience managing sites through the complete lifecycle from greenfield builds to steady-state operations and decommissioning
- Experience managing providers in Tier III+ colocation facilities
- Experience overseeing 24x7 on-call operations and incident escalation workflows
- Strong Layer 1 and Layer 2 fundamentals covering structured cabling, fiber optics, switching, and physical connectivity troubleshooting
- Practical knowledge of data center power, cooling, rack design, high-density deployments, and hardware asset management
- Proficiency with DCIM and asset management systems with a track record of maintaining accurate documentation from day one
- Working knowledge of enterprise-grade data center security and compliance frameworks
- Strong program management capabilities across multiple vendors and time-bound workstreams
- Ability to travel regularly to data center sites, with increased frequency during build phases
Qualifications
- Experience standing up a new data center operations function or region from zero
- Professional background at a hyperscaler, cloud provider, major CDN, or similarly fast-scaling infrastructure organization
- Familiarity with ITAD vendor programs and secure destruction requirements
- Experience utilizing PagerDuty or comparable on-call and incident response tooling
- Familiarity with NetBox or Nlyte for DCIM, Jira operational workflows, and Confluence documentation practices
- Experience managing remote-hands programs and vendor scorecards
- Background in hardware diagnostics, burn-in procedures, or automated build validation
Core Skills
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
What is the remote work policy for this position?
The posting lists the location as remote, but notes that the role requires regular travel to data center sites, with more frequent travel during site builds. Additionally, applicants who reach the offer stage may be asked to attend an in-person interview at a Cloudflare office or hub.
What level of experience is required for this role?
Candidates must have at least 6 years of experience in data center operations, which must include a minimum of 3 years of direct experience managing on-site technical teams, particularly distributed groups.
Does the job posting specify the salary range?
No, the salary is not stated in the source posting.
What are the primary responsibilities regarding site builds and operations?
The manager owns site timelines from readiness through deployment, hardware delivery, cabling, and production handoff, while also maintaining accountability for hardware availability, vendor management, compliance, and 24x7 on-call operations.
Sample Interview Questions
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