Data Center Facilities Operations Lead

About the role

Gimlet Labs is seeking a Data Center Facilities Operations Lead to own the critical facilities operating model for Gimlet data centers and high-density AI infrastructure deployments. In this role, you will make sure the facility-side systems that support Gimlet's compute capacity are ready, monitored, maintained, and operating inside the required envelope.

You will focus on the infrastructure that keeps liquid-cooled AI systems healthy: facility water loops, CDUs, supply and return temperatures, flow, pressure, water quality, leak detection, alarms, heat rejection, power and cooling coordination, BMS/DCIM telemetry, maintenance procedures, and vendor repair workflows.

This role is well-suited for a critical facilities operator who understands data center MEP systems, liquid cooling, operational monitoring, and the discipline required to keep high-density compute environments stable as Gimlet scales.

What success looks like

In the first 12-18 months, you will:

• Build the facilities operations model for current and future Gimlet sites, including operating standards, escalation paths, maintenance routines, acceptance criteria, and facility readiness gates.

• Translate OEM and engineering requirements for liquid-cooled platforms into practical site operating envelopes for temperature, flow, pressure, water quality, alarms, and heat rejection.

• Own monitoring and response for facility-side telemetry, including supply and return water temperatures, delta-T, flow, pressure, leak detection, CDU status, cooling capacity margins, and BMS/DCIM alarms.

• Partner with colocation providers, facility vendors, OEMs, Site Managers, Data Center Technicians, Deployment Leads, and TPMs to ensure facilities are ready before new compute capacity is deployed.

• Create and maintain MOPs, SOPs, EOPs, maintenance windows, runbooks, inspection routines, and incident response procedures for critical facilities and liquid cooling operations.

• Coordinate preventive maintenance, repairs, and vendor response for CDUs, facility water loops, filters, valves, pumps, sensors, leak detection systems, chillers, dry coolers, CRAHs, and related infrastructure.

• Lead facility-side root cause analysis for thermal, leak, power, cooling, monitoring, and environmental events, then drive durable corrective actions.

• Build reporting that shows facility health, risk, readiness, capacity margin, recurring issues, open repairs, and operational trends across Gimlet sites.

• Experience in data center facilities operations, critical facilities engineering, MEP operations, commissioning, or facilities maintenance

• Experience operating liquid-cooled, high-density compute infrastructure

• Familiarity with facility water systems, CDUs, heat rejection, leak detection, and water-quality controls

• Experience using BMS, DCIM, EPMS, or similar systems to monitor and respond to facility conditions

• The ability to create and execute operational procedures with strong attention to safety and reliability

• Experience coordinating across site teams, colocation providers, OEMs, and facilities vendors

• The ability to work in active data center environments and support urgent facilities escalations

Strong candidates may also have

• Experience supporting GPU, HPC, or rack-scale liquid-cooled infrastructure

• Experience with commissioning, integrated systems testing, site acceptance, or facility turnover

• Familiarity with power distribution, UPS and generator systems, chilled water, dry coolers, CRAH/CRAC systems, or rear-door heat exchangers

• Experience managing colocation obligations, service levels, maintenance windows, and vendor escalations

• A track record of improving facility reliability through monitoring, preventive maintenance, and incident analysis

• Solve hard problems.

• Own meaningful work.

• Build for production.

• Help define what’s next.