[Hiring] Senior Manager of Physical Infrastructure Engineering @DigitalOcean

Role Description

We are looking for a Senior Manager of Physical Infrastructure Engineering who is passionate about the electrical, mechanical, and controls engineering that keeps leading-edge AI/GPU infrastructure running reliably at scale.

As Senior Manager of Physical Infrastructure Engineering, you will lead a multidisciplinary engineering team responsible for the standards, specifications, and technical decisions that every new build, retrofit, and deployment across DigitalOcean's global footprint must meet. This role reports directly to the VP of Data Center Operations & Engineering.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and grow a multidisciplinary team covering electrical, mechanical, controls/automation, and data center infrastructure engineering and construction.
• Develop and own engineering standards and specifications for AI/GPU data centers, including liquid cooling, power distribution, and controls/automation.
• Serve as the technical authority and final engineering escalation point for infrastructure issues.
• Provide engineering due diligence on new colocation and build-to-suit facilities.
• Own vendor and OEM infrastructure engineering relationships.
• Lead or sponsor root-cause analysis for infrastructure-driven incidents.
• Own infrastructure specifications, technical documentation, and change governance.
• Partner with Site Operations, Deployment, Construction, and Design organizations.
• Track and report on infrastructure reliability metrics across the fleet.
• Lead compliance review of infrastructure standards against relevant codes and safety requirements.
• Build and maintain an audit process for reviewing existing sites against current engineering standards.
• Manage outsourced engineering talent where required.
• Develop engineering and construction talent on your team.

Travel:

• Expect 20–30% travel for new-site due diligence, commissioning support, and vendor/OEM engineering reviews.

Key Metrics:

• Reduction in infrastructure-driven incidents and repeat failure modes.
• Standardization coverage — percentage of fleet reviewed and brought into compliance.
• Time-to-root-cause and time-to-corrective-action on infrastructure engineering escalations.
• Reliable engineering support of new-site expansion.
• Scalability of the engineering organization relative to footprint growth.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, or related Engineering discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• 10+ years in mission-critical engineering, including direct experience with data center infrastructure.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams, including hiring, developing, and retaining senior technical talent.
• 5+ years experience managing outsourced engineering teams.
• Deep hands-on experience with liquid cooling systems, UPS, generators, switchgear, and controls/automation platforms.
• Experience running or directly supporting root-cause analysis with OEMs on infrastructure component failures.
• Working knowledge of relevant electrical, mechanical, and safety codes.
• Experience conducting technical due diligence on data center facilities.
• Track record of building engineering standards that scale across multiple sites.

Requirements

• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across multiple teams.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.

Benefits

• Flexible time off.
• Local team meetups.
• Mental health and well-being support.
• Reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education.
• Participation in DigitalOcean’s annual bonus plan.
• Equity compensation opportunities.

Company Description

DigitalOcean is an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.