Data Center Manager - Richmond

Dive in and do the best work of your career at DigitalOcean. Journey alongside a strong community of top talent who are relentless in their drive to build the simplest scalable cloud. If you have a growth mindset, naturally like to think big and bold, and are energized by the fast-paced environment of a true industry disruptor, you’ll find your place here.  We value winning together-while learning, having fun, and making a profound difference for the dreamers and builders in the world. 

We want people who are passionate about operational excellence and scaling infrastructure that powers the cloud.

At DigitalOcean, our Data Center Managers are critical to the success of our business. They are hands-on technical leaders who own the end-to-end operations of our physical infrastructure-ensuring we meet customer expectations for reliability, performance, and scale. You will lead a talented team of technicians and engineers, support data center initiatives in the region, and work closely with our architects and infrastructure product teams to bring new solutions online at lightning speed.

This position is based near the Richmond, VA region and requires you to be onsite. 

What You’ll Be Working On:

• Managing on-site operations of our MEM data center, overseeing a team of technicians and engineers to ensure uptime, efficiency, and safety.
• Leading and mentoring: managing staffing, scheduling, performance, and career development.
• Overseeing deployment, maintenance, and optimization of compute, storage, and networking infrastructure-including GPU-based systems.
• Managing the physical infrastructure environment-including power delivery, airflow, and cooling-to support high-density compute workloads and liquid cooling systems where applicable. This includes working closely with facilities and capacity planning teams to optimize rack density and energy efficiency, as well as partnering with vendors, OEMs, and suppliers to ensure timely delivery of components, manage RMAs, and resolve hardware escalations.
• Working with facilities and infrastructure engineering teams to understand mechanical and electrical designs, contribute to floor planning, and ensure alignment between facility capabilities and compute growth.
• Partnering with internal teams, including data center architects and cloud product owners, to align infrastructure buildouts with evolving customer and platform requirements.
• Collaborating globally with regional data center managers and infrastructure leads in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Richmond, Atlanta, Kansas City, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Bangalore,  Singapore, and Sydney to:
• Share operational patterns and best practices
• Raise awareness of local and global risks
• Align on scalable infrastructure plans
• Drive cross-site consistency and innovation
• Working closely with the Supply Chain and Asset Management team to maintain inventory accuracy, streamline inbound/outbound logistics, and ensure component readiness.
• Aligning with the Capacity Management team to forecast and fulfill infrastructure demand, enabling rapid deployment in support of customer growth and product launches.
• Managing day-to-day task flow through Jira, using Kanban methodology to ensure smooth operations and continuous delivery.
• Work closely with DC providers to maintain operational excellence. 
• Collaborating with external vendors, managing RMAs, shipping/receiving, and inventory control.
• Serving as the local escalation point and incident lead for operational or technical challenges.

What We’ll Expect From You:

• 6-10 years of progressive experience in data center operations, including 3+ years of team leadership or site management in a high-scale environment.
• Deep technical knowledge of data center systems-compute, storage, networking, airflow/cooling-and the ability to coach others in these areas.
• Experience with GPU deployments; familiarity with liquid cooling infrastructure or high-density rack solutions is a plus.
• Strong understanding of facility infrastructure, including electrical systems, power distribution, UPS, and cooling design principles.
• Hands-on experience with data center health monitoring, rack design, structured cabling, and server manageability tools.
• Experience using work tracking tools (e.g., Jira) and applying Kanban or similar agile workflows to visualize work, identify bottlenecks, and optimize flow. Brings a systems-oriented mindset focused on team health, building habits that improve throughput, predictability, and accountability over time.
• Strong leadership skills: capable of driving performance, setting goals, and creating a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills; you enjoy working cross-functionally to make things better.
• Global mindset and experience working with geographically distributed teams; comfortable aligning across time zones and infrastructure standards.
• Ability to be on-call for escalations outside of business hours.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs and be on your feet during extended work sessions.
• Traveling up to 10% typically domestically to and from multiple locations during the workday, and occasionally domestically to other sites for overnight stays.
• May work 12-hour shifts, including shift assignments during non-standard business hours such as evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

Compensation Range: 

• $135,000 - $164,000

• • Non-sales roles: In addition to base salary, this role is eligible to participate in DigitalOcean’s annual bonus plan and may be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility. Bonus amounts depend on company and individual performance.
  • Sales roles (sales compensation eligible): In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible to earn incentive compensation under the applicable sales compensation plan and may be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility.

*This is an onsite role

JR: 2026-8392 

#LI-Onsite

Why You’ll Like Working for DigitalOcean

• We innovate with purpose. You’ll be a part of a cutting-edge technology company with a high-growth trajectory, who are proud to simplify cloud and AI so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world. As part of our team, you’ll embody our "Shark" mindset: bold, ambitious, and scrappy. You'll lead with a bias for action and take true ownership of our products, customer success, and team culture.
• We prioritize career development. At DigitalOcean, you’ll do the best work of your career. You will join a community of exceptional talent, collaborating closely with some of the brightest and most interesting people in the industry. We are a high-performance and fast-paced organization that will always challenge you to think big. Our talent development team prioritizes your professional development and provides resources to support your growth. We provide employees with reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education, subject to company policy. 
• We care about your well-being. We take a comprehensive approach to our total rewards packages because we know different things drive different people. Our benefits are designed to support you and may include flexible time off, local team meetups, and mental health and well being support. Our benefits philosophy is consistent globally, but specific benefits and eligibility vary by location to reflect local needs and regulations.
• We reward our employees. The salary range for this position is based on market data, relevant years of experience, and skills. Eligible employees may also receive equity compensation, which may include a new hire equity grant and, in participating countries, the opportunity to participate in our Employee Stock Purchase Program. Equity awards are subject to approval and the terms of the applicable plan.
• Non-sales roles: In addition to base salary, this role is eligible to participate in DigitalOcean’s annual bonus plan and may be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility. Bonus amounts depend on company and individual performance.
• Sales roles (sales compensation eligible): In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible to earn incentive compensation under the applicable sales compensation plan and may be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility.
• 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.

Application Limit: You may apply to a maximum of 3 positions within any 180-day period. This policy promotes better role-candidate matching and encourages thoughtful applications where your qualifications align most strongly.