Global Head of Cloud & Data Center (Infrastructure)

SGS is the world’s leading Testing, Inspection and Certification company. We operate a network of over 2,500 laboratories and business facilities across 115 countries, supported by a team of over 100,000 dedicated professionals. With more than 145 years of service excellence, we combine the precision and accuracy that define Swiss companies to help organizations achieve the highest standards of quality, compliance and sustainability.

Our brand promise - “when you need to be sure” - underscores our commitment to trust, integrity and reliability, enabling businesses to thrive with confidence. We proudly deliver our expert services through the SGS name and a portfolio of trusted specialized brands, including Applied Technical Services, Brightsight, Bluesign and Nutrasource.

This role sits within Global IT Production, reporting directly to the Global Head of IT Production, with end-to-end accountability for the reliability, security, governance, and operational excellence of the company’s global Cloud and Data Center platforms.

The position leads an Infrastructure-owned Cloud & Data Center organization, responsible for ensuring that production platforms are stable, resilient, compliant, and cost-efficient, while enabling application and digital teams through standardized, automated, and well-governed infrastructure services.

This is a senior infrastructure leadership role, focused on production readiness and operational discipline. It does not own application development or product roadmaps, but serves as the authoritative platform owner and senior escalation point for all Cloud and Data Center services.

Purpose of the Role

To own, operate, and continuously improve the company’s global hybrid Cloud & Data Center production platforms, ensuring enterprise-grade service delivery across availability, performance, security, cost, and risk.

The role combines:

• ~70% leadership, governance, and IT Production accountability
• ~30% high-level technical and architectural authority

Key Responsibilities

Cloud & Data Center Production Ownership

• Own global Cloud & Data Center production platforms (Azure-first, hybrid connectivity, on-prem).
• Act as single point of accountability for platform stability, availability, and resilience.
• Ensure SLAs, SLOs, and compliance standards are consistently met.

Strategy, Governance & Standards

• Define and enforce cloud and infrastructure governance (landing zones, networks, RBAC, security, policies).
• Establish production reference architectures and deployment standards.
• Ensure alignment with Enterprise Architecture and Security within IT Production ownership.

Operational Excellence & SRE

• Own availability, performance, capacity planning, and incident management.
• Embed SRE practices (SLOs, error budgets, post-incident reviews).
• Act as senior escalation authority for major production incidents.

Security, Compliance & Change

• Ensure compliance with security, audit, and regulatory requirements.
• Apply Zero Trust at the infrastructure and production layer.
• Enforce ITIL-based change management for production environments.

Financial Governance & FinOps

• Own the global Cloud & Data Center production budget.
• Lead FinOps initiatives (cost transparency, optimization, reservations, waste reduction).
• Provide executive reporting on cost, efficiency, and risk.

Automation & Observability

• Drive Infrastructure-as-Code and change-as-code standards.
• Define CI/CD patterns for infrastructure deployments.
• Own monitoring, observability, and service health reporting.

Hybrid Infrastructure & Data Centers

• Define and execute data center strategy (modernization, consolidation, migrations).
• Govern hybrid connectivity and network services.
• Ensure DR, backup, and resilience for production platforms.

People & Vendor Leadership

• Lead global Cloud & Data Center teams within IT Production.
• Set clear objectives, accountability, and development paths.
• Manage strategic vendors and partners, ensuring SLA/XLA performance.

Required

• 10+ years in Infrastructure, Cloud, or Platform environments.
• 5+ years leading global or multi-regional infrastructure teams.
• Strong expertise in Azure governance and hybrid infrastructure.
• Proven experience operating mission-critical, highly available production environments.
• Solid background in operational excellence, incident management, and change control.
• Ability to operate at senior leadership level under high operational pressure.

Preferred

• Azure Architect (AZ-305) and/or Azure Administrator (AZ-104).
• ITIL Foundation certification.
• FinOps experience or certification.
• Exposure to AWS and/or GCP in large enterprise contexts.
• Experience in regulated industries or complex global organizations.

Why SGS?

• Join a globally recognized and stable company, a leader in the Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) industry.
• Enjoy a flexible schedule and hybrid work model
• Access continuous learning opportunities through SGS University and Campus.
• Collaborate in a multinational environment with colleagues from various continents.
• Benefit from a comprehensive benefits platform.

Apply Now:

At SGS, we are committed to fostering an open, friendly, and supportive culture that thrives on teamwork. We value diversity and provide endless opportunities to learn, grow your expertise, and fulfill your potential. Apply now to join our motivated and dynamic team!