Data Center Site Manager

At Groq

We believe in an AI economy powered by human agency. We envision a world where AI is accessible to all, a world that demands processing power that is better, faster, and more affordable than is available today. AI applications are currently constrained by the limitations of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a technology originally developed for the gaming market and soon to become the weakest link in the AI economy.

Enter Groq's LPU Inference Engine. Specifically engineered for the demands of large language models (LLMs), the Language Processing Unit outpaces the GPU in speed, power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. The quickest way to understand the opportunity is to watch the Groq Talk.

AI will change humanity forever, and we believe the preservation of human agency and self-determination is only possible if AI is made affordably and universally accessible. Groq's LPUs will power AI from an early stage, and you will get to leave your fingerprint on civilization.

This senior level position will be responsible for Operational Excellence across Groq Data Centers in Sydney and Australia. The successful candidate will lead teams, manage all site operations, and travel between locations as needed to ensure the stability, security, and efficiency of our mission-critical infrastructure. The ideal candidate will possess deep technical expertise in Linux systems, networking, and security, with a strong focus on automation and continuous improvement.

• Site & People Management: Lead, staff, and manage a team of data center technicians across the Sydney and Australia sites, including scheduling, training, and performance evaluations, ensuring the efficient operation of the data centers.
• Site & People Management: Manage day-to-day operations and workloads for both locations, ensuring all tasks are prioritized and completed efficiently.
• Site & People Management: Travel as needed between the Sydney and Australia sites to provide direct oversight and hands-on leadership.
• Site & People Management: Collaborate with teams to develop and implement data center policies and standards, ensuring compliance with industry best practices and regulatory requirements at both locations.
  • Operations & Vendor Management: Develop and manage budgets for data center operations, including hardware, software, and personnel costs for both sites.
  • Operations & Vendor Management: Oversee the management of vendors and onsite support teams to ensure timely delivery of services and equipment.
  • Operations & Vendor Management: Ensure proper accountability for equipment and assets, including tracking and reporting of inventory and maintenance schedules.
  • Operations & Vendor Management: Develop and implement logistics plans for the efficient movement of equipment and personnel.
  • Operations & Vendor Management: Program Management: Prioritize Data Center related programs, improvements, and operation requirements.
    • Technical Expertise: Provide technical expertise to troubleshoot and resolve complex issues related to Linux systems, networks, storage devices, and other data center equipment.
    • Technical Expertise: Stay up-to-date with industry trends and technologies, and recommend improvements to operations.
    • Technical Expertise: Participate in disaster recovery and business continuity planning to ensure minimal downtime and data loss.
    Qualifications & Skills

At minimum:

• 10+ years of experience in data center management, with a focus on people and site management.
• Knowledge of DCIM systems, including installation, configuration, and basic troubleshooting.
• Deep knowledge of data center infrastructure including servers, storage systems, network devices, and structured cabling.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, with a track record of building and leading high-performing teams including engineers and technicians.
• IT Hardware troubleshooting capabilities.
• Experience with data center management software, such as Ansible, Puppet, or Chef.
• Familiarity with ticketing systems (Jira, Remedy, ServiceNow, etc).
• Knowledge of structured cabling and deployment of networking cabling plants.
• Familiarity with cloud computing platforms, such as GCP and Kubernetes.
• P/L and metrics for manufacturing facility or data center.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to think critically and strategically.
  • 2 years of experience in a startup environment, with a focus on rapid growth and scalability.
  • Experience with agile project management methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban.
  • Experience with cloud-based data center management tools and platforms.
  • Familiarity with containerization and orchestration technologies, such as Docker.
  • Networking Experience (DNS, DHCP, PXE, TCP/IP)
  • Experience managing multiple sites or a globally distributed team
  Compensation

Compensation: At Groq, a competitive base salary is part of our comprehensive compensation package, which includes equity and benefits. For this role, the base salary range is $165,000 to $192,100, determined by your skills, qualifications, experience and internal benchmarks.