Critical Environment Operations Manager
Microsoft· enterprise· Software· Aug 27, 2026 · 2mo agoPosted 61 days ago
United States, Washington, Quincy
In office
Full-time
Manager
$135K–$175K est.
6+ years exp
Before you apply
Ghost Signal:
Open 61 days.
Job description
Overview
Microsoft’s Cloud Infrastructure and Operations (MCIO) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a Critical Environment Operations Manager , you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive and the Microsoft Azure platform.
Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 200 datacenters in 32 countries and millions of servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.
With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.
Responsibilities
Data Center Operations
• Clarifies and refines strategic vision to communicate to their teams and drives alignment of operational strategies with a security-first culture. Brings suggestions including security enhancement to local management team and/or global leaders or partners. Reviews Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and Key Performance indicators (KPIs) and provides input to improve or make KPIs and OKRs more efficient/effective. Understands key business drivers and where Data Center Operations (DCOPS) feeds into business success. Understands connections between different organizations and their related initiatives. Suggests or recommends risk-based decisions or escalates based on what is best for business and strategy, and without all the data. Frames DCOPs challenges in context of business expectations and drives business context. Understands key financial metrics, understands how to grow an organization, and exhibits a One Microsoft mentality. May change course and strategically delegates tasks.
• Influences guidelines that to ensure they are consistent with contractual service agreements and security standards. Holds team or organization accountable for ensuring third party compliance with Microsoft security, safety, and all other guidelines. Holds team or organization accountable for abiding by all service level agreements (SLAs). Evaluates and implements policy updates to enhance security posture across operations. Holds team or organization accountable for investigating root cause of policy faults, degradation, and security incidents and suggests improvement plans. Holds team accountable for policy plan improvements with focus on maturity and lowering costs. Drives alignment on dependencies, supplier contracts, success metrics, resource readiness, operational, supportability, and manageability criteria. Ensures audits, global and regional initiatives, and third-party guidelines are upheld. Drives accountability with landlord to adhere to MSFT service-level agreement.
• Advocates, follows, and adheres to processes and policy(ies) provided by security and safety governing partners. Reports immediately any safety or security issues or concerns. Ensures Root Cause Analysis (RCA) processes are followed when required. Makes recommendations for improvements to safety and security processes or procedures. Empowers and ensures team fosters and exhibits a culture of safety. Ensures no unauthorized or unescorted personnel access secured production environments, ensuring alignment with security practices and standards. Oversees and drives completion and validation of physical access list audits of personnel accessing secured production environments and related systems. Defines, specifies, and maintains physical space groupings for physical access across varying production environments. Manages non-compliance as needed, in collaboration with key stakeholders. Conducts regular reviews with health, safety, and security business partners. Evaluates regular security risk assessments of data center operations and prioritizes and aligns the design, build, and delivery of technology, tools, data, and processes to meet high security standards. Defines and communicates security Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across teams and resolves complex action items.
• Demonstrates conscientiousness on cost, adheres to budget requirements, and regularly employs sound fiscal strategies to reduce costs or improve fiscal efficiency from best practices. Seeks input from team members or subject matter discipline experts as required to meet timely and accurate targets for budget allocation. Monitors employee's Purchase Orders (POs) and oversees team and organization After-the-Fact (ATFs) if present. Supports annual budget planning and forecasting exercises. Forecasts demand costs, drives awareness among business leaders on the business implications of service management issues, and negotiates with business leaders to win resources to ensure that the long-term value of the service is maintained. Works with the cost model and reporting system to enable the forecasting, tracking, reporting of costs, security and operational risks, and dependencies for a significant portion of the country or region. Articulates level of importance on priorities needed to maintain availability expectations. Adjusts plans based on assigned financial spend for the year. Plans and works with business partners on executing their requirements to maintain adherence to data center availability, security, and safety across their geographic scope. Approves or implements identified opportunities for cost reduction and efficiency.
• Assigns tasks and resources in alignment with other teams in the organization. Validates technical dependency and gap analysis to verify readiness for IT projects and ensures that technical dependencies are managed. Ensures that resources and team capabilities are consistent with expected service standards. Leads their team and champions broader efforts across the organization to achieve service requirements and service level agreements (SLAs)/operational level agreements (OLAs) for multiple services. Influences business partners to adopt solutions that optimize cost and business need. Understands and influences tooling mechanisms to manage resources and prioritizes the need to ensure critical roles within teams are appropriately staffed and developed. Ensures priorities are assigned based on business impact, manages accountabilities within and between teams, and makes appropriate tradeoffs. Focuses on team morale and recognizes team wins.
Data Center Work Environment
• Understands and drives changes which impact the work of others and proactively shares relevant information to enable continued workflow efficiency(ies). Participates in change advisory board (CAB) meetings. Drives change adherence and implementation completely in accordance with documented procedures, accurately, and in a timely manner. Drives business changes across the organization with clearly articulated plans and direction that ensure smooth implementation and minimize disruptions to the business. Proactively monitors the internal and external environment to anticipate opportunities to support or improve incoming changes or projects. Applies change management principles (e.g., PROSCI vs. ITIL) and guides their teams and organization during times of change with appropriate methodology(ies). If not already covered by other roles, drives and/or delivers release management overviews, meetings, or conversations with their team or organization to support understanding of broad-level change(s). Provides strategic guidance to teams on assessing the security implications of planned changes and drives implementation of mitigation strategies to ensure any identified risks are addressed before implementation.
• Delegates to promote growth and development of future leaders. Finds opportunities for collaboration across groups in the division, ensures that cross-team commitments are set, and achieves scale in their work efforts by enabling the work of others.
People Management
• Managers deliver success through empowerment and accountability by modeling, coaching, and caring. Model: Live our culture. Embody our values. Practice our leadership principles. Coach: Define team objectives and outcomes. Enable success across boundaries. Help the team adapt and learn. Care: Attract and retain great people. Know each individual’s capabilities and aspirations. Invest in the growth of others.
Service Delivery
• Drives the analyses of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and provides direction to address observed trends or anomalies. Leads key processes, such as team and triage meetings, prioritizes work across the team, and rebalances priorities to respond to changes. Reviews contracts with landlords and third-party vendors, ensuring alignment with security needs and standards. Participates in regular operational meetings to review OKRs and/or KPIs. Analyzes data and collaborates with and influences internal business partners, clients, and vendors to improve OKRs and/or KPIs and increase efficiency. Identifies discrepancies in data and reports observations and partners with groups as needed to resolve improvement observations. Leverages data and analytics to determine, recommend, and secure needs for resources to deliver to OKRs.
• Drives stakeholder and cross functional partnerships. Develops, grows, and leverages relationships with clients and suppliers to ensure that all expectations and operational, safety, and security requirements are clarified, understood, documented, and met. Communicates with clients and partners. Works with regional support teams to implement changes (e.g., regional or global initiatives like process improvement, safety, compliance, security, engineering, tooling). Makes connections and builds network for teams as needed. Sets example and empowers teams to work collaboratively. Proactively identifies potential cross function engagement issues and mitigates accordingly. Works with business partners to establish a collaborative process to enable understanding of business partners' areas of expertise. Effectively engages across cross functional teams and makes connections and builds network for teams as needed. Empowers teams to work collaboratively and creates visibility to help other teams succeed with regional/global management team. Holds external partners accountable to Microsofts security standards.
• Manages multiple complex technologies projects or programs across multiple disciplines to meet service delivery Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Manages resources appropriately to accommodate pilot programs and task force participation. Supports and removes obstacles or escalates to appropriate stakeholders within partner teams. Champions a security-oriented perspective in escalation procedures to safeguard infrastructure integrity. Sets criteria and requirements for service execution tooling standards and identifies and drives the adoption of a standard toolsets across multiple service teams. Promotes the adoption of security-enhancing tools and practices. Ensures information, awareness, and changes resulting from escalations are communicated throughout their team or organization as appropriate. Supports engineering organization(s) and partners as needed, or provides input to mature tooling in meeting field operations requirements. Drives adoption of approved engineering released tools and systems with their team(s) to support day-to-day operational processes and procedures and protect against current and emerging threats while providing feedback and perspectives regarding tooling performance and quality. Proactively identifies potential issues to prevent escalations, but, provides guidance in support of correct escalation of issues to appropriate owner(s) when necessary. Understands the service management perspective(s) to ensure that business leaders correctly factor the implications and risks of their decisions to effectively delivering the service. Oversees audits or risk assessments for potential security vulnerabilities or threats and provides direction on remediation plans to address findings.
• Provides communication and resolution to issues related to programs, projects, and incidents to drive Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) and/or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) compliance. Presents incident Post-Mortem outcomes and/or approves Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Post-Mortem reporting, including security incidents. Approves and partners with business management and finance partners to secure budget needed for identified service delivery improvements. Triages and prioritizes complex problem management scenarios while documenting and driving mitigation strategies. Leads their team to design multi-discipline service and technology solutions that reduce the risk of deployment and environmental issues prior to production release. Drives and delivers RCAs where appropriate, across multiple functions and disciplines. Drives an organization and team culture of continual improvement to timeliness and quality response(s) to data center incidents. Manages volume, responds promptly to clients, constructively manages stress and confrontation, and approaches situations assuming positive intent. Handles uncertainties in a calm and confident manner. Forms viable working relationships with teams, partners, lessors, and stakeholders for mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Guides resolution of service incidents and escalates, as appropriate, to achieve applicable Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) or supporting Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with minimal disruption to the client and business. Partners with others within or beyond local teams/campus/metro as needed, while directing efforts of their team to troubleshoot and resolve issues. Shares common and repeating cases or observations of service issues with regional/global support teams. Shares best practices to address and mitigate issues and reduce recurrence. Participates in, or ensures appropriate subject matter expertise participation in, applicable Incident Bridges for their workstream(s) and/or location(s). Champions prioritizing security in daily operations and encourages teams to share best practices for implementing secure approaches to products, processes, and tools in alignment with security initiatives.
• Ensures that all issues are documented, tracked, discussed, and resolved with clients, suppliers, and appropriate stakeholders with consistent and complete communication. Understands and anticipates the client's business needs and maintains a dedicated client focus to improve quality and delivery of the service and security-first approach, and provide insights to improve client return on investment. Identifies trends or identifies gaps with current processes and procedures for reviewing schedules, coordinating, managing expectations, and developing alternatives when defining client solutions and develop strategies to address. Brings together diverse perspectives, technologies, and organizations as needed to proactively manage or remove risks for service delivery approach(es) and align clients to risk vs. impact decisions/tradeoffs. Drives accountability for team and organizational awareness of potential client impact of other events and issues occurring across the service (e.g. lockdowns; change management), and drives communication of potential impact to adjust plans accordingly. Communicates strategy adaptations, plans, and solutions, regarding insights about end-customer, market, and business environment changes impacting service delivery to their team(s) or organization. Supports and assists with development of end-customer presentations or briefings regarding data center incidents impacting client and end-customer services or experience. Presents to senior regional audiences. Digests data and presents to targeted audiences internally and externally (e.g., senior leaders, data center employees at all levels). Uses basic storytelling to communicate customer impact. Represents business or area/region internally and externally. Provides strategic guidance on adapting strategies to align with evolving security needs across teams.
• Mentors and/or assists others within or across data center teams in learning role, process, procedures, and best practices. Drives adherence and alignment to processes for teams staying up to date on current changes (e.g., method, policy, procedure) and required implementation. Empower their team to, and seeks their own training opportunities that meet the interest of the business (e.g., performance, capability, succession planning) as well as own career goals and objectives. Evangelizes and teaches others to reach beyond existing solutions, technologies, frameworks, or structures to incorporate new ideas. Learns and applies successful strategies. Ensures and empowers their team to complete required security, corporate, and/or mandated training and shares security best practices. Drives learning and development organization(s) to evolve and deliver training portfolios across teams to meet required operational needs. Contributes to industry standards and provides thought leadership regarding new industry standards where applicable for their teams and organizations. Onboards new hires in the same role. Participates as a mentor in the mentorship program and identifies key others who can serve as mentors.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
• High School Qualification or equivalent AND 6+ years experience of mission-critical service management (e.g., providing IT services, manufacturing, warehouse, retail, military, or managing physical operations in an IT and/or critical environment infrastructure) OR equivalent experience
• 1+ year(s) people management experience.
Background Check Requirements:
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
While not required, we also look for the following Preferred Qualifications :
• 6+ years enterprise-level experience managing large scale and complex projects/programs AND 6+ years experience in Critical Environment infrastructures (e.g., UPS, Generator, AHU) AND 6+ years experience in physical IT infrastructures (e.g., Servers, SANs, Networking, Capacity, DC Rack/Enclosures, structured cabling) AND Experience managing budget $1M+.
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Math, Telecommunications, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Management or related field.
• 5+ years experience leading diverse, technical workforce or managing global and virtual teams.
• Applicable certifications: ASICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA, Microsoft, Network Certifications, CCNA Certifications, ITIL v3 Foundation, Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) Certifications, Leadership Development Certifications, PMP, CDCP.
• Bachelor’s Degree or Technical College certification in mechanical or electrical engineering and/or services
• Experience working on large scale CE projects
• Experience with the operation of IT infrastructure (Servers, SANs, Networking, etc.)
Data Center Operations Management M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $127,600 - $229,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $168,900 - $253,300 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
careers.microsoft.com
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
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