Director, Data Center Operations

Together AI Together AI · Data AI · San Francisco, CA · Engineering

This role is for a Director of Data Center Operations at Together AI, focusing on building and scaling the physical infrastructure for AI workloads. The responsibilities include designing and commissioning data center white space, managing power and cooling systems, and building a break-fix team. It is a ground-floor, builder role with ownership over operational foundations.

What you'd actually do

  1. Own the design, fit-out, and commissioning of white space sites across the US and Asia, with a focus on power distribution (PDUs), cooling distribution (CDUs), and IT-adjacent infrastructure
  2. Build and lead a ~20-person break-fix and smart hands team from scratch — define the operating model, hire the initial team, and establish the processes and playbooks that keep sites running
  3. Manage a portfolio of 5+ sites across two regions in various stages of deployment and live operation
  4. Partner with vendors, contractors, and equipment suppliers to drive site deployments to schedule and quality
  5. Establish operational standards, runbooks, and escalation processes for a nascent but rapidly growing infrastructure function

Skills

Required

  • Data center power and cooling systems (PDUs, CDUs, power distribution, white space fit-out)
  • Data center infrastructure design and commissioning
  • Operating data center infrastructure at scale
  • People leadership and team building
  • Vendor and contractor management

Nice to have

  • GPU or AI infrastructure deployments
  • Multi-site or multi-region portfolio management
  • Familiarity with Asian markets

What the JD emphasized

  • build it right
  • building the break-fix and smart hands team from scratch
  • builder role
  • scaled data center infrastructure through hypergrowth before and want to do it again with more ownership
  • Deep, hands-on technical knowledge
  • Proven experience designing and commissioning
  • Experience operating data center infrastructure at meaningful scale
  • People leadership experience
  • A builder's instinct
  • Strong vendor and contractor management skills