Data Center Procurement and Operations Director

ABOUT THE ROLEAxe Compute is seeking a Data Center Procurement and Operations Director to lead site selection, vetting, contracting, and readiness across every colocation facility supporting Axe's GPU cluster deployments. This role owns the full lifecycle from first site tour through signed agreement and fit-out completion, ensuring each facility meets the technical, commercial, and schedule requirements of Axe's enterprise clients.ROLE AT A GLANCEMandate: Own data center site selection, vetting, contracting, and fit-out readiness across all active and prospective deployments.Scope: Site sourcing and RFPs, technical due diligence, contract and SLA negotiation, fit-out oversight, cost negotiation, capacity alignment.Key Outcomes: Sites selected and contracted on schedule, SLAs that protect Axe's client commitments, fit-out delivered on budget and on time, clear reporting on site status.WHAT YOU WILL OWNSite Sourcing & VettingIdentify and source candidate data center and colocation facilities against capacity, power, and geographic requirements for each deal.Tour and technically vet candidate sites, evaluating power capacity, cooling architecture, connectivity, and physical security against Axe's and clients' requirements.Run competitive RFPs for new sites as needed, evaluating proposals against cost, capacity, and schedule criteria.Contracting & SLA NegotiationNegotiate colocation and service agreements, including pricing, SLA terms, and remedies, that meet both Axe's commercial requirements and the uptime commitments made to end clients.Partner with Legal and the VP, Deployments to finalize contract terms and escalation/termination provisions.Fit-Out & Facility ReadinessOversee power, cooling, and rack fit-out work at each site to bring facilities to deployment readiness, coordinating with the facility operator's construction and engineering teams.Track fit-out milestones and readiness against the deployment schedule, escalating delays or scope changes.Capacity Alignment & PrioritizationPrioritize site selection and buildout against capacity planning inputs and sales demand signals, in partnership with the VP, Deployments and Sales.Maintain visibility into available capacity across contracted sites to inform new deal structuring.Cost & Vendor ManagementNegotiate facility costs (colocation, power, NRC) and manage ongoing vendor performance against contracted terms.Track spend against budget and flag and resolve variances.ReportingMaintain and report on site status, contract terms, fit-out progress, and capacity across all facilities to the VP, Deployments and executive team.REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS8+ years in data center site selection, colocation procurement, or facilities operations, ideally supporting hyperscale or high-density AI compute deployments.Experience negotiating colocation contracts and SLAs, including pricing, uptime commitments, and remedies.Strong technical knowledge of data center power, cooling, and physical infrastructure sufficient to technically vet a site.Experience managing RFP processes for site selection or vendor sourcing.PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONSExperience in GPU, AI infrastructure, or high-density compute colocation (20+ MW facilities).Familiarity with data center fit-out and construction management.Bachelor's degree preferred, not required, experience and knowledge matter more.Experience negotiating with and working with colocation operators in North America, Europe, Asia.