Annexion Partners Hiring! Full Time Operations Director in Johor - Ricebowl

We are working with a global hyperscaler operator in seeking a seasoned operational leader to take full accountability for a flagship hyperscale data centre campus in Johor. This is a mission-critical, 24x7x365 facility supporting global cloud, AI, and enterprise workloads. You will lead a 400–500 person organization spanning facilities, engineering, security, logistics, and critical environment teams to deliver 99.999%+ uptime at scale.

The ideal candidate may come from hyperscale data centres, but we also welcome leaders from other critical infrastructure environments — mega hospitals, semiconductor fabs, advanced manufacturing, power plants, or aviation facilities — where safety, compliance, uptime, and large-scale team leadership are non-negotiable.

If you are successful, you will enjoy the following:
- You will lead one of the largest and most advanced data centre operations in Southeast Asia.
- Johor is the fastest-growing digital infrastructure hub in APAC, and this campus is central to that growth.
- You’ll have the mandate, budget, and team to set the regional benchmark for hyperscale operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities
1. Operations Leadership & Uptime Delivery
- Own end-to-end operations of multi-MW hyperscale data centre campus, ensuring industry-leading availability, efficiency, and safety metrics.
- Direct all critical environment operations: electrical, mechanical, HVAC, fire/life safety, BMS/EPMS, and physical security.
- Lead incident management, root cause analysis, and corrective action programs. Act as final escalation point for all site events.

2. Team Leadership & Culture at Scale
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing organization of 400–500 direct and indirect staff, including shift engineers, facility managers, technicians, EHS, and support teams.
- Drive a culture of safety, operational discipline, continuous improvement, and accountability. Champion “safety first, always” mindset.
- Establish workforce planning, training, and certification programs to support rapid growth and 24x7 coverage.

3. Strategic Asset Management
- Manage annual operating budgets >$50M covering maintenance, utilities, headcount, and capex projects.
- Own site-level PUE, WUE, and sustainability targets. Drive energy efficiency and operational cost optimization without compromising reliability.
- Oversee all planned and corrective maintenance, vendor management, and spare parts strategy for critical infrastructure.

4. Compliance, Risk & Stakeholder Engagement
- Ensure full compliance with local Malaysian regulations, DOSH, Energy Commission, Bomba, and global standards including ISO 27001, ISO 50001, Uptime Tier, and customer audit requirements.
- Act as primary interface for key customers, auditors, government agencies, and utility providers in Johor and Singapore.
- Lead emergency response, business continuity, and disaster recovery planning and drills.

5. Growth & Operational Readiness
- Partner with construction, commissioning, and engineering teams to operationalize new data halls and capacity expansions with zero-defect handover.
- Scale processes, SOPs, and MOPs to support rapid MW growth while maintaining operational excellence.
- Drive automation, digitization, and data-driven operations initiatives across the campus.

Key Qualifications:
- 10+ years in senior operations leadership roles managing 400–500+ FTE in 24x7 critical infrastructure environments.
- Proven track record from one of: hyperscale/cloud data centres, mega hospitals, semiconductor/manufacturing fabs, power generation, oil & gas, aviation, or other Tier III/IV critical facilities.
- Deep understanding of critical MEP systems: MV/LV distribution, UPS, generators, chillers, CRAC/CRAH, BMS, fire suppression. Ability to engage technically with engineers and drive root cause.
- Demonstrable history of delivering 99.99%+ uptime. Track record of building world-class safety culture with TRIR <0.5.
- Working knowledge of Malaysian regulatory environment, DOSH, Energy Commission, and international data centre standards.
- Experience managing large OPEX/capex budgets, contract negotiations, and cost optimization in asset-heavy environments.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, or related field. Advanced degree or MBA preferred.
- CDCP/CDCS, PMP, PE, or equivalent operational certifications are advantageous.

Key Leadership Attributes
- Command Presence: Calm, decisive leadership under pressure. Able to command a room during major incidents.
- Operational Rigor: Obsessed with process, documentation, and drill-down. Believes “what gets measured gets done.”
- People Developer: Proven ability to attract, retain, and grow technical talent in competitive Johor/Singapore market.
- Cross-Functional Influence: Adept at working with Construction, Security, Legal, HR, Finance, and C-suite stakeholders.
- Growth Mindset: Thrives in scale-up environments. Comfortable with ambiguity and rapid change.

If you are excited to find out more, apply now!