Principal Operations Engineer Hardware - Data Center Operations

## About the Role The Principal Operations Engineer, Hardware is a critical role at Fluidstack, responsible for ensuring the operational excellence of the company's hyperscale AI data center portfolio. This senior technical position requires a unique blend of technical expertise, leadership skills, and strategic vision. As a key member of the operations team, you will lead site assessments and operational audits, drive technical readiness, and provide operational insights to inform hardware engineering, deployment, and supply chain decisions.

The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of data center operations, hardware management, and the ability to navigate complex technical systems. You will be the technical authority for the operational hardware fleet, working closely with site hardware leads, deployment teams, and reliability engineers to ensure the smooth operation of Fluidstack's infrastructure.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology, collaborate with a talented team of professionals, and contribute to the company's mission to make humanity more free through powerful AI.

## What You Will Do - Lead site assessments and operational audits to ensure the reliability and efficiency of data center operations - Drive technical readiness of teams ahead of site activation, ensuring that all personnel are trained and equipped to manage the infrastructure - Review hardware platforms and integration designs from an operational perspective, providing feedback to inform design decisions - Collaborate with hardware engineering, deployment, and supply chain teams to ensure seamless integration of new hardware and technologies - Develop and execute high-risk MOPs and change records in live production environments, ensuring minimal disruption to operations - Lead root cause analysis on significant hardware events, driving corrective actions to closure and implementing measures to prevent future occurrences - Hold OEMs, ODMs, service vendors, and deployment partners accountable for meeting Fluidstack's standards and expectations - Develop and maintain strong relationships with cross-functional teams, including network, facilities, and customer-facing teams - Travel extensively (50-75%) to visit data centers and collaborate with teams

## What We Are Looking For - 10+ years of hands-on experience operating mission-critical hardware infrastructure, with at least 5 years as a senior technical voice on a site, campus, or fleet - Data center operations experience strongly preferred; hyperscale, large HPC, cloud, or other mission-critical compute infrastructure experience considered - Deep working command of GPU systems, server platforms, storage infrastructure, firmware lifecycle management, and hardware diagnostics - Demonstrated ability to author, approve, and execute high-risk MOPs and change records in live production environments - Strong written communication skills, with the ability to write operational health assessments, RCAs, procedure reviews, and design review feedback - Comfort operating as the senior technical voice across operations, hardware engineering, network, facilities, supply chain, and customer-facing teams

## Nice to Have - Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field - Experience with AI infrastructure and hyperscale data centers - Knowledge of cloud computing platforms and technologies - Familiarity with DevOps tools and methodologies - Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with multiple stakeholders and priorities

## Benefits and Perks - Competitive salary range:

- To stand out in this role, highlight your experience in data center operations, hardware management, and technical leadership.

• Be prepared to discuss your approach to root cause analysis and corrective action, as well as your experience with high-risk MOPs and change records.
• Showcase your ability to communicate technical information to non-technical stakeholders, and demonstrate your experience working with cross-functional teams.
• Consider highlighting your experience with AI infrastructure, hyperscale data centers, and cloud computing platforms.
• When negotiating salary, be sure to research the market rate for similar roles and consider factors such as location, experience, and qualifications.
• Before applying, research Fluidstack's company culture and values to ensure alignment with your own goals and expectations.