Operations Director

Wates seeking an experienced Operations Director to lead and grow our data centre delivery capability.

• This is initially a site based role, requiring flexibility to operate primarily between two current live projects in the Yorkshire region.
• The role also carries wider national responsibility beyond these locations.

The role demands a hands on operational leader with proven experience of operating within live data centres and critical environments, with expertise in leading teams to deliver fast track refurbishment projects, particularly within the data centre sector.

The ideal candidate will:

• Come from an engineering contracting background.
• Have demonstrable experience delivering large-scale, complex MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health) projects.
• Have a strong understanding of mission-critical infrastructure.
• Have the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams in high-pressure operational environments.

The candidate will also have a proven ability to:

• Manage stakeholder expectations.
• Maintain operational continuity.
• Ensure projects are delivered safely, on time, and to the highest quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Stakeholder engagement.
• Leading project teams to deliver the current workload.
• Expanding the current pipeline.
• Developing clear business plans to expand Smartspace's capability and market position in the data centre sector.

This role is pivotal to the delivery, growth, and strategic development of our data centre offering and requires a leader who can balance operational excellence with commercial and client-facing leadership.

Functional Leadership Accountability

The role will also carry functional leadership accountability, including:

• Providing direction for the wider Operational function.
• Ensuring appropriate governance.
• Driving capability development.
• Ensuring consistent standards.
• Supporting strong performance.
• Enabling effective integration with commercial delivery teams.