Job Title: Data Center Manager
Reports To: Data Center Program Manager
Department: Technical Services
FLSA Status: Exempt
Salary: $115-120,000
Location: Abilene, TX
Why Smartlink?
At Smartlink, we believe exceptional people create exceptional results. Guided by our core values, Creating Customer Fanatics, Innovate and Create, One Team, We Are All In, and Safety Leads to Success, we foster a culture where driven, ambitious individuals are empowered to make an impact, grow their careers, and help drive our success.
We are a fast-paced, high-performance organization where accountability, teamwork, and innovation are expected and rewarded. This is not a traditional 40-hour workweek environment. Success often requires flexibility, dedication, and a willingness to go above and beyond to deliver for our customers and teammates.
In return, you’ll be surrounded by talented professionals who challenge and support one another, with opportunities for career growth, skill development, and meaningful contributions that make a real difference.
If you’re competitive, motivated by achievement, and ready to be All In, Smartlink offers more than a job. It offers the opportunity to build an exceptional career while helping shape the future of our industry. If you’re ready to be All In, we invite you to join us and help shape the future of Smartlink.
Job Summary:
The Data Center Manager is a leadership role accountable for the end-to-end delivery of large-scale fiber-optic infrastructure within hyperscale data centers and complex telecommunications environments. This position orchestrates specialized cable installation teams and logistics operations to ensure high-density fiber networks are delivered on schedule, within budget, and to the highest quality standards. Success requires a strategic, forward-thinking leader capable of synchronizing the arrival of multimillion-dollar materials with the daily production output of field technicians, enabling seamless execution across all phases of the project lifecycle—from procurement and build sequencing through testing, turnover, and close-out.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Integrated Project Leadership & Planning
• Serve as the primary owner of end-to-end delivery, maintaining the critical path from material procurement through testing, turnover, and close-out.
• Develop comprehensive project plans covering scope, schedule, budget, resourcing, risk mitigation, and quality controls.
• Sequence work for cable installation, pathway construction, cabinet installation, and fiber deployment across data halls and inter-building routes.
• Lead project kickoffs and establish clear communication channels with internal teams, subcontractors, and customers.
• Collaborate with engineering to interpret design packages, rack elevations, pathway drawings, and fiber routing diagrams.
Field Execution, Resourcing & Cross-Functional Coordination
• Direct day-to-day activities of installation crews, logistics technicians, and subcontractors, setting and tracking production targets.
• Synchronize material staging plans with daily crew schedules to eliminate wait time and protect schedule integrity.
• Dynamically reallocate resources to meet “hot” priorities and critical deadlines.
• Monitor progress across multiple workstreams and resolve onsite issues (design gaps, material shortages, pathway conflicts, access constraints).
Material & Supply-Chain Management
• Coordinate deliveries, receiving, inventory, and staging with logistics teams.
• Forecast material demand based on installation rates, build phases, and engineering requirements.
• Ensure on-time arrival of long-lead, high-cost components (e.g., HFC fiber reels, ODF hardware, cabinets, pathway materials); act quickly on exceptions to prevent delays.
Financial Management, Cost Control & Reporting
• Own the project budget: labor forecasting, material burn rates, and change-order management.
• Review/approve POs, change orders, and subcontractor invoices.
• Produce financial dashboards and progress summaries for leadership and clients.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising schedule or quality.
Quality, Standards & Documentation
• Ensure all work complies with engineering designs, customer requirements, and hyperscale/Tier-1 standards (ribbon fiber, high-count backbone, patching).
• Oversee QA/testing programs (OTDR, power meter) and ensure documentation (MTRs, COC), labeling, as-builts, and close-out packages are audit-ready.
• Conduct field audits and inspections to verify workmanship and compliance.
Risk, Safety & Issue Resolution
• Maintain a living risk register; anticipate downstream impacts (e.g., how a logistics delay affects splicing weeks later) and implement mitigations.
• Champion a culture of safety; enforce OSHA and site-specific protocols for energized and high-density environments.
• Lead incident response, root-cause analysis, corrective actions, and timely escalation when required.
Stakeholder & Client Management
• Serve as the primary liaison with clients, GCs, vendors, and internal executives.
• Provide structured updates on milestones, risks, mitigations, and material status; manage expectations and build trust.
• Speak the language of hyperscale clients, prioritizing speed-to-market, technical precision, and transparent communication.
Conflict Navigation
• Proactively mediate between logistics constraints and field production demands to protect schedule, cost, and quality.
Operational Excellence & Performance Metrics
• Drive continuous improvement: standardize best practices, reduce material waste, increase installation feet-per-day, and uplift team productivity.
• Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications & Requirements: To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Required
• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent industry experience).
• 7+ years of project management experience in large-scale infrastructure, data centers, ISP/OSP fiber deployment, or industrial telecommunications.
• Strong technical understanding of fiber-optic architecture, including ISP/OSP cabling, high-fiber-count (HFC) installations, splicing techniques, and fiber testing standards.
• Proven experience managing multi-disciplinary teams, including logistics/warehouse personnel and field installation crews.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate across multiple workstreams, including crew scheduling, material logistics, and on-site construction activities.
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, rack elevations, fiber routing diagrams, and technical installation packages.
• Proven success managing project budgets, schedules, subcontractor performance, and change-order workflows.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and organizational skills with a focus on cross-functional alignment.
• Proficiency with project management platforms such as Sitetracker, Procore, Primavera P6, Smartsheet, MS Project, and advanced Excel for data-driven analysis.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make time-critical decisions in fast-moving environments.
• Ability to work safely within active data halls and navigate complex construction sites.
• Valid driver’s license and the ability to pass all required data-center background checks for site access.
Preferred
• Experience delivering projects for hyperscale or mission-critical data centers.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, RCDD, BICSI Technician, or equivalent.
• Background managing inter-building conduit systems, backbone fiber loops, and high-density distribution architectures.
• Experience operating within large-scale program environments requiring deep coordination across engineering, logistics, operations, and executive stakeholders.
Physical Demands & Work Environment:
• Ability to lift or move up to 20–30 lbs occasionally (documents, laptops, test equipment, drawings, PPE)
• Extended periods of computer work when performing scheduling, reporting, design review, or coordination tasks.
• Must be able to adapt to fast-changing schedules, change-control windows, and installation cutovers, often requiring early-morning, evening, or weekend presence.
• Travel may be required and can range from periodic to significant, depending on project load and geographic distribution.
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