Assistant Vice President (Data Center Automation)

Assistant Vice President (Data Center Automation)

Role Summary

The Assistant Vice President of Data Center Automation is a senior leadership role responsible for driving the automation, optimization, and security of data center operations. This position oversees Building Management System (BMS) operations, and OSS/BSS (Operational Support Systems/Business Support Systems) functions, ensuring seamless integration, efficiency, and resilience across all systems. The ideal candidate will possess a strong technical background, strategic vision, and proven experience in managing large-scale data center and telecom/IT service environments.

Technical Scope of Work

System Architecture & Design

Define and document the overall control architecture, including:

PLC/DDC network hierarchy and supervisory levels.

OT LAN segmentation, VLAN design, and IP plan.

Redundancy and failover logic for automation systems.

Develop IO lists, control philosophy documents and functional design specifications (FDS).

Coordinate between MEP consultants, controls contractors, and operations to align automation design.

Control System Development - Must

Author control sequence logic for:

Power systems: Need to have good understanding of the capacity framework and working design of UPS, LV/MV switchgear, gensets, fuel systems, PDUs

Cooling systems: Need to have good understanding of the capacity framework and working design of chillers, CRAHs, pumps, valves, cooling towers, heat exchangers.

Configure and validate PLCs, DDCs, and SCADA servers (Schneider / Siemens / Rockwell / Honeywell).

Standardize data points and naming conventions across all systems.

Implement interoperability via BACnet/IP, Modbus TCP/IP, OPC-UA, and MQTT brokers for telemetry aggregation

Commissioning & Validation

Develop FAT/SAT scripts for validation of control logic, redundancy, and failover scenarios.

Execute alarm and trend validation to ensure full functional coverage.

Oversee integration testing with DCIM, AIops, or energy optimization platforms.

OT & Cybersecurity Governance

Define the OT framework for automation systems, including:

Network segregation between IT and OT.

Firewall and DMZ policy enforcement.

Patch management and backup strategy for controllers and servers.

Align systems to IEC 62443 or equivalent cybersecurity compliance framework.

Operations Enablement - Must

Create O&M procedures for BMS / SCADA systems including:

Change management and version control.

Alarm rationalization and escalation protocols.

Data historian configuration and retention policies.

Develop automation analytics dashboards to track PUE, thermal KPIs, and predictive maintenance metrics.

Maintain system access logs, firmware inventories, and security posture reports

Continuous Optimization - Must

Collaborate with design and operations teams to:

Tune PID loops and optimize control setpoints.

Integrate AI models for predictive control.

Support digital twin deployment and data validation

Contract and Stakeholder Management

Manage relationships with technology vendors, service providers, and internal stakeholders to ensure seamless operations and project execution.

Negotiate contracts and oversee service-level agreements (SLAs) to maintain high standards of performance.