Senior Operations Engineer

Khazna was founded in 2012 and has grown rapidly into becoming the leading and trusted wholesale Data Center provider in the Middle East and North Africa region. Through our Data Centers, we provide industry benchmark levels of power supply and cooling services to better serve the growing need for data center operations in the UAE and wider region.

We are seeking a Senior Operations Engineer (SOE) who will be responsible for the efficient operation and maintenance of data center facilities. This role ensures full compliance with QHSE standards, oversees hard services, coordinates soft services, and manages specialist services and vendor relationships.

The Senior Operations Engineer is expected to demonstrate strong problem-solving capabilities and the ability to perform effectively in a fast-paced, mission-critical environment.

Key Accountabilities:

• Adherence to Policies: Comply with all relevant Khazna safety, quality, and environmental management policies, procedures, and controls to ensure a healthy and safe work environment for all occupants and self.
• Safety Policies: Assists with the development of health and safety policies and implements in coordination with the H&S department.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) adapted to the work environment and activity conducted at all times.
• Work Environment Safety: Ensure a safe and healthy work environment for all staff and visitors to the data center at all times.
• Policy Enforcement: Enforce health and safety policies in accordance with local and international regulations and laws.
• Audits and Risk Assessments: Conduct regular health and safety audits and risk assessments. Immediately stop any works that are considered unsafe and inform management by issuing a Stop Works Notice.
• Incident Reporting: Report any safety observations or near misses promptly and respond to and investigate health and safety incidents.
• Equipment Maintenance: Ensure all data center facility equipment and machinery are properly maintained and safe to use.
• Sustainability Compliance: Ensure compliance with Khazna's sustainability strategies and action plans.
• Environmental Regulations: Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and best practices.
• Utilities Monitoring: Monitor and record utilities usage and waste to ensure efficient resource management.
• Accountable for HVAC, electrical systems, plumbing, and building fabric maintenance
• Shift Operations Oversight: Oversee the shift operations of the data center facility, ensuring all systems and processes are functioning efficiently. Oversee large-scale maintenance projects and vendor coordination works.
• Vendor Coordination: Coordinate with vendors to ensure maintenance activities are carried out in accordance with Khazna's standard procedures and policies, maintaining high standards of service.
• Work Order Approval: Organize the work order approval process for specialist third-party vendors on routine maintenance work. This includes tracking the entire process: briefing at the start of work, monitoring progress during the workday/shift, and conducting a final review of the work carried out.
• Permit Issuance: Issue permits to work for third-party vendors, ensuring all necessary permissions are in place for safe and compliant operations.
• Troubleshooting and Maintenance: Follow established procedures for troubleshooting and maintaining data center equipment, ensuring minimal disruption to operations. Lead advanced troubleshooting and maintenance tasks.
• Incident Response Support: Assist senior staff with responding to on-site incidents, acting promptly and as directed to mitigate issues.
• NOC/BMS Coordination: Coordinate and liaise with the NOC/BMS Operators, ensuring prompt response to alerts and alarms in accordance with facility standard operating procedures, communication processes, and emergency response plans.
• Infrastructure Reliability: Ensure the data center's infrastructure is consistently up and running, minimizing downtime and ensuring optimal performance through proactive management.
• Documentation Maintenance: Maintain accurate, up-to-date documentation of data center operations, including system performance data, incident reports, and change management records, to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Planned Maintenance Support: Assist in preparing and carrying out planned maintenance activities without disrupting data center operations, ensuring minimal downtime.
• Preventative Inspections: Assist in preparing and conduct regular preventative inspections and technical rounds for various non-critical data center facility components to ensure optimal performance.
• Annual Technical Checks: Assist in performing yearly checks for technical or recurring issues, defining root causes, mitigating risks, and implementing effective solutions.
• Routine Repairs and Maintenance: Coordinate or perform routine repairs, maintenance, and installations on non-critical data center facility components, ensuring they are in good working order.
• Physical Security Protocols: Maintain physical security protocols to safeguard the data center and its assets.
• Vendor and Contractor Coordination: Coordinate with vendors and contractors for equipment installation, maintenance, and repair, ensuring all activities are completed to standard.
• Ensure strategic planning and optimization of the data center infrastructure
• Prepare and implement data center run book and play books.
• Prepare, implement and lead data center drills, ERP and BCP scripts for routine activities.
• Responsible to ensure proper incident detection, logging, crisis management, resolution during the shift.
• Incident Response and Problem Resolution: Respond to all on-site incidents, act as required to resolve problems, and provide necessary client support and timely communication during an incident. Take a lead role in incident response and resolution and manage major incident response and crisis management.
• Crisis Management Support: Oversee the crisis management plan, including conducting related tests and implementing necessary measures.
• Disaster Recovery Coordination: Coordinate and oversee disaster recovery solutions and backup procedures to ensure data integrity and business continuity.
• Incident Response Assistance: Respond to all on-site incidents, acting promptly and as directed to mitigate issues, escalate to next levels as required.
• Audit Assistance: Participate in audits to assess service continuity, assisting in risk assessments and proposing improvements.
• Departmental Collaboration: Effectively collaborate within the department, providing valuable input to peers for general maintenance activities to ensure seamless operations.
• Design and Construction Coordination: Coordinate with design and construction teams to ensure consistency and effectiveness in implementing facility upgrades and modifications.
• Adherence to Policies and Procedures: Follow all relevant corporate & departmental policies, processes, standard operating procedures, and instructions to ensure that work is carried out in a controlled and consistent manner.
• Reviews site policies and procedures on an annual basis and proposes changes as required to the Site Operations Manager.
• Continuous Improvement and Sustainability: Identifies opportunities for continuous improvement, reliability and sustainability of systems, processes, and practices, considering global standards, productivity improvement, and cost reduction.
• Provides guidance, trains and acts as a mentor to operations engineers and technical staff.
• Report Preparation: Prepares timely and accurate statements and reports to meet the departmental requirements, policies, and quality standards. Ensure comprehensive documentation and reporting.
• Plays an active role in preparing for Critical Environment Audits (CEA) and Global Site Assessments (GSA). Supports the Site Operations Manager during these audits.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Higher National Diploma in Engineering (3 years) or equivalent.

Preferred Certifications:

• Advanced certifications in O&M management, relevant OEM certifications or related fields.
• Certifications such as Certified Data Centre Professional (CDCP) or Certified Data Centre Specialist (CDCS)

Minimum Experience:

• 5 - 8 years of relevant experience
• Proven experience in data center operations and management or mission-critical facilities (preferred)

Job-Specific Skills (Generic/ Technical):

• Technical Skills: Advanced knowledge in HVAC, electrical systems, plumbing, and building maintenance.
• Problem-Solving: Expert analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Communication: Excellent in English, good verbal and written communication skills.
• Teamwork: Proven leadership and team management skills.
• Adaptability: Ability to handle high-pressure situations and complex projects.
• Attention to Detail: Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to quality.
• Knowledge of critical infrastructure equipment and tools such as UPS, generators, BMS (Building Management System), chillers and FLS (Fire Life Safety System)
• Proven skills with CAFM/CMMS platforms