Overview Microsoft’s Cloud Infrastructure and Operations (MCIO) is the engine that powers Microsoft’s cloud services. Our global datacenter infrastructure enables more than 200 online businesses—including Azure, Office 365, Xbox, One Drive, and Bing—and supports over one billion customers and 20 million businesses worldwide.

We are looking for a Regional Critical Environment (CE) Program Director - Americas to help provide strategic and operational leadership for Critical Environments across Microsoft’s Americas datacenter portfolio. This role is accountable for availability, safety, compliance, and operational excellence across a diverse, large‑scale footprint of datacenters while partnering closely with global teams to drive standardized processes, tooling, and governance.

Microsoft’s datacenter portfolio spans more than 200 facilities across 30+ countries, supported by highly specialized Mechanical, Electrical, and Controls professionals. This role focuses on regional program leadership, enabling local site teams to execute consistently while ensuring alignment to global CE strategy, standards, and transformation initiatives.

Rooted in Microsoft’s mission to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more, this role embodies a growth mindset, inclusive leadership, and accountability—fostering a culture where safety, reliability, and innovation thrive at scale.

Responsibilities Regional CE Leadership & Governance

• Provide regional leadership for Critical Environments across all Americas datacenters, ensuring alignment with global CE strategy, standards, and operating models(insource vs vendor).
• Own regional CE program execution, translating global standards and initiatives into scalable, repeatable regional practices.
• Serve as a key regional voice into global CE governance forums, influencing strategy, prioritization, and roadmap decisions.

Availability, Safety, and Risk Management

• Champion a culture of safety, security, and compliance across all CE operations in the Americas region.
• Drive sustained improvements in Critical Environment availability, resilience, and operational readiness.
• Lead efforts to reduce high‑impact and human‑error‑driven CE incidents year‑over‑year through standardization, learning, and systemic improvement.
• Oversee regional risk posture, ensuring proactive identification, communication, and mitigation of CE risks impacting service availability.

Standards, Process, and Tooling

• Partner with Global CE teams and strategic partners to develop, mature, and deploy standardized CE processes, procedures, and operational tooling.
• Ensure consistent regional adoption of Lease CE standards, best practices, and governance models.
• Sponsor continuous improvement initiatives that simplify operations, improve compliance, and enable data‑driven decision‑making.

Partner & Stakeholder Engagement

• Establish and maintain strong executive‑level relationships with strategic partners and suppliers, ensuring alignment to performance, safety, and cost expectations.
• Collaborate closely with regional and global stakeholders across CE, IT, Operations, Logistics, and Engineering to deliver integrated outcomes.
• Develop and execute regional communication strategies to effectively engage site teams, regional leaders, and global stakeholders.

Financial & Portfolio Management

• Lead region‑wide CE programs and cross‑site initiatives, including lifecycle investments, risk remediation, and operational optimization projects.
• Develop and manage regional CE OPEX budgets, ensuring financial discipline while supporting availability and efficiency objectives.
• Drive cost and energy efficiency initiatives aligned to Microsoft’s sustainability commitments.

People & Capability Development

• Lead and develop regional CE program leaders and subject matter experts, fostering technical excellence, accountability, and inclusive leadership.
• Enable local site teams by providing clarity, priorities, tools, and support—without direct site‑level micromanagement.
• Promote knowledge sharing and best‑practice exchange across the Americas and global CE communities.

Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications

• High School Qualification or equivalent AND 10+ years experience of mission-critical service management (e.g., providing IT services, manufacturing, warehouse, retail, military, or managing physical operations in an IT and/or critical environment infrastructure)

• OR equivalent experience

• 3+ years people management experience.

Background Check Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Bachelor's or Technical College Degree in Computer Science, Math, Telecommunications, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Supply Chain Management or related field AND 15+ years experience in enterprise-level experience managing large scale and complex projects/programs, or critical environment infrastructures (e.g., UPS, Generator, AHU), or working in physical IT infrastructures (e.g., Servers, SANs, Networking, Capacity, DC Rack/Enclosures, structured cabling)
• OR High School Qualification or equivalent AND 17+ years experience in enterprise-level experience managing large scale and complex projects/programs, or critical environment infrastructures (e.g., UPS, Generator, AHU), or working in physical IT infrastructures (e.g., Servers, SANs, Networking, Capacity, DC Rack/Enclosures, structured cabling)
• OR equivalent experience.
• 5+ years people management experience.
• Applicable certifications: APICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA, Microsoft, Network Certifications, CCNA Certifications, ITIL v3 Foundation, Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) Certifications, Leadership Development Certifications, PMP, CDCMP.
• 7+ years enterprise-level experience managing large scale and complex projects/programs AND 7+ years’ experience in Critical Environment infrastructures (e.g., UPS, Generator, AHU).
• Experience working on large scale CE projects
• Experience with the operation of IT infrastructure (Servers, SANs, Networking, etc.)

Data Center Operations Management M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $140,200 - $277,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $185,600 - $306,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.