Head of Facility

nLighten is a European platform of distributed edge data centers, designed to meet the growing demand for AI, 5G, and hybrid cloud deployments. As a rapidly expanding provider, we offer scalable colocation hubs and best-in-class energy solutions across Europe. Our innovative and sustainable approach to digital infrastructure ensures reliability, efficiency, and future-ready solutions for our clients. nLighten’s current footprint is 34 data centers in 7 European countries, with the ambition to grow to 100 sites during the next 3-4 years.

We are looking for an experienced and commercially sharp Head of Facility to own the technical and operational integrity of our physical infrastructure across all 34 sites. This is a new Director-level role within the Operations organisation, leading the central Facility function across Critical Environment Engineering, Ops Excellence & Academy, and Vendor & Contract Management.

The ideal candidate combines deep engineering credibility in critical environments with the leadership and commercial rigour to build a function from the ground up.

Key Responsibilities

M&E Standards and Technical Governance

• Define and enforce M&E engineering standards across all 34 sites, covering UPS, generators, cooling, LV distribution, and BMS.
• Own the change request process for all M&E-related works across the portfolio.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCA) for critical environment incidents and drive corrective actions through to completion.
• Conduct site technical assessments and publish maturity findings and improvement plans.

PPM and Maintenance Governance

• Own the Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) programme across all sites and vendors.
• Review, challenge, and approve maintenance scopes before work is instructed, preventing unnecessary cost and scope creep.
• Work with Regional Directors to ensure maintenance plans are executed on time and to standard.

Vendor and Contract Governance

• Oversee all R&M and cleaning contracts across 7 countries.
• Ensure vendors are qualified, onboarded, and performing to contractual and HSE standards.
• Support contract renewals, tenders, and consolidation initiatives led by the Vendor & Contract Manager.

PUE and Energy Performance

• Lead the PUE improvement programme across the portfolio.
• Work with Regional Directors and site teams to identify and implement efficiency improvements.
• Monitor energy performance data via the DCIM platform and Intelligence Hub.

Ops Excellence and Academy

• Oversee the Operations Playbook and site maturity assessments across all sites.
• Ensure the Operations Academy delivers consistent, role-based training across all regions.
• Drive standardisation of operational processes across the three legacy estates.
• Build and lead the Facility function: recruit, onboard, and develop three sub-function leads.
• Set clear objectives, KPIs, and performance expectations for each team member.
• Act as the primary technical interface between Operations and the CTO function.
• Travel frequently across our 7 countries and 34 sites as required.

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years in data centers or other mission-critical environments, with at least 3 years in a senior management role.
• Proven experience managing a multi-site facilities or operations function across multiple geographies.
• Track record of managing outsourced M&E maintenance programmes and vendor relationships.
• Experience building or restructuring operational teams from a low base.
• Strong working knowledge of data center critical systems: power, cooling, UPS, generators, LV distribution.
• Comfortable reading and reviewing technical documentation, MOPs, and maintenance scopes.
• Familiarity with DCIM platforms, asset management, and PUE monitoring tools.
• Strong commercial acumen, able to challenge vendor pricing, scope, and performance with confidence.
• Clear, structured communicator, able to present technical and financial information to senior stakeholders.
• Organised and process-driven, with a high standard for documentation and follow-through.
• Collaborative leadership style, able to influence across functions and geographies without direct authority over all stakeholders.
• Fluency in English is required; French or German at professional working level is a strong advantage.

Why Join Us?

• Build and lead a brand-new central function in a fast-growing, pan-European data center platform.
• Own the technical and operational integrity of 34 sites across 7 countries, with a clear path to 100.
• Shape the standards, playbooks, and vendor landscape that our next phase of growth will be built on.
• Contribute to the