Director Data Operations Lead Jobs in California

Together AI is scaling its physical AI infrastructure rapidly - and we're looking for a Director of Data Center Operations to help us build it right. This is a ground-floor opportunity to own the operational foundation of Together's growing data center portfolio across the US and Asia.

You'll be responsible for designing and commissioning white space deployments - taking pre-built environments and fitting them out with the power distribution, cooling distribution, and systems infrastructure needed to run high-density GPU workloads at scale. At the same time, you'll be building the break-fix and smart hands team from scratch: hiring, defining the playbook, and standing up the function that keeps our sites running around the clock.

This is not a steady-state operations role. It's a builder role. You'll be joining a small but fast-moving team, with real ownership over outcomes and the autonomy to shape how Together AI operates its physical infrastructure for years to come. If you've scaled data center infrastructure through hypergrowth before and want to do it again with more ownership - this is that opportunity.

• Own the design, fit-out, and commissioning of white space sites across the US and Asia, with a focus on power distribution (PDUs), cooling distribution (CDUs), and IT-adjacent infrastructure
• Build and lead a ~20-person break-fix and smart hands team from scratch - define the operating model, hire the initial team, and establish the processes and playbooks that keep sites running
• Manage a portfolio of 5+ sites across two regions in various stages of deployment and live operation
• Partner with vendors, contractors, and equipment suppliers to drive site deployments to schedule and quality
• Establish operational standards, runbooks, and escalation processes for a nascent but rapidly growing infrastructure function
• Serve as the technical authority on data center infrastructure decisions - from white space evaluation through to live production operation
• Travel to Asia periodically to oversee regional site deployments and support the local team

• Deep, hands-on technical knowledge of data center power and cooling systems at the IT-adjacent layer - PDUs, CDUs, power distribution, and white space fit-out
• Proven experience designing and commissioning data center infrastructure, from evaluation through to live operation
• Experience operating data center infrastructure at meaningful scale, supporting large production workloads
• People leadership experience - you've hired, developed, and led technical operations teams
• A builder's instinct - you're comfortable standing up teams and functions from scratch, writing the playbook where none exists, and operating with ambiguity
• Strong vendor and contractor management skills - you know how to hold external partners accountable to timeline and quality
• Nice to have: experience with GPU or AI infrastructure deployments, multi-site or multi-region portfolio management, or familiarity with Asian markets

Together AI is a research-driven AI infrastructure company on a mission to dramatically lower the cost of modern AI by co-designing software, hardware, algorithms, and models. We believe open and transparent AI systems create the best outcomes for society - and we're building the physical and computational foundation to make that real. Our team has been behind landmark advances including FlashAttention, Hyena, FlexGen, and RedPajama.

We offer competitive compensation, startup equity, health insurance and other competitive benefits. The US base salary range for this full-time position is: $250,000 - $300,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by location, level and role. Individual compensation will be determined by experience, skills, and job-related knowledge.

Together AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and more.

Please see our privacy policy at https://www.together.ai/privacy