Director Operational Risk Jobs in Ann Arbor, MI (NOW HIRING)

Job Title

Sr. Account Director, Data Center Portfolio

Job Description Summary

The Senior Account Director is a strategic leadership role responsible for the operational, financial, and client relationship management of a complex, multi-site, mission-critical data center portfolio. The role leads the delivery of Integrated Facility Management services across multiple locations within the United States, representing more than 1.3 million square feet of critical infrastructure space, approximately 190+ direct employees, and numerous third-party service providers and outsourced vendor partners.
The Senior Account Director serves as the executive point of contact for the client and is accountable for ensuring exceptional service delivery, operational excellence, financial performance, regulatory compliance, and strategic account growth across a rapidly expanding data center environment. This position requires extensive experience managing critical facilities, engineering operations, capital planning, supplier governance, and high-performing teams within a mission-critical setting.

Job Description

Account Leadership & Client Relationship Management

• Serve as the senior executive leader for a multi-regional data center portfolio.
• Develop trusted relationships with client executives and key stakeholders.
• Align service delivery strategies with the client's business objectives, growth plans, and operational requirements.
• Lead account governance processes, including executive business reviews, performance reporting, strategic planning sessions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide proactive leadership in identifying risks, opportunities, and operational enhancements.

Mission Critical Operations

• Provide strategic oversight of critical facility operations supporting high-availability data center environments.
• Ensure operational readiness and adherence to client requirements for uptime, reliability, resiliency, and business continuity.
• Drive operational excellence through standardized procedures, governance, and performance measurement.
• Partner with site leadership teams to support commissioning, startup, transition, and expansion activities for new facilities.

Financial & Commercial Management

• Maintain full accountability for account financial performance, including revenue growth, profitability, forecasting, budgeting, and contract compliance.
• Develop and execute annual operating budgets and long-range financial plans.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization while maintaining service quality and operational reliability.
• Manage contract obligations, commercial risk, service level agreements (SLAs), and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Vendor & Supplier Management

• Lead governance and performance management of multiple outsourced service providers and strategic supplier partners.
• Ensure vendor compliance with contractual obligations, operational standards, safety requirements, and client expectations.
• Drive consistency, accountability, and continuous improvement across all subcontracted and outsourced service relationships.
• Partner with sourcing and procurement teams to optimize supplier performance and value creation.

Talent Leadership

• Lead and develop a geographically dispersed management team supporting multiple data center locations.
• Build a culture focused on safety, accountability, operational excellence, and client service.
• Drive workforce planning, succession planning, talent reviews, coaching, and performance management.
• Promote diversity, inclusion, employee engagement, and leadership development initiatives.

Risk, Compliance & Safety

• Ensure compliance with all client, company, regulatory, and industry requirements.
• Lead risk management strategies associated with mission-critical facility operations.
• Oversee environmental health and safety programs, emergency preparedness, business continuity planning, and audit readiness.
• Support incident management, root cause analysis, and corrective action programs.

Growth & Strategic Initiatives

• Identify opportunities to expand services and increase account value.
• Partner with business development and operational leaders on contract renewals, expansions, and new service opportunities.
• Support implementation of sustainability, energy management, and operational efficiency initiatives.

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• Degree in Engineering, Facilities Management, Business Administration, Construction Management, or related field preferred.
• MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Important Experience

• Minimum 12-15 years of progressive leadership experience in facilities management, critical environments, data center operations, or integrated services.
• Experience leading large-scale, multi-site client portfolios.
• Demonstrated success managing complex P&Ls and large service contracts.
• Experience leading geographically dispersed teams of 150+ employees.
• Experience managing third-party suppliers, outsourced service providers, and complex subcontractor networks.
• Experience within mission-critical facilities, data centers, high-tech, hyperscale, colocation, or similarly critical operating environments strongly preferred.
• Proven experience supporting facility expansions, transitions, mobilizations, and growth initiatives.

Additional Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of Integrated Facility Management services.
• Understanding of critical systems including electrical, mechanical, and infrastructure operations supporting data center environments.
• Experience with business continuity, disaster recovery, and operational resiliency planning.
• Strong analytical and financial management capabilities.
• Ability to evaluate and interpret complex operational, contractual, and financial information.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence senior client stakeholders.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and data-driven reporting tools.

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.
The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate's experience and qualifications.
The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.
The compensation for the position is: $ 212,500.00 - $250,000.00Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or emailAccommodations@cushwake.com. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

INCO: "Cushman & Wakefield"