Senior Director, Process and Compliance

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Job Summary

The Senior Director of Process and Compliance is a crucial leadership role within Equinix Operations, aimed at upholding and advancing the organization’s commitment to operational excellence, regulatory adherence, and industry-leading availability across our global data center portfolio. This position ensures that the company’s mission-critical infrastructure operates with unmatched reliability, efficiency, and integrity.  The role drives global processes, policies, standards, and performance across our facilities, ensuring that our sites comply with local laws and regulations while maintaining industry standards and certifications. It is key to guaranteeing that Equinix's policies and processes are well-developed, distributed, and governed, with performance continuously monitored to drive improvement and reduce risk.

This position requires a strategic leader who can collaborate with engineering, operations, and leadership teams to maintain our reputation for excellence while fostering innovation and scalability in a dynamic, mission-critical environment.

Responsibilities

Global process, policy, and standards, including process library

• Design, implement, and maintain policies and standards for engineering and operations processes, aligning them with industry best practices

• Standardize processes across global data center operations to ensure consistency, scalability, and operational reliability

• Oversee documentation, staff training, and communication of policies to guarantee organization-wide understanding and adoption

• Regularly update process standards to incorporate technological advancements and evolving operational needs

• Maintain structured process library and collaboration platform as the single source of truth, including ensuring accessibility to all staff

Process Performance, Analytics, and Intelligence​

• Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of engineering and operations processes

• Implement monitoring systems to identify performance gaps and execute corrective actions as needed

• Ensure process performance are collected, measured, and reportable across all regions

• Identify and address process inefficiencies or failures, ensuring long-term solutions

• Translates performance results into actionable programs to support continuous process creation and improvements

• Informed by business strategies and regional needs, establish global standards where they are most needed and impactful to the business

Industry Standards and Compliance​

• As the face of Global Compliance to Operations leadership and facility staff, this role implements and oversees the global compliance strategy and programs

• Ensure compliance with key industry standards, such as ISO, SSAE, PCIDSS, NIST, HIPPA, etc, Uptime Institute, and applicable local and international regulations

• Proactively monitor regulatory changes and industry trends, adapting policies and practices to maintain full compliance

• Lead internal audits, external assessments, and certification processes to validate adherence to standards and compliance requirements

• Act as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies and industry auditors, ensuring clear and effective communication

• Maintain compliance in reference to local laws & legislations while minimizing negative effects on local operations

• Continuous monitoring of operational risks and mitigation activities

Continuous Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives using methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, or Kaizen to optimize processes and eliminate inefficiencies

• Cultivate a culture of continuous improvement by promoting data-driven decision-making and innovative problem-solving

• Identify opportunities for automation, process re-engineering, or technology enhancements to boost operational performance

• Benchmark processes against industry standards and internal goals, ensuring sustained competitive advantage

Integration M&A Playbook & Compliance 

• Partners with regional execution team to ensure that due diligence exercises are comprehensively executed during M&A process

• During integration and beyond, ensures global, regional, and local compliance requirements are fulfilled at acquired sites using an established playbook

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years in operations, compliance, or a related field, including 5+ years in a leadership capacity focused on standards and compliance

• Deep experience of process design and optimization in Engineering and Operations science

• Proven leadership in compliance, audits, and certification in a global context

• Strong expertise in data center infrastructure and operational process

• Experience leading large-scale operational teams across multiple geographies

• Strong background in process monitoring and controls.  Knowledge of data center industry standards and regulatory frameworks preferred

• Familiarity with compliance tracking, audit management, and reporting systems

• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and senior leadership

• Strong people leadership skills, with demonstrated success in developing future leaders and managing globally dispersed teams

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or a related field. Advanced degrees preferred

Equinix is committed to ensuring that our employment process is open to all individuals, including those with a disability.  If you are a qualified candidate and need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know by completing this form.

Equinix is an Equal Employment Opportunity and, in the U.S., an Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to unlawful consideration of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, place of birth, citizenship, sex, pregnancy / childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, age, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, political / organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law.