Senior Planning & Deployment Engineer
Employer not yet confirmed · Reston, Virginia, United States
Standing at the intersection of People, Process, Technology, and Data-Driven Analytics, the Principal Operational Excellence Program Manager will establish a dedicated Center of Excellence. The role owns end-to-end process optimization utilizing Lean Six Sigma methodologies (DMAIC, root cause analysis, value stream mapping), directs technology overlay integrations and application architectures, and builds organizational capability through structured change management, role mapping, and skills development. By driving predictable execution, defect reduction, and rigorous value capture, the successful candidate will enable our Low Voltage Deployment Engineers and vendor teams to deliver massive cloud infrastructure capacity with world-class velocity, quality, and repeatability.
Key Responsibilities
Program Strategy, Vision & Governance
Formalize the Operational Excellence charter, canvas, and multi-year strategic roadmap across the Four-Phase TOM lifecycle (Discover, Design, Operationalize, Sustain).
Establish operational governance frameworks, including monthly executive sponsor reviews, champion updates, and cross-functional steering cadences.
Develop and socialize a global Transformation Dashboard to track target operating model maturity, value capture, and business outcome realization.
Align program strategy with executive priorities across Data Center Engineering, Delivery, Supply Chain, and Operations.
Process Optimization & Lean Six Sigma Methodology
Lead end-to-end current-state process mapping and create a global 'heat map' analyzing process similarities versus regional differences.
Apply rigorous Lean Six Sigma methodologies (DMAIC, Kaizen, Value Stream Mapping, 5S, Root Cause Analysis) to eliminate waste, variation, and systemic build defects.
Design future-state standard operating procedures (SOPs), job aids, and handoff protocols that harmonize global standards with necessary local requirements.
Establish feedback loops with process owners and field execution teams to drive iterative continuous improvement and minimize rework.
Technology Integration & Systems Architecture Overlay
Partner with Systems Design & Architecture and Automation teams to evaluate baseline application architectures and data flow integrations.
Design and deploy an integrated technology overlay platform that automates planning, material tracking, design change request (DCR) validation, and deployment handoffs.
Identify opportunities to reduce manual effort, eliminate data silos, and improve documentation quality across hardware Bills of Materials (BOMs), cut sheets, and patching documentation.
Organization, People & Capability Building
Define future-state Center of Excellence (CoE) structures, shared services models, and role mapping across regional and global build teams.
Assess capability gaps and design a structured Operational Excellence curriculum to upskill deployment engineers, program managers, and vendor leads.
Lead organizational change management (OCM) strategies, change readiness assessments, and leadership messaging to cultivate a continuous improvement mindset and desired behaviors.
Develop support mechanisms for local implementation teams post-deployment to sustain behavioral and procedural transformations.
Performance Insights & Data-Driven Analytics
Establish baseline performance metrics and design executive dashboards providing real-time operational visibility into build velocity, defect rates, and resource utilization.
Implement a systematic measurement and value capture framework to quantify financial, operational, and throughput gains.
Define baseline measures and set rigorous throughput and quality targets for current vs. future-state operating models.
Service Delivery & Partner/Alliance Governance
Establish a comprehensive Service Management Framework detailing service delivery standards across global, regional, and shared services tiers.
Conduct structured business and operational reviews with strategic low-voltage vendors (LVVs), contractors, and alliance partners.
Hold vendor partners accountable to contractual SLA/KPI commitments, driving systemic issue resolution and quality enhancements.
Align vendor and partner network capabilities with long-term infrastructure scaling requirements and contract strategies.
Design Change Request (DCR) & Risk Management
Govern the Design Change Request (DCR) process to evaluate technical, financial, and time-bound impacts on schedules, materials, and field capacity.
Proactively identify critical-path dependencies, schedule conflicts, and scope gaps across concurrent multi-region data center deployments.
Establish structured escalation pathways with recommended resolution strategies to mitigate capacity risks before field impact.
Required Qualifications & Experience
10+ years of progressive experience leading large-scale operational excellence, continuous improvement, or business transformation programs within cloud infrastructure, data centers, technology, or complex engineering environments.
Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt (LSSBB/LSSMBB) with proven mastery of DMAIC, Value Stream Mapping, Root Cause Analysis, and Statistical Process Control.
Demonstrated track record of designing, building, and operationalizing a Target Operating Model (TOM) and Center of Excellence (CoE) from concept through multi-region rollout.
Strong technical background in technology infrastructure, data center deployment, low-voltage engineering, or systems architecture.
Proven expertise in data analytics, baseline measurement, KPI dashboard creation, and value capture framework design (e.g., SQL, PowerBI, Tableau, Python, or R).
Extensive experience in organizational change management (OCM), stakeholder alignment, role mapping, and developing capability development curricula.
Demonstrated experience managing complex strategic partners, low-voltage vendors (LVVs), and cross-functional teams in high-velocity environments.
Master's or Bachelor's degree in engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.
Core Competencies
Strategic Program Leadership: Formulates vision, formalizes charters, and operationalizes complex multi-year target operating models across global organizations.
Lean Six Sigma & Process Mastery: Applies advanced statistical and Lean methodologies to systematically diagnose process bottlenecks, eliminate defect root causes, and drive global standardization.
Data-Driven Analytics & Performance Management: Establishes baseline metrics, designs real-time performance insights dashboards, and translates data trends into quantifiable value capture.
Technology & Systems Innovation: Champions supporting technology overlays, application integrations, and automated workflows to streamline deployment operations.
Organizational Capability & Change Management: Drives change readiness, builds skills development curricula, aligns desired behaviors, and establishes high-performing Centers of Excellence.
Stakeholder Alignment & Collaboration: Builds high-trust strategic partnerships across executive leadership, engineering, supply chain, and field deployment teams.
Vendor & Partner Governance: Establishes rigorous accountability mechanisms, vendor review cadences, and continuous improvement standards across supplier networks.
Continuous Learning & Knowledge Sharing: Institutionalizes deployment best practices, coaches emerging leaders, and fosters a culture of operational rigor and continuous innovation.
Success in the Role
Success in this role is demonstrated by the successful transformation of the Data Center Build and Deployment organization into a data-driven, continuous improvement-led operating model. The Principal Operational Excellence Program Manager will build a mature Center of Excellence, deploy scalable technology overlays, and establish standardized Lean Six Sigma workflows that