Data Center Architect

St. Jude is where those with a passion for making a difference come to break new ground. Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. We are leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Job Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Data Center Architect with a strong emphasis on design and planning. This critical role will be instrumental in shaping the future of our data center infrastructure, ensuring its scalability, efficiency, and resilience. You will lead the development and implementation of our data center strategies, from initial concept and design through to deployment and continuous optimization, all while ensuring operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct thorough needs assessments and capacity planning to ensure our data centers can effectively support current and future business demands.
• Research, evaluate, and recommend emerging data center technologies, best practices, and innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and performance.
• Collaborate closely with architects, engineers, and construction teams to ensure data center designs meet operational requirements, industry standards (e.g., Uptime Institute tiers), and regulatory compliance.
• Work with design team on the selection of critical data center infrastructure components (e.g., UPS systems, generators, CRAC units, switchgear, racks, cabling).
• Work closely with datacenter operations, network, and compute planning teams to align infrastructure deployments with power and space availability.
• Develop KPIs and dashboards for real-time visibility into capacity utilization and manage space and power capacity.
• Apply data analysis to inform strategic business decisions prioritizing operational trade-offs and capital spend.
• Collaborate with data engineering and tooling teams to drive automation initiatives to improve capacity planning and operational efficiencies.
• Analyze how datacenter infrastructure and design changes impact capacity and provide feedback to teams and to upper-level management.
• Develop and manage the data center budget for operational expenditures.
• Manage relationships with external vendors, contractors, and service providers involved in data center design, construction, and maintenance.
• Collaborate effectively with internal stakeholders, including IT operations, network engineering, security, facilities, and finance teams, to gather requirements and ensure alignment.
• Present design proposals, project updates, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Ensure all data center designs and operations adhere to relevant industry standards, regulations (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS), and environmental guidelines.
• Develop and implement robust risk mitigation strategies for data center infrastructure and operations.

Minimum Education and/or Training:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, business or related field of study required.
• Master's degree preferred.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum requirement: 5+ progressive years of IT industry experience in systems operations environment, overseeing complex environment, deployment, and infrastructure management activities.
• Highly prefer 10+ years of progressive experience in data center operations, with at least 5 years in a leadership role specifically focused on data center design, planning, and construction.
• Experience in capacity planning for new products or geographic expansions.
• Strong proven experience in business stakeholder engagement and management.
• Some experience working relevant regulatory or statutory compliance requirements.
• Experience providing technical guidance and mentorship within Technology Infrastructure.
• Proven track record of successfully leading large-scale data center infrastructure projects from conception to completion.
• Deep understanding of data center critical infrastructure components (power, cooling, networking, fire suppression, security).
• Strong knowledge of data center design principles, best practices, and industry standards (e.g., Uptime Institute Tier classifications).
• Familiarity with DCIM (Datacenter Infrastructure Management) tools and automation frameworks preferred.
• Familiarity with various data center topologies and architectures.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CDFOM, CDCP, DCDP, PMP, DCDC, ITIL) are highly desirable.
• Proven performance in earlier role/comparable role.

Licensure, Registration and/or Certification Required by SJCRH Only:

• Relevant certifications (e.g., CDFOM, CDCP, DCDP, PMP, DCDC, ITIL) are highly desirable.

Compensation

In recognition of certain U.S. state and municipal pay transparency laws, St. Jude is including a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This is an estimate offered in good faith and a specific salary offer takes into account factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the salary range and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $104,000 - $186,160 per year for the role of Data Center Architect.

No Search Firms

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. Please do not call or email. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee or other representative at St. Jude via email, the internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place and approved by HR will result in no fee being paid in the event the candidate is hired by St. Jude.