Director Operational Excellence Jobs in Missouri
Director Operational Excellence jobs in Missouri are open across St. Louis, Kansas City, and Chesterfield and other Missouri metros, with employers like Mastercard, Academy Sports + Outdoors, and Express Scripts Sales Operations hiring at every experience level. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Job Title
Director, Operations SME – Data Centers
Job Description Summary
We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Director, Data Center Account Operations SME. This position is part of the central data center practice and serves as the senior technical and operational authority for complex, mission-critical data center accounts. This role combines deep subject matter expertise in critical infrastructure with strategic account oversight, solution development, ensuring best-in-class operational execution, site start-up support, reliability, and continuous improvement across the data center portfolio.
The Director partners with account leadership, clients, and global operations teams to standardize practices, solve complex technical challenges, and elevate performance across electrical, mechanical, and critical environment systems. This position also serves as a single point of contact for starting up new sites and managing client operational expectations ensuring compliance to contract deliverables. This role is critical in participating in solution development, transition process, evaluating operational readiness, identifying risks, and ensuring compliance with technical, financial, and regulatory standards throughout the lifecycle of data center operational lifecycle.
- This role could require travel of 25-50%.
Job Description
Subject Matter Expertise & Technical Leadership
- Support the development of the solution for operating the clients data center portfolios.
- Partner with technical transition leadership to ensure comprehensive due diligence and site start-up is executed to plan.
- Act as the primary account focused SME for critical facility operations, including electrical distribution, UPS systems, generators, cooling systems (CRAC/CRAH), and BMS/EPMS platforms.
- Deep understanding of high density data center layouts and advanced liquid cooling technologies - operations and maintenance.
- Provide expert guidance on incident response, root cause analysis (RCA), and risk mitigation.
- Review and approve MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs, ensuring technical accuracy and alignment with industry best practices.
- Lead technical assessments, audits, and operational readiness reviews across data center sites.
- Support complex troubleshooting and high-severity incidents (SEVs) as escalation authority.
- Implement and advise on training protocols for site teams.
- Drive deployment of operational platforms for managing maintenance and operations of critical data center locations.
Account & Operational Strategy
- Ongoing partnership with Account Directors and clients to align operations with business goals, SLAs, and reliability objectives.
- Ensure proper hand-over to ongoing account management team is comprehensive and well planned for operational continuity.
- Drive standardization and scalability of operating models across multi-site or global accounts.
- Identify operational gaps and lead corrective action plans and performance improvement initiatives.
- Serve as a strategic advisor during contract solutioning, transitions, mobilizations, and expansions.
Performance Optimization & Reliability
- Champion best practices in uptime, redundancy, and resilience for all data center environments.
- Drive adoption of reliability-centered maintenance (RCM), predictive maintenance, and condition-based monitoring.
- Analyze performance data to identify trends and proactively mitigate risks.
- Lead initiatives to improve energy efficiency, sustainability, and cost optimization.
Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Ensure adherence to regulatory and industry standards (OSHA, NFPA, ISO, Uptime Institute guidelines, etc).
- Support audit preparation, compliance reviews, and risk management frameworks.
- Develop and implement standardized operational controls and governance models.
- Evaluate and mitigate risks associated with critical infrastructure changes or failures.
Client Engagement & Advisory
- Act as a trusted technical advisor to client and account stakeholders, including client and account data center engineering and operations leadership.
- Participate in executive governance meetings (QBRs, technical reviews).
- Communicate complex technical issues and solutions in a clear, business-focused manner.
- Provide thought leadership and innovation recommendations to enhance client outcomes.
Team Development & Enablement
- Mentor and develop operations leaders, engineers, and technical teams.
- Define competency frameworks and training programs for critical operations roles.
- Promote a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Support talent strategy and succession planning for technical roles.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, or related field) or equivalent experience.
- 12+ years of experience in data center operations, critical facilities, or mission-critical environments.
- 8+ years in senior leadership, technical advisory, or SME roles.
- Deep knowledge of:
- Electrical systems (medium/low voltage, switchgear, UPS, generators, etc)
- Mechanical systems (HVAC, chilled water, cooling technologies, fire, etc)
- High density liquid cooling systems and configurations
- Critical environment operations and redundancies
- Account operations and site/portfolio start-ups
- Proven experience supporting large-scale enterprise, hyperscale, or colocation environments.
- Strong experience with incident management, RCA methodologies, and risk mitigation.
Preferred Qualifications
- Industry certifications (e.g., Uptime Institute ATS/Accredited Tier Specialist, CFM, PMP, LEED, CRL).
- Experience with global or multi-region accounts.
- Knowledge of digital tools, DCIM, CMMS, and data analytics platforms.
Key Competencies
- Deep technical expertise in critical systems
- Strategic thinking and operational alignment
- Executive communication and client advisory
- Problem-solving under high-pressure conditions
- Risk management and decision-making
- Influencing without direct authority
- Continuous improvement and innovation mindset
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 compensation for the position is: $161,500.00 - $190,000.00
Cushman & Wakefield provides equal employment opportunity. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated. Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.
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 email HRServices@cushwake.com. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.
See All 41 Director Operational Excellence Jobs in Missouri
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Find JobsDirector Operational Excellence Jobs by City in Missouri
Where Missouri roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Director Operational Excellence Job Market in Missouri
A snapshot from current Missouri openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Mastercard4

- Academy Sports + Outdoors3

- Express Scripts Sales Operations3

- MiTek3

- Washington University in St. Louis3

Top Industries Hiring
- Consulting & Professional Services11
- Healthcare & Medical Services9
- Education7
- E-Commerce & Online Marketplaces3
- Technology & Software2
What Missouri Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in director operational excellence jobs across Missouri.
- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt certification required by most employers
- 7 to 10 years of progressive experience leading continuous improvement programs across business units
- Proven ability to design and deploy operating management systems at enterprise scale
- Proficiency with process mapping tools such as Visio, Minitab, or equivalent analytics platforms
- Experience facilitating value stream mapping and kaizen events with cross-functional teams
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, operations management, or a related technical discipline required
Director Operational Excellence Jobs in Missouri: Frequently Asked Questions
How many director operational excellence jobs are there in Missouri?
There are 41+ director operational excellence openings in Missouri on Migrate Mate as of June 2026, with the most roles in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Chesterfield. New positions post regularly as employers across Missouri hire.
How much do director operational excellences make in Missouri?
Director operational excellences in Missouri earn a median of about $79,300 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $42,460 for the lowest 10% to over $188,820 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which Missouri cities have the most director operational excellence jobs?
St. Louis, Kansas City, and Chesterfield have the most director operational excellence openings in Missouri right now, with additional roles spread across smaller metros statewide.
Which companies hire director operational excellences in Missouri?
Employers hiring director operational excellences in Missouri include Mastercard, Academy Sports + Outdoors, and Express Scripts Sales Operations, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026.
Are there remote director operational excellence jobs in Missouri?
Yes. About 20% of director operational excellence openings tied to Missouri are remote or hybrid as of June 2026. The rest are on-site roles based in Missouri metros.
How do I apply for director operational excellence jobs in Missouri?
You can apply to director operational excellence jobs in Missouri directly on Migrate Mate. Search the listings above, find roles that match your experience and preferred Missouri location, then apply to each one that fits.
See All 41 Director Operational Excellence Jobs in Missouri
Find roles in Missouri that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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