Level

Cerebras

Director / Senior Director, Critical Facility Operations

Cerebras is hiring a Director / Senior Director, Critical Facility Operations in Sunnyvale, United States. Level rates it ; you can apply on Cerebras.

Level's read on this job

  • On Level's scale, this role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
  • Tools and skills the posting cites include OpenAI, AI research and facility operations.
  • Level classifies it as a lead role.
  • Level lists 121 other open roles at Cerebras.

AI in this role

Lead critical facility operations and infrastructure for high-performance AI compute data centers.

openai
ai-researchfacility-operationsdata-centercritical-engineeringvendor-managementsafety-culture

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services.

This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation.

Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.

About The Role

At Cerebras, we build systems that redefine the scale of compute. That ambition extends beyond silicon into the infrastructure that powers it.

We are looking for a Director / Sr. Director of Critical Facility Operations to lead the environments that enable next-generation AI workloads. This leader will own availability, operational integrity, and performance across a colocation-driven data center footprint—ensuring our infrastructure operates with precision, predictability, and zero room for error.

This is not a traditional facilities role. You will operate at the intersection of mission-critical engineering, vendor orchestration, and operational excellence, building systems and teams that can scale with the most demanding compute environments in the world.

Responsibilities

  • Drive a no-downtime operating model across all facilities

  • Own uptime performance end-to-end including incident response and RCA

  • Build a culture where failures are analyzed and not repeated

Vendor & Colocation

  • Architect and run a high-discipline vendor operating model

  • Convert vendor relationships into measurable systems

  • Lead deep operational reviews and enforce accountability

Contracts

  • Align SLAs, incentives, and performance

  • Eliminate ambiguity in ownership and response

Safety

  • Build a zero-incident safety culture

  • Ensure rigor in high-risk procedures

Maintenance

  • Transform preventive maintenance into failure prevention

  • Implement predictive strategies where possible

Operations

  • Standardize SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs

  • Build a high-signal operating rhythm

  • Benchmark against hyperscale operators

Leadership

  • Build high-performing, high-agency teams

  • Drive ownership, speed, and technical excellence

Scaling

  • Ensure operational readiness for new builds

  • Influence design and site strategy

Skills & Qualifications

  • 12–15+ years in mission-critical facilities or data center operations

  • Experience managing multi-site, vendor-heavy environments

  • Strong expertise in electrical and mechanical systems

  • Proven track record in improving uptime and performance

Success Metrics

  • Availability and SLA performance

  • Incident reduction and MTTR improvement

  • Vendor performance and accountability

  • Safety metrics

  • Maintenance quality and execution

 

Why Join Cerebras

People who are serious about software make their own hardware. At Cerebras, we have built a breakthrough architecture that is unlocking new opportunities for the AI industry. With dozens of model releases and rapid growth, we’ve reached an inflection point in our business. Members of our team tell us there are five main reasons they joined Cerebras:

  1. Build a breakthrough AI platform beyond the constraints of the GPU.

  2. Publish and open source their cutting-edge AI research.

  3. Work on one of the fastest AI supercomputers in the world.

  4. Enjoy job stability with startup vitality.

  5. Our simple, non-corporate work culture that respects individual beliefs.

Find out more about what it's like to work at Cerebras here!

Apply today and become part of the forefront of groundbreaking advancements in AI!

Cerebras Systems is committed to creating an equal and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe inclusive teams build better products and companies. We try every day to build a work environment that empowers people to do their best work through continuous learning, growth and support of those around them.

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How we rate this

Director / Senior Director, Critical Facility Operations at Cerebras rates 30 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

  1. ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
  2. ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
  3. ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
  4. ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

AI ResearchFacility OperationsData CenterCritical EngineeringVendor ManagementSafety CultureOpenAI

Questions you could be asked

  1. Tell me about a research question you investigated. What did you find?
  2. Tell me about a project where facility operations was part of your work. What did you do?
  3. Tell me about a project where data center was part of your work. What did you do?
  4. Tell me about a project where critical engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
  5. Tell me about a project where vendor management was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

  • List these exact terms on your resume: AI Research, Facility Operations, Data Center, Critical Engineering, and Vendor Management. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
  • Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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