Director, Infrastructure Operations

Available Locations: Austin, TX
About the role
We are seeking a Senior Engineering Manager to lead a team of engineers within our network and data center infrastructure operations. This leadership role is part of the Infrastructure Operations organization, which is responsible for building, scaling, and running one of the world's largest and most important cloud networks. Cloudflare's global network spans more than 330 cities, and is a key strategic asset that supports all of our customers and products. As a leader on this team, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the performance, availability, and security of our infrastructure.
We operate in a fast-paced environment where you will be expected to drive both project delivery and operational excellence through continuous improvement, standardization, and optimization. This isn't just about day to day operations; it's about building a scalable, performant, secure, and resilient infrastructure that plays a critical role in us building a better Internet.
Who you are
You are an experienced engineering leader with a passion for building high-performing teams and a track record of driving operational excellence. You will set strategy, establish priorities, and mentor a group of top technical talent. This role is for a hands-on leader who can rapidly learn, adapt, and apply learnings to enable fast and sustainable growth. You thrive in a hyper-growth environment and have an outstanding ability to get things done under pressure while leading with optimism and grit.
You have a proven track record of scaling teams, driving change, and being a well-respected technical leader and people manager. You are not just a manager, but a mentor who can grow and empower your team to ensure an energized, motivating, and inclusive work environment.
What you'll do

• Lead a passionate team of network engineers, data center engineers, and SREs who are at the core of our global infrastructure.
• Own the successful deployment of CAPEX investments, ensuring our infrastructure scales ahead of demand.
• Collaborate strategically with cross-functional partners including Project Managers, Finance, and Security to deliver on ambitious group initiatives.
• Ensure optimal team staffing by aligning the right talent with the right projects.
• Manage key third-party vendors and contractors, holding them accountable for performance and service level agreements (SLAs).
• Define, implement, and analyze operational KPIs and metrics to measure and improve our operational health and performance.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement by championing standardization, optimization, and automation.
• Own incident response, root cause analysis (RCA), and executive-level communication during critical events.
• Foster a best-in-class operations team by bringing fresh perspectives, leadership acumen, and a focus on employee engagement.
• Influence infrastructure architecture and design by providing operational feedback to engineering and product teams.

Examples of desirable skills, knowledge and experience

• Minimum of 6+ years of operational management and team leadership experience in a global data center and network infrastructure environment, preferably at a hyperscale or cloud company.
• Deep technical foundation in network engineering (Layers 1-3), data center architecture, and infrastructure automation.
• Proven expertise in deploying time-sensitive and CAPEX-intensive infrastructure projects, including power planning, rack design, and structured cabling.
• Exceptional ability to plan, forecast, measure, and execute to meet ambitious goals.
• Outstanding verbal, written communication, and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to attract, hire, coach, and retain top engineering talent in a highly competitive market.
• Experience navigating ambiguous and rapidly changing environments with a bias for action and a high degree of autonomy.
• A master at building strong relationships and influencing outcomes across a wide range of cross-functional stakeholders, including non-technical teams and executives.
• Extensive experience with on-call rotations, incident management, RCA, and post-mortem analysis.
• A reputation as a trusted, respected, and high-judgment leader known for fairness, empathy, and high ethical standards.

Equity
This role is eligible to participate in Cloudflare's equity plan.
Benefits
Cloudflare offers a complete package of benefits and programs to support you and your family. Our benefits programs can help you pay health care expenses, support caregiving, build capital for the future and make life a little easier and fun! The below is a description of our benefits for employees in the United States, and benefits may vary for employees based outside the U.S.
Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical/Rx Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Commuter Spending Accounts
• Fertility & Family Forming Benefits
• On-demand mental health support and Employee Assistance Program
• Global Travel Medical Insurance

Financial Benefits

• Short and Long Term Disability Insurance
• Life & Accident Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
• Employee Stock Participation Plan

Time Off

• Flexible paid time off covering vacation and sick leave
• Leave programs, including parental, pregnancy health, medical, and bereavement leave