Data Centers · Interim operations lead

Your data center goes live in months. Who’s going to run it?

I’m an interim operations lead for new and struggling data centers. I get the site from construction into stable operations, then hand it to your own team. Retainers from $3,000 a month.

For enterprise and government data center operators, and developers bringing new sites online.

Electrical, mechanical or controls firm trying to get in? Start here →
What goes wrong

Where data centers slip.

If one of these sounds familiar, that’s where to start.

Energization is coming and there’s no operations team

Turnover is months away. The crew that will run the site hasn’t been hired, or has never seen these systems.

The outage traced back to a procedure

Either nobody followed it or it was wrong. Now someone has to find out which, and change how the shift works.

Your chief engineer left

Long-tenured people carry what the site knows. Uptime’s 2025 staffing survey found enterprises are more than five times as likely as colocation operators to lose people with 10-plus years on the job.

The power chain still causes the worst outages

UPS systems, transfer switches and generators lead the list. In Uptime’s 2026 analysis, 57% of operators said their last major outage cost more than $100,000.

What the outage data says

Was the procedure wrong, or was the shift never ready for it?

In Uptime’s 2025 outage analysis, 58% of human-error outages involved staff not following procedures. Uptime’s conclusion is that training and real-time support may reduce the risk more than more documentation. That’s why I start with the people on shift.

When owners call me

A change of O&M provider or an acquisition
A failed audit or customer SLA audit
A site in Korea or across the Pacific entering commissioning
An invitation to bid with no MOP or turnover system in place
The first thing you’ll check

I haven’t run a hyperscale data hall. I’ve run power plants and critical facilities on the same equipment: UPS, generators, chilled water and building controls.

For trade firms

Electrical, mechanical or controls firm trying to get in?

Spent building data centers in the U.S. in 2025
$41,000,000,000

U.S. Census Bureau. None of it reaches firms that can’t get through the door.

Getting qualified

Buyers screen on EMR, TRIR, bonding and past data center work before they look at price. I put your prequalification package together.

MOPs and turnover packages

Hyperscale clients expect method-of-procedure checklists, redline control and a sample turnover package. I set those up before your first job.

Hiring the crew

I rewrite your job posts in the trade’s own words and connect you to training programs where the work is. Your team still makes the hires.

Four ways to work together

Go only as deep as you need to.

Same rates as the Ready Room. Each monthly option is a block of hours; extra time is billed at the off-retainer rate of $250/hr. Full-Time has a 90-day minimum, and travel, room and board are paid by the client.

Light oversightOversight
$3,000Per month · 20 hours
An outside set of eyes on your site.

Each month I review your MOPs, maintenance records and test results, stay in touch with your site lead, and flag gaps before they turn into an outage or an audit finding.

How it runs

Mostly remote. Guidance only, with limited decision-making authority.

You get

A monthly review and a written note to the owner.

Start the conversation →
Active representationActive Operator
$6,000Per month · 40 hours
Your representative on site.

I work with your operations team as your representative: writing site-specific MOPs and SOPs, setting up safe test plans, and training your shifts to run them. For trade firms, I build your qualification and turnover packages and join buyer meetings.

How it runs

Remote and on-site. I act within the authority you give me in writing.

You get

Procedures, test plans, and a monthly summary.

Start the conversation →
Temporary leadershipInterim Leadership
$12,000Per month · 80 hours
A temporary lead for turnover or recovery.

I step in as your temporary operations lead for day-one readiness at a new site, a change of O&M provider, or recovery after an incident, then hand the site to your permanent team.

How it runs

On-site schedule set in the agreement. My authority is written down; you keep the final say.

You get

A weekly report to the owner and a written handover plan.

Start the conversation →
Full-time on siteFull-Time
$15,000Per month · 160 hours
On your site, in the seat.

I’m on your site full time as the interim operations lead through turnover or recovery, then hand it to your permanent lead.

How it runs

On-site, 40 hours a week. 90-day minimum. Extra hours at $250/hr. Travel, room and board paid by the client.

You get

Daily presence, a weekly report to the owner, and a written handover plan.

Start the conversation →

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How I work

Straightforward terms.

Where I’ve worked

Veteran-led U.S. company, available worldwide. My work has taken me across eight states, Korea and the Pacific, and the Middle East, including Jordan and Qatar.

I do the work myself

I’m your only consultant. A small back-office team handles the admin behind me.

Travel

Travel, room and board are paid by the client.

What I don’t do

Sign engineering drawings or act as commissioning authority. I’m not a licensed professional engineer, and I don’t claim Tier certification expertise.

What to expect

I keep the site running through the change and leave it with procedures your people can run. I don’t promise a site that never fails. I make sure the people on shift know what to do when something does.

See past projects →   References available on request.

15-minute call

Tell me your energization date.

In fifteen minutes I’ll tell you what I’d want in place before it.

Start the conversation →

Or email inquiry@rigbyfirm.com