Senior HR Manager, Data Center Operations

Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) team is the engine that powers our cloud services. Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than one hundred datacenters and one million servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than one billion customers and twenty million businesses in over ninety countries worldwide. And with environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.  

We are looking for experienced  Senior HR Manager, Data Center Operations to directly partner with and support one of our largest and fastest growing datacenter campuses in Boydton, VA.  The Boydton metro has a workforce of over 950 employees and growing, keeping operations running 24/7, 365 days a year.  The Senior HR manager will be fully dedicated to support Boydton’s datacenter operations leadership, managers and employees, and work directly onsite. 

This is an exciting opportunity to exercise a broad range of HR skills to support a unique and diverse workforce (datacenter technicians and managers) while scaling through the broader Microsoft HR ecosystem. We are looking for someone who is highly proactive, resilient, and results driven.  The right fit is someone who is a collaborator (both with the business and within the HR function), a trusted advisor, and a proactive problem solver who can work autonomously in a fast-paced environment.   

Employee Experience / Engagement 

• Through in-person engagement and observation across the workplace and in-person relationship-building, develop clear perspective on local employee and manager experiences, areas of risk, and culture of the local area to provide necessary context and guidance to datacenter (DC) leadership and broader HR team   

• Create and execute people strategies and programs that create a positive work environment, improve employee engagement, etc., in partnership with metro leadership 

• Be a trusted, neutral resource to employees and managers in helping them seek out support on HR questions and concerns leveraging Microsoft’s HR operating model 

• Act as employee advocate by looking beyond process implementation into the lived experiences of employees, managers, and leaders 

• Provide support to employees and managers on time-sensitive, urgent questions on the spot in accordance with Microsoft policy and process 

• Be present onsite during some evenings and weekends to connect with employees and managers on evening/night shifts. 

• Partner across the HR model to foster seamless, high-quality delivery of HR services (e.g., onboarding, offboarding, statutory reporting, tracking and reporting). 

HR Community Leadership 

• Champions change management efforts across the metro and fleet, helping employees and leaders navigate change effectively through clear communication, partnership, and workforce-focused execution
• Have a regular seat at datacenter leadership and team meetings to partner and provide HR perspective on site strategy, goals, and challenges. 

• Partner with the Boydton metro leadership and HR Business Partner team to develop the broader team’s skills and capabilities, by providing training, coaching, feedback, etc. 

• Compile, share and leverage insights (anecdotal, case insights, other listening systems) with leadership and partners to propose and develop needed solutions and risk assessment plans.    

• Supports the implementation of interventions to improve leadership and team performance.  

Projects, Programs, & Initiatives 

• Design and implement specific manager capability building efforts at the site attune with the different professions, shifts, and needs. Leverage and build upon existing broader manager capability resources and efforts.   

• Identifies and implements people-focused interventions within the metro to strengthen employee engagement, manager effectiveness, and team culture, and scales best practices across the fleet

• Partner with CO+I HR Business Partners with various HR projects and initiatives. 
• Collaborate with GTA to support the recruitment and onboarding of the right workforce for the site, and collaborate with the recruiters and broad