CHIEF DELIVERY OFFICER

The Chief Delivery Officer (CDO) will report to Tom Mertz, CEO. While extensive, we are seeking candidates with a uniquely deep and broad combination of data center construction, solutions, services, maintenance, operations, and facility management expertise to ensure predictable overperformance against client expectations.  The largest and most respected technology companies in the world entrust their rapidly growing digital infrastructure’s performance and uptime to CPG. This requires a world class delivery executive to ensure CPG anticipates and delivers ahead of expectations and requirements.

 

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief Delivery Officer (CDO) will contribute his/her strategic inputs to CPG’s direction as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, overseeing Design, Engineering, Construction, Operations, and Sustainability of all client’s data center projects.

Broadly we are looking for –

• An innovative executive with demonstrated experience leading teams toward a culture of best practice excellence is paramount to the success of the business.
• Establishment of construction and operational processes, methodologies, policies, practices, and standards to ensure the highest level of client service and performance reliability.
• Apparent command of critical facility system maintenance, engineering, and sustainability principles, practices, and procedures.
• Ambition to think and act strategically and articulate an effective vision for techniques, procurement, and other world class TCO considerations.

More specifically, these may include –

• Lead design and construction strategy and resource teams to ensure seamless delivery.
• Evaluate and plan supply chain activities, including managing major vendor relationships.
• Provide product and service delivery thought leadership that exceeds client and market demands.
• Develop plans and strategies aligned with client capacity growth and uptime requirements.
• Develop and implement design, construction, and operational best practices; incorporate operating standards into security and operations practices.
• Identify process improvement and cost savings opportunities. Evaluate, implement, and resolve as needed.
• Define and lead design and construction performance against client project plans.
• Define and lead operational best practices to achieve highest efficiencies and optimization of technology, process, and people.
• Develop budgeting strategies in collaboration with Sales, Finance, HR, and Safety leadership.
• Positively influence key customer relationships, product and service providers, and partners.
• Oversight and accountability for preparing, presenting, negotiating, and delivering to appropriately risk managed contractual obligations.
• Contribute to short and long-term organizational planning and strategy.
• Interface and align with corporate and local operations personnel to ensure appropriate design of customer solutions and to guarantee the quality-of-service delivery.
• Continually evaluate solution alternatives to improve facility performance and cost structure.

 

KNOWLEDGE & COMPETENCIES

The CDO is expected to be both a data center subject matter design, construction, and operations expert as well as a business executive. Executive characteristic and communication demands include –

• Explain via business case presentation the relevancy of information to executive and board level individuals.
• Plan, organize, and implement major projects. Anticipate and identify issues in advance of critical problems developing. Perform well under crisis management.
• Negotiate effectively and command the respect of customers, vendors, and service providers.
• Understand and implement preventive and predictive maintenance procedures.
• Exceptional analytical and decision-making skills required for understanding and evaluating complex problems – analyzing, identifying, and selecting the best solution.
• Financial acumen including the ability to create and understand budgets, financial analysis, and invoicing requirements.
• Able to prioritize work based on business and customer demands, articulate concepts and ideas to a non-technical audience, and lead customer-requested business reviews and audits.
• Be cognizant of, be an ambassador for, and implement Safety best practices in all procedures.
• Expert in design characteristics, installation, and operation of all major infrastructure systems including electrical, mechanical, life safety, controls, and security.
• Data Center Operations expertise and history of collaboration with operations leadership, facilities management, security, safety, and services personnel.
• Fiscal / business acumen reflected by board level presentations which have been adopted and executed.
• Represent the actions you demand from the team – positive attitude, take initiative and ownership, accountability, adapt, and pivot to succeed in a fast-paced environment.
• Requires national travel on a routine basis.

 

KEY QUALIFYING CRITERIA

Data Center Subject Matter Expertise – Evaluating the breadth and complexity of data center environments designed, built, and operated –

• To what extent have you influenced development, design, construction, and operations of the data center projects you’ve been involved with over the past 3 years?
• What’s the breadth (# of locations), scale (MW/sq ft), and complexity (design/build/deliver) of your recent projects?
• Track record of delivering product on schedule and budget.
• Data Center operational performance leadership history? How measure?
• ESG – Experience and commitment related to sustainability, green, clean energy, and alternative power initiatives.

Business Acumen – Growth oriented commercial disposition with innovative thought leadership and nuanced understanding of P&L, human capital leverage, resource allocation, and technology utilization leading to realized efficiencies and increasing profitability.

Financial Acumen – Experience in a data center real estate invested environment with requirements for budgeting, forecasting, platform standardization, performance excellence, etc. for purposes of corporate value creation.  

Executive Leadership – A genuine and natural leader who exudes gravitas and presence with colleagues, customers, employees, and the board resulting in a collective confidence, empowerment, and motivation to seeing and achieving a unified corporate vision. 

Culture – Alignment of core values with CPG’s vision, mission, and guiding principles which lead to excellence, fairness, and justice in the workplace.

 

WHY CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH CPG?

Kerosene – CPG has the design, construction, and operations excellence to scale as an organization at this time. The CDO will possess utmost confidence that CPG’s value proposition will be supported and delivered effectively.

Capital – CPG’s Board and ownership have convened to agree on the investment necessary to support the growth plan to achieve desired corporate valuation. Columbia Capital’s track record of supporting similar growth initiatives is remarkable.

Success – CPG maintains highly referenceable credibility with their customers and consistently deliver projects on time and budget. This is the chapter of service excellence creation with an expectation of repeatable overperformance. Sharpening the knife as they say.

Culture – CPG has worked hard to build a foundation of operational, procedural, and process excellence resulting in a pride of ownership and confidence for the years ahead. The entire team is aligned and enthusiastic about their growth trajectory.

Chapter – After 15 years of consistent success, CPG is entering a new chapter of market opportunity realization. The global data center market is growing unabated and CPG is poised for remarkable growth supporting existing clients while entering new verticals and markets.

Leadership – Tom Mertz has more than two decades of sales management leading multiple organization’s revenue generation strategy and execution success. This CDO will help realize CPG’s vision of growth and scale in meeting the demand the market currently offers.

 

COMPENSATION

The CDO compensation package is expected to include a competitive base salary (relative to market and candidate’s current situation), annual performance compensation, equity, and robust health benefits program. Employees have the option of choosing from affordable, employer sponsored medical coverage options, for themselves and their dependents with coverage beginning on the date of hire. The following benefits are currently offered:

• Inclusion in CPG 40lk Plan managed by American Funds. CPG provides a direct contribution equal to 3% of your compensation that is 100% vested (up to IRS employer limitations) regardless of participation
• Medical coverage – A choice of 8 medical plans
• Dental and Vision Insurance – Employee portion paid by CPG
• Disability insurance (Short Term/Long Term) and Life Insurance, paid by CPG
• Adoption assistance program
• Educational assistance program
• Commuter benefits program
• Learning and development curriculum

 

SEARCH PROCESS

Following a thorough exchange of information relating to company information, resume, and key qualifying criteria, CFS Partners anticipates recommending a short list of CDO candidates to Tom Mertz, CEO the second week in July. CDO candidates will also meet with Ben Pawson (CFO), David Mettler (CRO), and select members of the CPG Board of Directors.