This role involves inspecting maritime cargo and performing sampling in ports. It offers professional growth through technical training and flexible benefits.
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88,000+ live jobsGlobal Head of Cloud & Data Center (Infrastructure)
Hybrid in Madrid·Full-time·Added 4 months ago
First posted 4 months ago, still open when we checked on 28 Sept
Overview
Job details
Full-time
Per the ad.
Hybrid
Office and home days — the ad has the split.
Requirements
Have the right to work in Spain
SGS doesn't mention sponsorship in the ad.
Work in English
English is required, per the ad.
Be near Madrid, Spain (Hybrid) for hybrid days
No relocation package mentioned.
Have 10+ years of experience
Senior-level role.
Skills
Nice to have
Requirements
What we're looking for
- 10+ years in Infrastructure, Cloud, or Platform environments.
- 5+ years leading global or multi‑regional infrastructure teams.
- Strong expertise in Azure governance and hybrid infrastructure.
- Proven experience operating mission‑critical, highly available production environments.
- Solid background in operational excellence, incident management, and change control.
- Ability to operate at senior leadership level under high operational pressure.
Nice to have
- Azure Architect (AZ‑305) and/or Azure Administrator (AZ‑104).
- ITIL Foundation certification.
- FinOps experience or certification.
- Exposure to AWS and/or GCP in large enterprise contexts.
- Experience in regulated industries or complex global organizations.
Pay & benefits
What you'll get
- Join a globally recognized and stable company, a leader in the Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) industry.
- Enjoy a flexible schedule and hybrid work model
- Access continuous learning opportunities through SGS University and Campus.
- Collaborate in a multinational environment with colleagues from various continents.
- Benefit from a comprehensive benefits platform.
The role
This role sits within Global IT Production, reporting directly to the Global Head of IT Production, with end-to-end accountability for the reliability, security, governance, and operational excellence of the company’s global Cloud and Data Center platforms.
The position leads an Infrastructure-owned Cloud & Data Center organization, responsible for ensuring that production platforms are stable, resilient, compliant, and cost-efficient, while enabling application and digital teams through standardized, automated, and well‑governed infrastructure services.
This is a senior infrastructure leadership role, focused on production readiness and operational discipline. It does not own application development or product roadmaps, but serves as the authoritative platform owner and senior escalation point for all Cloud and Data Center services.
Purpose of the Role
To own, operate, and continuously improve the company’s global hybrid Cloud & Data Center production platforms, ensuring enterprise-grade service delivery across availability, performance, security, cost, and risk.
The role combines:
- ~70% leadership, governance, and IT Production accountability
- ~30% high-level technical and architectural authority
What you'll do
Key Responsibilities
- Own global Cloud & Data Center production platforms (Azure‑first, hybrid connectivity, on‑prem).
- Act as single point of accountability for platform stability, availability, and resilience.
- Ensure SLAs, SLOs, and compliance standards are consistently met.
- Define and enforce cloud and infrastructure governance (landing zones, networks, RBAC, security, policies).
- Establish production reference architectures and deployment standards.
- Ensure alignment with Enterprise Architecture and Security within IT Production ownership.
- Own availability, performance, capacity planning, and incident management.
- Embed SRE practices (SLOs, error budgets, post‑incident reviews).
- Act as senior escalation authority for major production incidents.
- Ensure compliance with security, audit, and regulatory requirements.
- Apply Zero Trust at the infrastructure and production layer.
- Enforce ITIL‑based change management for production environments.
- Own the global Cloud & Data Center production budget.
- Lead FinOps initiatives (cost transparency, optimization, reservations, waste reduction).
- Provide executive reporting on cost, efficiency, and risk.
- Drive Infrastructure‑as‑Code and change‑as‑code standards.
- Define CI/CD patterns for infrastructure deployments.
- Own monitoring, observability, and service health reporting.
- Define and execute data center strategy (modernization, consolidation, migrations).
- Govern hybrid connectivity and network services.
- Ensure DR, backup, and resilience for production platforms.
- Lead global Cloud & Data Center teams within IT Production.
- Set clear objectives, accountability, and development paths.
- Manage strategic vendors and partners, ensuring SLA/XLA performance.
Hiring process
Application
Recruitment team contact
With recruitment team
If your skills and experience match current or future needs, a member of the recruitment team contacts you.
Interviews
Face-to-face or virtual interviews, also a chance to learn about the job, your future manager and the culture.
Assessments
Not every role
For some positions: personality, cognitive and technical assessments, a short psychometric study, or more thorough assessments by external consultants.
Additional screening and reference check
Selection and offer · With HR team
- An email acknowledges receipt of every application.
- Unsuccessful candidates are informed and may be contacted for future openings.
Hiring process
Apply Now:
At SGS, we are committed to fostering an open, friendly, and supportive culture that thrives on teamwork. We value diversity and provide endless opportunities to learn, grow your expertise, and fulfill your potential. Apply now to join our motivated and dynamic team!
About SGS
SGS is a Swiss-headquartered multinational company and the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. Founded in 1878, it operates across diverse industries including agriculture, construction, energy, manufacturing, mining, and public sector, providing services such as quality assurance, risk management, and sustainability solutions. With over 99,000 employees and a network of more than 2,600 offices and laboratories worldwide, SGS is a category-defining player in the Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) sector.
In Spain, SGS has a significant presence with offices in Madrid, Barcelona, and other major cities, offering a wide range of technical and inspection roles. The company is known for its strong commitment to safety, quality, and regulatory compliance, making it a relevant employer for international professionals with backgrounds in engineering, environmental science, and industrial safety. SGS provides opportunities for career growth in a global environment, and its Spanish operations are a key part of its European network.
- Industry
- Testing & Certification
- Founded
- 1878
- Employees
- 50,000–100,000
- Headquarters
- Geneva, Switzerland
- In Spain
- Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and 7 more
- Website
- sgs.com
Good to know if you are moving
- SGS operates in over 140 countries, offering international professionals the chance to work in a truly global environment with potential for cross-border projects and career mobility.
- The company provides extensive training and development programs, including language courses and technical certifications, which can be valuable for professionals relocating to Spain.
- SGS has a structured career path with opportunities to progress from technical roles to management positions, appealing to those seeking long-term growth.
- The Spanish offices are well-established and integrated into the European network, offering a stable work environment and exposure to diverse industries.
- SGS is a large, stable employer with a strong brand name, which can be reassuring for international professionals seeking a secure position.
In their own words
About the company & team
SGS is the world’s leading Testing, Inspection and Certification company. We operate a network of over 2,500 laboratories and business facilities across 115 countries, supported by a team of over 100,000 dedicated professionals. With more than 145 years of service excellence, we combine the precision and accuracy that define Swiss companies to help organizations achieve the highest standards of quality, compliance and sustainability.
Our brand promise – “when you need to be sure” – underscores our commitment to trust, integrity and reliability, enabling businesses to thrive with confidence. We proudly deliver our expert services through the SGS name and a portfolio of trusted specialized brands, including Applied Technical Services, Brightsight, Bluesign and Nutrasource.
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