Data Center Central Planning Lead
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Data Center Central Planning
Lead
Menlo Park, CA +1 location
Data Center Operations
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We are looking for a Data Center Central Planning Lead to join Meta's Data Center Strategic Planning organization. In this role, you will own and lead the development of end-to-end, constraint-aware data center capacity plans that translate product growth, AI workload evolution, and fleet architecture into executable roadmaps across power (MW), cooling, space, and network.
You will operate at the intersection of capacity engineering, portfolio planning, and investment decisioning, building quantitative models and scenario plans that inform multi‑billion‑dollar infrastructure choices.
You will be expected to go deep in the data and engineering constraints while also serving as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, shaping direction through clear recommendations, executive-ready narratives, and cross‑org alignment.
This is an individual contributor leadership role: success is defined by technical rigor, durable planning mechanisms, and sustained influence across organizations—including the ability to advise, challenge, and align senior stakeholders.
Data Center Central Planning
Lead Responsibilities
- Own long-range capacity planning and strategy (LRP) to connect demand signals (product + AI) to data center supply plans and execution paths across MW delivery, space readiness, and network capacity—including multi‑year roadmaps, supply and demand matching, and key decision points
- Build and maintain quantitative planning models (supply/demand, portfolio allocation, sensitivity analysis, bottleneck identification, schedule-risk and uncertainty modeling), and use them to drive investment prioritization and sequencing
- Translate workload characteristics (GPU/AI clusters, rack power density, resiliency tiers, topology/interconnect needs, placement constraints) into facility and electrical requirements including MW ramp profiles, readiness gates, and deployment constraints
- Lead assessment of system-level constraints across fleet and pipeline (utility delivery timelines, substation/transformer capacity, cooling technology limits, heat rejection, building envelopes, network ingress/egress, construction sequencing) and drive mitigation strategies with clear owners, timelines, and success criteria
- Develop executive decision packages: synthesize complex analyses into crisp trade-offs and recommendations (cost, schedule, reliability, operability, risk), explicitly calling out assumptions, sensitivities, and "what changes the answer."
- Advise and influence senior Meta leadership by framing options, aligning stakeholders pre‑readout, and driving decisions in forums with competing priorities—while maintaining technical credibility with engineering partners
- Drive cross-functional execution and accountability: align roadmaps, surface gaps early, manage escalations, and ensure closure through programmatic follow-through and planning governance
- Establish and continuously raise the planning "bar": define assumption governance, model review cadence, metric definitions, documentation standards, and reproducibility so plans are auditable, repeatable, and resilient to ambiguity
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience
Preferred Qualifications
- Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)
- Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)
- Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies
About Meta
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world.
Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.
For those who live in or expect to work from California if hired for this position, please click here for additional information.
United States of America: $219,000/year to $301,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits
Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits.
Learn more about benefits at Meta.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
You may view our Equal Employment Opportunity notice here .
Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, fill out the Accommodations request form .
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