Senior Data Center Technician

$90,210 - $126,797/Yr

Microsoft - Boydton, VA

Full-time - Mid Level

Boydton, VA

10,001+ employees

Publishing Industries

About the position

As a Senior Data Center Technician (SDCT) at Microsoft, you will play a crucial role in the operations of our data centers, which are the backbone of our cloud services. Your expertise will be essential in standard processes and procedures for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and decommissioning IT equipment. You will also need to have a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between network and server equipment, which is vital for maintaining the efficiency and reliability of our services. Your role will not only involve hands-on technical work but also providing guidance to other technicians, ensuring that best practices are followed and that service quality is continuously improved. In the Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) team, you will be part of a group that is dedicated to delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services, including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform. With a global portfolio of over 200 data centers in 32 countries, our infrastructure supports services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses worldwide. You will be expected to contribute to the ongoing development of our data center operations, focusing on environmental sustainability and optimization, which are key components of our design and operational strategies. Your responsibilities will include maintaining compliance with data center policies and procedures, completing assigned tasks efficiently, and mentoring less experienced technicians. You will also be involved in service delivery, ensuring that all tasks are executed according to safety protocols and deployment standards. As part of your role, you will participate in safety briefings, adhere to environmental and health safety training, and promote a culture of safety within the team. Your ability to communicate effectively and collaborate with cross-functional teams will be essential in ensuring smooth operations and addressing any technical or safety-related incidents that may arise.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates expertise in standard processes for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and decommissioning IT datacenter technologies and equipment.
• Maintains expertise with the interactions between cabling infrastructure, network, server, and storage equipment.
• Provides guidance to other technicians on changes to processes and procedures.
• Reviews Process Change Notifications (PCNs) and shares relevant information to enable efficient workflow.
• Completes assigned tickets efficiently and in alignment with relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Provides guidance and assists less experienced technicians with complex tickets or tasks.
• May coordinate and assign tasks to other technicians on a temporary basis.
• Prepares, stages, sets up, and performs basic startups and shutdowns for hardware according to specific instructions.
• Performs discrete quality control activities and assessments of work performed by other technicians.
• Identifies errors in deployment standards or Network Design Templates (NDTs) and escalates to relevant technicians.
• Applies advanced diagnostics and troubleshooting expertise to identify technical issues and replace faulty components.
• Maintains awareness of conditions that may reflect significant customer or business impact within the Data Center environment.
• Follows procedures to communicate, report, and escalate data center technical or safety-related incidents.
• Participates in bridge calls to provide details on incident status and executes on-site follow-up actions as directed.
• Directly performs decommissions, simple changes, and complex changes of infrastructure equipment following standard procedures.
• Processes and verifies compliance with standards for data-bearing devices destruction.

Requirements

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent and basic knowledge of computer hardware and components.
• 2+ years experience supporting IT equipment or related technology or equivalent experience.
• Ability to work 12-hour shifts, including non-standard business hours such as evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements.

Nice-to-haves

• Associate degree in computer science or equivalent work experience.
• 3+ years' experience supporting IT equipment or related technology.
• 2+ years' experience in a production, mission-critical 24x7x365 data center environment.
• Applicable certifications such as CompTIA (A+, Server+, Network+), Data Center Foundation Certification (DCFC), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP).

Benefits

• Career Rotation Programs
• Diversity & Inclusion training and events
• Professional certifications
• Health insurance
• Paid holidays
• Flexible scheduling
• Employee discount programs
• Tuition reimbursement
• 401k
• 401k matching