Data Center Technician - Phoenix East

About the role

As a Data Center Technician (DCT), you will demonstrate expertise in standard processes and procedures for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and/or decommissioning equipment, as well as a holistic understanding of the functions of, and interactions between, network and server equipment. You will provide input for suggested modifications to these processes and procedures to improve service quality and efficiency while providing guidance to other technicians.

Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a CO+I DCT, you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform. Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 200 Data Centers in 32 countries and millions of servers, supporting services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide. With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our data center design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

This role may require business travel to support other metros periodically, 0-25% of the time, and the ability to work 12-hour shifts, including shift assignments during non-standard business hours such as evenings, nighttime, weekends, and holidays. Microsoft is unable to sponsor a work visa for this role due to the nature of the role's job duties.

Responsibilities

Datacenter Operations Reviews

• Review Process Change Notifications (PCNs) and develop an understanding of the impact to work execution and awareness of changes within your area of work and/or the work of others.
• Ask questions when required information is unclear and provide feedback on changes to processes to experienced technicians and/or direct-line management.
• Complete assigned tickets efficiently and in alignment with relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) per task type with guidance from experienced technicians.
• Seek guidance from more experienced technicians on challenging or complex tickets.
• Develop an understanding of standard processes and procedures for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and/or decommissioning IT datacenter technologies and equipment.
• Acquire a fundamental understanding of the functions of, and interactions between, cabling infrastructure, network, server, and storage equipment.
• Comply with Data Center business unit policies, procedures, and deadlines with guidance from experienced technicians and/or direct-line management.
• Escalate issues related to compliance or operational assurance activities to direct-line management.

Datacenter Work Environment

• Work for extended periods under elevated levels of ambient noise, heat, and light due to necessary equipment and ventilation systems.
• Contribute to a positive and effective team environment by sharing information with other shifts or technician teams, participating in regular team meetings, and partnering with other shifts for smooth transitions and effective handover of ticketed work.
• Provide and respond to feedback on ways to work more effectively or enhance efficiency within your team and adopt best practices shared within and across shifts or technician teams.
• Complete required security and data management training while complying with security and data management procedures/policies with guidance from other technicians.
• Escort third-party vendors or IT support on-premises at data centers or network sites as needed.
• Take appropriate action and report physical security access concerns and/or incidents to direct-line management or established reporting methods.
• Participate in daily safety briefings and complete required Environmental & Health Safety (EHS) training.
• Comply with safety procedures (e.g., equipment use, lifting, electrical hazards, ladder/rolling stair use), complete required Task Hazard Analysis (THAs), and use appropriate equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for assigned tasks.
• Adhere to and promote a culture of safety, taking proactive action to alert others of safety concerns, near-misses, and/or incidents.
• Participate in regular cadence proactive safety observation reporting processes and systems.
• Perform occasional climbing of ladders, frequent climbing of stairs and/or ramps, and prolonged standing.
• Occasionally lift up to 25 lbs / 11 kg without assistance, and 25-50 lbs / 11-22.5 kg with lift assistance.
• Occasionally push or pull 50-75 lbs / 22.5-34 kg with assistive devices.
• Maintain normal visual acuity (near, far, and peripheral with correction) and normal color vision for electrical work, as defined via standard medical terms and applicable criteria.
• Travel up to 25% typically domestically to and from multiple locations during the workday, and occasionally domestically to other sites for overnight stays.
• Work 12-hour shifts, including shift assignments during non-standard business hours such as evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.

Managing Service

• Maintain an awareness of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through reporting dashboards and systems for personal monthly performance discussions as needed.
• Escalate and/or seek guidance from experienced technicians or direct-line management regarding client interactions.
• Develop an understanding of cross-functional Data Center processes to support partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Complete required training aligned to job focus areas and workloads (e.g., Break fix, Deployment, Simple Change, Decommission, IT Critical Environment) in a timely manner per direct-line management assignment(s).
• Observe more experienced technicians to gain hands-on experience and relevant on-the-job training (OJT).
• Complete additional or supplemental training to obtain or maintain relevant industry or technical certifications.

Service Delivery

• Develop an understanding of effective execution order strategies for assigned tasks with assistance from experienced technicians or direct-line management.
• Prepare, stage, set up, and perform basic startups and shutdowns for hardware (e.g., racks, hard drives, switches) according to specific written instructions provided via checklists, guides, standard processes, emails, guidance from other technicians, and/or direction from management.
• Perform tasks in tandem with other technicians to comply with procedures and safety requirements.
• Follow procedures to immediately communicate, report, and escalate data center technical or safety-related incidents to direct-line management.
• Participate in bridge calls to provide details on incident status and execute on-site follow-up actions as directed if necessary.
• Directly perform decommissions, simple changes (e.g., memory upgrades, OS rebuilds), and refreshes of infrastructure cabling, network, storage, and server equipment, following standard procedures while seeking clarification and guidance from more experienced technicians as needed.
• Process data-bearing devices (DBDs) for destruction or confirm any and all such devices (e.g., hard drives, solid-state drives, flash cards) contained within network, storage, or server equipment have been identified for eradication or destruction with guidance.
• Perform basic diagnostics and troubleshooting with guidance from experienced technicians and/or via standard procedures to identify the cause(s) of technical issues and replace faulty components in network, storage, or server equipment with zero-to-minimal customer and/or business disruption.
• Develop awareness of conditions, circumstances, and scenarios which may reflect significant customer or business impact within the Data Center environment.
• Learn about post-execution verification of grounding, staging, labeling, and cabling to align with all safety protocols, deployment standards, and planned Network Design Templates (NDTs).
• Learn about errors in deployment standards or Network Design Templates (NDTs) and escalate to relevant technicians or specialists to coordinate corrections as needed.

Requirements

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent and basic knowledge of computer hardware and components OR equivalent experience.
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements for this role, including but not limited to:
  • Microsoft Cloud Background Check: Pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
  • Citizenship verification: Verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. This position supports U.S. federal, state, and/or local government agency customers and requires verification with a valid passport.
  • Criminal Justice Information Services: Pass a background check conducted through the CJIS criminal justice information system by authorized local, state, and/or federal agencies.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States that does not now or in the future require employer sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent and basic knowledge of computer hardware and components AND 3+ years of experience supporting IT equipment or related technology OR equivalent experience.

Pay

Data Center Technicians ATR-B - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $23.65 - $37.07 per hour. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $31.54 - $40.91 per hour.

Data Center Technicians ATR-C - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $27.45 - $48.03 per hour. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $38.27 - $53.70 per hour.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here.