Datacenter Operations Lead

Location: Madison, WI (100% onsite). Rate: $60/hr (1099/W2). Duration: 3–4 months, contract‑to‑hire. Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. (Auth GC / USC).

About the role

We are looking for an experienced Datacenter Operations Lead to oversee day‑to‑day data center operations and ensure high availability, security, compliance, and effective delivery of infrastructure services.

Responsibilities

• Lead day‑to‑day data center operations across servers, storage, networking, and middleware.
• Lead operational teams and provide guidance to data center technicians and engineers.
• Manage incidents, service requests, changes, problems, and escalations while meeting SLA targets.
• Coordinate server/infrastructure installations, decommissions, migrations, and capacity planning.
• Coordinate maintenance, patching, and infrastructure upgrades.
• Ensure compliance with data center security, operational, and audit requirements.
• Support business continuity and operational readiness.
• Manage vendors and onsite logistics.
• Maintain operational documentation, inventory, and asset records.
• Maintain strong client‑facing relationships with data center leadership.
• Support successful execution of maintenance and infrastructure projects.

Requirements

• 5+ years of Data Center Operations or Infrastructure Support experience.
• Strong knowledge of servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling systems.
• Strong experience with incident, change, and problem management processes.
• Understanding of data center security, compliance, and business continuity.
• Strong leadership and team‑management experience.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder‑management skills.
• Ability to work onsite in Madison, WI.