Senior Data Center Technician

About the role

As a Microsoft Senior Data Center Technician, 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 Data Center Technician, 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. Environmental sustainability and optimization are at the forefront of our data center design and operations.

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.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Demonstrate expertise in and provide guidance on standard processes and procedures for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and/or decommissioning IT datacenter technologies and equipment.
• Maintain expertise with the functions of, and interactions between, cabling infrastructure, network, server, and storage equipment. Provide guidance to other technicians on these topics.
• Review Process Change Notifications (PCNs) and proactively share relevant information to enable efficient workflow and evaluate impact on work execution.
• Complete assigned tickets efficiently and in alignment with relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) per task type independently. Provide guidance and/or assist less experienced technicians with complex tickets or tasks.
• Coordinate and assign tasks to other technicians on a temporary basis to ensure work is appropriately allocated to meet KPIs.
• Travel up to 25% of the time, typically domestically, including overnight stays. Work 12-hour shifts, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Perform physical tasks including occasional climbing of ladders, frequent climbing of stairs and/or ramps, prolonged standing, occasional lifting up to 25 lbs/11 kg without assistance, and lifting 25-50 lbs/11-22.5 kg with lift assistance.
• Comply with security and data management procedures/policies, complete required training, and report physical security access concerns or incidents.
• Work in environments with elevated levels of ambient noise, heat, and light due to necessary equipment and ventilation systems.
• Conduct, assist in, or participate in daily safety briefings. Complete required Environmental & Health Safety (EHS) training and use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Reinforce a positive and effective team environment by sharing information and best practices with other shifts/technician teams.
• Complete required training aligned to job focus areas (e.g., Break fix, Deployment, Simple Change, Decommission, IT Critical Environment). Mentor and support training of other technicians.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of cross-functional Data Center processes to support partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide guidance to less experienced technicians and develop effective execution strategies for assigned tasks.
• Prepare, stage, set up, and perform basic startups and shutdowns for hardware (e.g., racks, hard drives, switches) according to specific written instructions.
• Apply advanced diagnostics and troubleshooting expertise to identify and resolve technical issues with minimal customer and/or business disruption.
• Perform quality control activities and assess work compliance with standards and procedures performed by other technicians.
• Follow procedures to immediately communicate, report, and escalate data center technical or safety-related incidents.
• Perform decommissions, simple changes (e.g., memory upgrades, OS rebuilds), complex changes (e.g., upgrading entire racks), and refreshes of infrastructure cabling, network, storage, and server equipment.
• Process and verify compliance with standards for data-bearing devices (DBDs) destruction.

Requirements

• High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent and basic knowledge of computer hardware and components.
• 2+ years of experience supporting IT equipment or related technology.
• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including passing the Microsoft Cloud background check every two years.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States that does not require employer sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate Degree in Computer Science or other field and/or equivalent work experience.
• 3+ years of experience supporting IT equipment or related technology.
• 2+ years of experience working in a production, mission-critical 24x7x365 environment.

Schedule

This role may require working 12-hour shifts, including shift assignments during non-standard business hours such as evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Travel up to 25% of the time, typically domestically, may also be required.