Sr. Data Center Engineer

About the role

We are seeking a versatile and detail-oriented Datacenter Engineer to support the installation, lifecycle, monitoring and triage of a diverse, multi-vendor hardware laboratory based in Sacramento, CA.

Responsibilities

• Execute precision rack-and-stack, structured cabling (copper and fiber) and hardware verification for servers across Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Cisco UCS, Oracle, IBM and Supermicro platforms.
• Calculate rack power density, safely distribute loads across three-phase PDUs, ensure proper airflow and thermal management within the datacenter footprint.
• Perform bare-metal diagnostics and physically replace failed components (RAID controllers, cache memory, system boards, SFP transceivers, power supplies, drives) using vendor out-of-band management tooling such as iDRAC, iLO, CIMC and IPMI.
• Deploy and configure operating systems (Linux distributions and Unix variants) on lab servers, including network, storage and time service post-deployment validation.
• Operate and maintain provisioning and deployment automation platforms; manage access permissions, deployer role assignments and image lifecycle.
• Conduct structured reachability audits (ICMP, SSH, port checks) and document host status against the lab inventory.
• Assist in the provisioning of storage arrays (NetApp, HPE 3PAR, Dell PowerVault); validate underlying physical and Fibre Channel connections.
• Verify host bus adapters (HBAs), Fibre Channel zoning, SAS and iSCSI cabling, and multipath visibility from the host side; reconcile mismatches between fabric configuration and operating system view.
• Support the lifecycle of VMware vSphere environments — hypervisor hosts, clusters, datastores, virtual networking and lifecycle patching.
• Perform post-change validation, including hypervisor host health checks, datastore visibility and workload mobility verification after maintenance windows.
• Plan, stage and execute firmware updates (BIOS, BMC, RAID controllers, network adapters) across multi-node server fleets using vendor command-line interfaces and scripted lifecycle management toolchains.
• Verify versions, capture rollback baselines, document update windows and validate component health following each update.
• Work fluently with vendor lifecycle utilities and CLI-based firmware deployment tools across Dell, HPE and Cisco hardware platforms.
• Verify physical link status, inspect port LED indicators, confirm VLAN assignments on local access switches and run packet captures with Wireshark to isolate connectivity issues.
• Inspect interface state, route tables, storage visibility and console output (boot screens, panic logs, hardware console messages) to determine whether a fault is hardware- or software-related before escalation.
• Maintain network and infrastructure monitoring platforms by removing decommissioned devices, cleaning stale entries and reducing false-positive alerts to preserve alert signal-to-noise ratio.
• Provide lab-tier operational support for centralized logging and security monitoring infrastructure (configuration validation, console access, basic troubleshooting).
• Operate within IT service management (ITSM) ticketing systems; document actions, change records and resolutions; coordinate with cross-functional operations teams (network, cloud, security).
• Coordinate hardware evaluation programs (such as try-and-buy or proof-of-concept engagements) — racking, testing, return logistics and swap workflows.
• Manage return merchandise authorization (RMA) processes for failed components across multiple vendors.
• Maintain accurate asset inventory, location tags, serial number records and deployment status in the inventory of record.

Requirements

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in a datacenter, enterprise lab or hands-on technical operations environment involving multi-vendor hardware and platform support.
• Hands-on experience installing, configuring and replacing components across Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Cisco UCS, Oracle, IBM and Supermicro server lines.
• Working knowledge of iDRAC, iLO, CIMC and IPMI for remote console access, diagnostics and firmware operations.
• Comfortable navigating command-line interfaces in Linux distributions and Unix variants for diagnostic activities, interface inspection, storage visibility checks and log review.
• Operational familiarity with VMware vSphere, OpenStack — hosts, clusters, datastores, virtual networking and standard maintenance procedures.
• Understanding of Fibre Channel, iSCSI, SAS, HBAs, multipathing and basic SAN fabric concepts.
• Knowledge of L2 concepts (VLANs, trunking, link aggregation), Ethernet troubleshooting and packet capture analysis using Wireshark.
• Experience with vendor scripting tools and command-line interfaces for staged firmware updates across server fleets.
• Ability to read and write basic Bash, PowerShell or Python scripts to automate repetitive operational tasks.
• Solid understanding of datacenter electrical configurations (PDUs, load balancing, redundancy schemes) and adherence to structured cabling standards.
• Comfort operating within enterprise IT service management tools and following change management procedures.

Qualifications

• Technical Skills:
  • Hardware fluency: hands-on experience installing, configuring and replacing components across Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Cisco UCS, Oracle, IBM and Supermicro server lines.
  • Out-of-band management: working knowledge of iDRAC, iLO, CIMC and IPMI for remote console access, diagnostics and firmware operations.
  • Operating systems: comfortable navigating command-line interfaces in Linux distributions and Unix variants for diagnostic activities, interface inspection, storage visibility checks and log review.
  • Virtualization: operational familiarity with VMware vSphere, OpenStack — hosts, clusters, datastores, virtual networking and standard maintenance procedures.
  • Storage and fabric basics: understanding of Fibre Channel, iSCSI, SAS, HBAs, multipathing and basic SAN fabric concepts.
  • Networking fundamentals: knowledge of L2 concepts (VLANs, trunking, link aggregation), Ethernet troubleshooting and packet capture analysis using Wireshark.
  • Firmware automation: experience with vendor scripting tools and command-line interfaces for staged firmware updates across server fleets.
  • Scripting basics: ability to read and write basic Bash, PowerShell or Python scripts to automate repetitive operational tasks.
  • Datacenter fundamentals: solid understanding of datacenter electrical configurations (PDUs, load balancing, redundancy schemes) and adherence to structured cabling standards.
• Soft Skills:
  • Collaboration and communication: excellent ability to relay precise technical findings to senior Systems Administrators, Network Engineers and Security Engineers.
  • Structured problem-solving mindset with disciplined documentation of findings, actions and escalations.
  • Strong sense of accountability, ownership and attention to detail in physical work, cabling and post-change validation.
  • Comfort working in a multi-team environment that includes hardware, network, virtualization, storage, security and cloud operations specialists.

Preferred Qualifications

• Vendor certifications such as Dell EMC Associate, HPE ATP, Cisco CCNA, Red Hat Certified Specialist or VMware Certified Technical Associate.
• Exposure to Fibre Channel zoning, SAN switch fabrics (Cisco MDS, Brocade) and storage administration tasks beyond basic connectivity.
• Familiarity with cable management standards (ANSI/TIA-942) and datacenter tier-level requirements.
• ITIL Foundation or equivalent service management training.
• Communication proficiency for collaboration with geographically distributed engineering teams.

Benefits

OpenText offers a comprehensive benefits package that supports your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. For more details, visit our Why Join Us page.

Pay

$87,800 - $131,600 USD per annum; Depending on the candidate’s education, experience, skills, geographical location, and alignment with internal equity and external market, actual salary may vary and be higher or lower than the range posted.

Schedule

On-call rotation will be required to address critical infrastructure events outside business hours. Occasional travel to support other OpenText data centers may be required.