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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Data Center Technician

💰 $40,000 - $80,000

Data CenterIT OperationsFacilitiesInfrastructure

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking a reliable and detail-oriented Data Center Technician to join our operations team. The Data Center Technician is responsible for hands-on installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of data center infrastructure — including servers, storage, networking equipment, cabling, power distribution units (PDUs), uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and environmental systems. This role provides "remote hands" support for internal teams and customers, enforces access control and safety practices, and maintains accurate documentation and inventory in DCIM and ticketing systems. Strong physical aptitude, technical troubleshooting skills, and experience with cabling and power are essential.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • IT Support Technician / Help Desk Technician
  • Network Technician / Field Technician
  • Facilities or Building Maintenance Technician

Advancement To:

  • Senior Data Center Technician
  • Data Center Engineer / Infrastructure Engineer
  • Data Center Manager / Facilities Manager
  • Network Operations Center (NOC) Engineer

Lateral Moves:

  • Network Engineer
  • Systems Administrator
  • Field Service Engineer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Perform rack-and-stack installation of servers, storage arrays, switches and other IT hardware, ensuring proper rack elevation, mounting, and mechanical support to vendor and site standards.
  • Terminate, route, and manage structured cabling (copper and fiber) including Cat5e/Cat6/Cat6A/10G and multimode/singlemode fiber runs, following color-coding, labeling, and cable management best practices.
  • Configure, mount, and verify power connectivity for servers and network gear using PDUs, power strips, and power cords; ensure redundant power feeds and proper phase balancing.
  • Install, test, and maintain UPS systems, generators and transfer switches in coordination with facilities teams; conduct routine battery and load tests and document results.
  • Perform fiber optic testing with OTDR, power meters and visual fault locators to verify link integrity and document loss measurements and connector types.
  • Respond to alarms and incidents (power, cooling, security) 24/7 as required, escalate appropriately, and provide clear incident documentation and root cause observations to the NOC and engineering teams.
  • Execute scheduled preventative maintenance on racks, PDUs, UPS, and environmental control systems; replace filters, clean drives and ensure airflow pathways are unobstructed.
  • Use DCIM and asset management tools to update inventory, asset tags, serial numbers, asset locations, and maintenance records; reconcile physical racks with system records.
  • Provide remote-hands and on-site support for customer and cross-functional teams: power cycles, remote KVM/console access, cabling moves, and hardware reboots following change control.
  • Complete change management and work order processes for hardware moves, adds and changes; adhere to scheduled maintenance windows and follow rollback plans.
  • Troubleshoot hardware faults at the rack and component level: identify failed components (PSUs, fans, memory, disks), perform FRU swaps per vendor guidelines, and coordinate RMAs with vendors as needed.
  • Maintain and operate rack-level KVMs, serial consoles and IP-based management interfaces (iLO, iDRAC, IMM), performing out-of-band tasks and firmware updates where authorized.
  • Perform physical audits of assets and racks, identify discrepancies, and produce audit reports to reconcile DCIM and financial asset tracking systems.
  • Ensure strict access control for the data center floor: manage visitor escorts, log access, validate badge permissions and enforce clean-room/cold-aisle hot-aisle protocols and ESD safety.
  • Monitor and manage environmental sensors (temperature, humidity, water detection, airflow) and advise facilities on hotspot mitigation and cooling optimization.
  • Label, document and maintain structured cabling maps, port-to-port diagrams and patch panel documentation to support rapid troubleshooting and changes.
  • Conduct safe heavy-lifting, rigging and equipment moves, using hoists, dollies and lifts in accordance with site safety plans and ergonomics protocols.
  • Configure and verify network patching and cross-connects in patch fields and meet carrier cage coordination requirements; escalate interconnect disputes and ticket to providers as necessary.
  • Support firmware upgrades and scheduled maintenance for storage, compute and networking equipment in coordination with system owners and change control.
  • Provide first-level diagnostic support during outages, gather logs, serial console output and physical symptom data, and collaborate with senior engineers and vendors to restore service quickly.
  • Maintain high standards of documentation: runbooks, SOPs, incident reports, wiring diagrams, and daily shift logs to enable consistent shift-to-shift operations.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory and internal policies (PCI, HIPAA where applicable), safety (OSHA), and environmental practices (waste disposal, recycling of e-waste).

Secondary Functions

  • Assist with capacity planning data collection – rack space, power and cooling metrics – and provide input to infrastructure planning.
  • Support ad-hoc site projects such as cabinet reconfigurations, cable re-terminations, and small infrastructure improvements.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives: standardizing build procedures, streamlining cabling standards, and reducing mean time to repair.
  • Collaborate with network and systems engineering teams to execute deployments, proof-of-concept builds, and emergency change windows.
  • Participate in scheduled training for new hardware lifecycles, safety certifications and vendor-specific troubleshooting.
  • Provide occasional onsite representation for third-party vendors and contractors performing work in the data center; verify work quality and adherence to access controls.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Rack-and-stack installation and mechanical mounting of servers, storage and network devices.
  • Structured copper cabling (Cat5e/Cat6/Cat6A/10G) termination, testing and labeling best practices.
  • Fiber optic termination, testing (OTDR, power meter), cleaning, and connector inspection skills.
  • Hands-on experience with PDUs, power distribution, UPS systems, battery maintenance and generator transfer switch coordination.
  • Proficiency with DCIM platforms and asset/inventory management tools; accurate asset tagging and reconciliation.
  • Experience with ticketing platforms (ServiceNow, JIRA, Remedy) for work orders, incident management and change control.
  • Familiarity with KVMs, out-of-band management interfaces (iLO, iDRAC, IMM), and basic firmware update procedures.
  • Basic electrical and mechanical troubleshooting skills and the ability to read rack schematics and power diagrams.
  • Use of test tools and hand tools: cable testers, punch-down tools, crimpers, tone probes, multimeter, fiber tools.
  • Knowledge of data center layout standards (hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment) and airflow/cooling mitigation techniques.
  • Understanding of access control, CCTV systems and physical security procedures for sensitive facilities.
  • Experience following vendor FRU replacement procedures and coordinating RMAs with OEMs.
  • Familiarity with environmental monitoring systems (temperature, humidity, leak detection) and alarm handling.
  • Working knowledge of safety protocols (lockout-tagout, ESD precautions, ladder and lift operation).
  • Basic scripting or automation familiarity (PowerShell, Python snippets) helpful for log collection and routine checks.

Soft Skills

  • Clear, concise communication and professional customer-facing demeanor for working with internal teams and customers.
  • Strong attention to detail and discipline for documentation, labeling, and process adherence.
  • Excellent time management and ability to prioritize tasks under operational pressure.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to gather relevant evidence and escalate appropriately.
  • Team player who collaborates across engineering, facilities and vendor partners to restore service quickly.
  • Physical stamina, reliability and professional appearance for onsite shift work and occasional after-hours response.
  • Ability to follow standardized processes and adapt to evolving playbooks and SOPs.
  • High level of accountability, ownership and initiative when resolving on-site incidents.
  • Conflict management and escalation judgment for coordinating multiple stakeholders during outages.
  • Continuous learning orientation and willingness to obtain relevant data center certifications.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or GED; vocational training in electrical, mechanical, or IT fields preferred.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate degree or Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications, or Facilities Management.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Information Technology / Computer Science
  • Electrical or Electronic Engineering
  • Facilities Management / Mechanical Engineering
  • Telecommunications
  • Network Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–5 years of hands-on data center, field service, or IT hardware experience.

Preferred: 3+ years of direct data center experience with demonstrated competency in rack-and-stack deployments, cabling, UPS/PDUs, and DCIM tools.

Certifications that strengthen a candidate's profile: CompTIA Server+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA A+, CDCP/CDCS (BICSI), Cisco CCENT/CCNA (helpful), OSHA 10/30, vendor-specific hardware certifications and fiber optic technician certificates.

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