Principal Data Center Operator I

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Description

Independently responsibility for one or more data centers, leading performance analyses across key operational areas and proactively monitoring facility health to implement significant enhancements. Drives process improvements by partnering across functions and regions, leads on-the-ground teams in incident resolution, manages escalated technical issues, and utilizes advanced automation and monitoring tools to mitigate risks. Maintains an up-to-date knowledge base, executes incident management protocols, and conducts root cause analysis to improve operations. Oversees new region builds and expansions, serves as the main liaison for expansion projects, and provides oversight for installations, repairs, inventory, and logistics—directing component upgrades and infrastructure changes to optimize data center efficiency and stability.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities
Data Center Site Portfolio Management:

-Independently responsibility for at least one and occasionally multiple Data Centers.
Performance Monitoring and Analysis:
-Leads performance trend analyses related to capacity, temperature, availability, cleanliness, and other aspects. Identifies significant patterns, and suggests operational improvements.
-Proactively monitors facility health at all times (power, cooling, security) and develops and implements major enhancements.
-Partners across functions and regions to identify, measure, and improve processes in alignment with industry best practices (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma), lead significant improvement projects, and ensure alignment with strategic objectives.

Issue Management and Automation:
-Leads the on-the-ground resources to resolve incidents and performs accurate communication on execution.

-Oversees and provides support for escalated complex technical issues.
-Triages and/or escalates issues, and implements advanced automation, scheduling, and monitoring tools to mitigate potential problems effectively.
-Identifies, documents, and validates issues, processes, and solutions, ensuring the data center knowledge base is comprehensive and up-to-date.
-Prepares for, and when needed executes incident or crisis management protocols in alignment with business continuity plans.
-Performs Root Cause Analysis (RCA) following crises or incidents, and updates documentation to capture process improvements.

Data Center Expansion Support:
-Leads and oversees new region builds and expansion activities, both onsite and remotely.
-Acts as primary liaison with project teams and data center engineering, ensuring all timelines and capacity needs are strategically managed for expansion projects and site builds.
-Collaborates closely with project teams on critical aspects of expansion projects and site builds to deliver high standards.

Installation and Maintenance:
-Provides oversight for installations, repairs, inventory management, and logistics tasks.
-Directs efforts to replace and upgrade components.
-Advises on high-level purchases or upgrades for data centers and oversees implementation.
-Leads planning and execution of rack deployments, installations, and network physical infrastructure upgrades/changes.
-Ensures proactive maintenance of the Data Center facility with regard to efficiency and stability (e.g. containment, air flow & pressure, power trains).
Core Responsibilities
Planning & Execution:
-Manages and coordinates moderately complex tasks, monitoring timelines and deliverables to ensure timely completion and adherence to requirements for a moderately-sized project or initiative. Efficiently delegates, monitors, and prioritizes work across multiple projects, providing technical oversight and adjusting plans to address shifts in resources or timelines.
Collaboration & Partnership:
-Collaborates across the organization to align on expectations and achieve shared objectives. Leverages understanding of business leaders, stakeholders, and/or customers to ensure proposed solutions meet their needs. Supports inclusivity by actively seeking and listening to diverse perspectives, ensuring others feel heard and respected.
Problem Solving:
-Identifies and addresses moderately complex issues by analyzing a wide range of data and/or information to identify solutions in accordance with standard practices. Proactively escalates unresolved or critical issues with a thorough assessment and suggests potential solutions. Reviews, contributes to, and documents problem solving strategies.
Continuous Learning:
-Pursues learning opportunities to expand knowledge and skills and/or tools in new areas and stays abreast of the latest industry trends and best practices. Proactively seeks and leverages ongoing feedback and training to improve skills. Coaches and mentors junior team members, fostering continuous learning and knowledge sharing within and across teams.
Continuous Improvement:
-Develops ideas, recommends updates, and/or collaborates on the implementation of process improvements to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processes, protocols, and workflows across teams, and evaluates the impact on key stakeholders. Solicits feedback from others on ideas for alternative approaches and methods for continued improvement.
Performance and Development:
-Contributes to the talent development pipeline by participating in candidate interviews, assessing candidates, and providing hiring recommendations.

Qualifications
Minimum Job Qualifications
Education and/or Experience:

11 years of experience in IT infrastructure support, server administration, or data center operations, design, and layout

OR

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field AND 7 years of experience in IT infrastructure support, server administration, or data center operations, design, and layout

OR

Master's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field AND 5 years of experience in IT infrastructure support, server administration, or data center operations, design, and layout

OR

Doctorate in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field AND 3 years of experience in IT infrastructure support, server administration, or data center operations, design, and layout.

Job Skills:

Data Center Equipment: Demonstrated experience in installation, maintenance, and upgrades of data center physical equipment.

Data Center Operations: Demonstrated ability to perform on-site IT infrastructure support within a data center environment.

Troubleshooting: Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues across multiple technology domains.

Root Cause Analysis: Demonstrated ability to conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective action plans.

Preferred Job Qualifications
Education and/or Experience:

11 years of experience in IT infrastructure support, server administration, or data center operations, design, and layout

OR

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field AND 7 years of experience in IT infrastructure support, server administration, or data center operations, design, and layout

OR

Master's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field AND 5 years of experience in IT infrastructure support, server administration, or data center operations, design, and layout

OR

Doctorate in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, or related field AND 3 years of experience in IT infrastructure support, server administration, or data center operations, design, and layout.

Additional Experience:

Data Center or Cloud Industry Certifications.