As a Senior Data Center Technician (SDCT), 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 as needed 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 SDCT, 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. As a group, CO+I is focused on the personal and professional development of all employees and offers training and growth opportunities including Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion training and events, and professional certifications.

Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 200 Data Centers in 32 countries and millions of servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.

With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our data center design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

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

Data Center Operations

• Demonstrates 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; develops an awareness of Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Foundation protocols; may suggest modifications to process and procedures as needed to improve service quality and/or efficiency; provides guidance to other technicians on processes and procedures.
• Proactively shares relevant information to enable efficient workflow and reviews process changes to evaluate impact on service execution and mitigate the impact that changes to their area of work will have on others; asks questions when they do not have required information and resolves others' questions in a timely manner.
• Ensures compliance with Data Center Services (DCS) business unit and service-level policies, procedures, and deadlines; exercises judgment and discretion to provide input on service level and improvement plan components; escalates resolution of compliance issues to technician leads.
• Completes assigned tickets efficiently and in alignment with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) per task type while meeting or exceeding established Service Level Agreements (SLAs); coordinates and assigns tasks to other technicians and provides direction as needed to ensure work is appropriately prioritized and meets KPI and SLA targets; appropriately escalates issues related to tickets to internal business/property groups; may assign tasks to technicians using Labor Coordination System (LCS).
  
  

Service Delivery

• Delegates hardware installation, deployment, and/or replacement work to technicians; prepares, stages, sets up, and performs startups and shutdowns (e.g., racks, hard drives, switches) according to specific instructions provided via checklists, guides, standard protocols, and emails; performs quality control and takes responsibility for work performed by technicians; may suggest modifications to processes as needed to meet SLAs and shares suggestions with Technician Leads; assists and provides guidance to technicians to complete challenging or complex tasks and escalates issues as needed; may perform tasks in tandem with other technicians to comply with procedures and safety protocols.
• Ensures that technicians are performing post-execution quality checks and verifying that grounding, staging, labeling, and cabling are set up in compliance with safety protocols, deployment standards, and planned Network Design Tasks (NDTs); may identify errors in deployment standards or NDTs and escalates with engineering and/or relevant specialists to coordinate corrections as needed.
• Applies advanced diagnostic and troubleshooting expertise to quickly identify the cause(s) of issues; quickly identifies the cause(s) of issues, and assigns tasks and provides guidance to technicians on their team to replace faulty components with minimal customer and business disruption; provides guidance to technicians troubleshooting issues to meet or exceed established Service Level Agreements (SLAs); escalates issues with significant customer or business impact to appropriate experts and stakeholders.
• Follows procedures to communicate, report, and escalate incidents to appropriate Microsoft data center operations management units, and Technician Leads; participates in bridge calls to provide details on incident status and executes on-site follow-up actions as directed if necessary; may leverage learnings to contribute to the improvement of quality of service and support.
• Decommissions hardware for complex changes and/or systems with complex interactions (e.g., upgrading entire racks) following standard procedures; provides guidance and responds to questions and escalations from technicians to ensure they are informed on answers and solutions; ensures quality execution as defined by organizational standards, coordinates downtime, and keeps relevant stakeholders informed of work status to minimize downstream rework; verifies security compliance for decommissions and processes data-bearing devices for destruction.
  
  

Managing Services

• Exercises judgment and discretion to contribute to issue tracking, follow-up, resolution, the overall quality of the service; provides guidance to less experienced technicians around client interaction.
• Maintains an awareness of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through dashboards and/or monthly performance discussions.
• Demonstrates understanding of cross-functional processes to support partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Trains and mentors technicians through on-the-job training (OJT) and by providing direct guidance on specific tasks (e.g., deployments, break/fix); may complete additional training to obtain or maintain relevant role certifications.
  
  

Data Center Work Environment

• Attends, conducts, or assists in conducting daily safety briefings, completes required safety training, provides guidance to technicians to facilitate compliance with safety procedures (e.g., equipment use, lifting, electrical hazards, ladder/rolling stair use), completes required Task Hazard Analysis (THAs), and uses appropriate tools and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for assigned tasks; promotes a culture of safety and empowers technicians to take action, speak up, and report safety concerns and/or incidents; participates in Get Out And Look (GOAL) safety observations.
• Complies with security and data management procedures and policies and completes required security training; may escort third party vendors or IT support on-premises at data centers or network sites; appropriately takes action and alerts others to security concerns and/or incidents.
• Reinforces a positive and effective team environment by sharing information and best practices with others, driving regular team meetings and cross-discipline collaboration, staying apprised of the status of others' work to respond to questions from customers and other team members, and partnering with other technicians to complete and/or hand off tickets as needed; provides and responds to constructive feedback on ways to work more effectively and inclusively within the team.
• Coordinates, delegates task, and provides guidance to technicians within an assigned shift to support execution of assigned work by established service and operational level agreements (SLA/OLAs).
  
  

Ownership

• Has pride and a sense of accountability for the service quality, completeness, and resulting user experience; displays accountability and ownership of the data center facilities; ensures high quality hand-offs of work to other technicians as needed.
• Learns the client’s business and maintains a client focus to understand the impact of their work when completing tickets and assigned tasks.
  
  

Other

• Embody our culture and values.
  
  

Qualifications

Required/ Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent and basic knowledge of computer hardware and components AND 2+ years’ experience supporting IT equipment or related technology.
• Ability to work 12-hour shifts, including shift assignments during non-standard business hours that may include evening, nighttime, weekends and/or holidays, including 7 pm - 7 am shifts on Wednesday through Sunday.
  
  

Other Requirements

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
• This position requires verification of U.S. citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local United States government agency customers and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, citizenship will be verified via a valid passport.
  
  

Preferred/ Additional Qualifications

• Associate degree in computer science or other field and/or equivalent work experience.
• 3+ years’ experience supporting IT equipment or related technology.
• 2+ years’ experience working in a production, mission-critical 24x7x365 data center environment.
• Applicable certifications: ASICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA (A+, Server+, Network+), Basic Structure Cabling (BSC), Data Center Foundation Certification (DCFC), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Vendor-Specific Network Certifications.
  
  

The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $31.49 - $54.76 per hour. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $43.37 - $60.96 per hour.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.