Data Center Operations Team Lead

The Data Center Operations Team Lead serves as the onsite working leader responsible for the daily execution, coordination, and quality of data center operations activities within a large-scale AI and accelerated computing environment. This role provides leadership and support to Data Center Technicians and Network Technicians, ensuring shift-level readiness, technical execution, and adherence to established procedures.

Reporting to the Data Center Operations Manager, the Team Lead acts as the primary point of daily coordination between technician-level staff and site leadership. The role is accountable for shift performance, technical escalation management, deployment support, and personnel development, while ensuring operational priorities set by the Site Lead are translated into effective daily execution.

This position requires a hands-on technical leader capable of directing technician teams through deployment, break-fix, and incident activities within a mission-critical, customer-facing environment.

How You Will Make an Impact:

Team Leadership & Shift Operations

• Lead and coordinate daily activities of Data Center Technicians and provide operational coordination support to Network Technicians.
• Assign work, prioritize tasks, and balance customer requests, project activities, and maintenance requirements across the shift.
• Maintain shift schedules and ensure adequate staffing and coverage for 24x7 operational requirements.
• Conduct shift handoffs to ensure continuity of open work, incidents, and priorities.
• Establish and reinforce a culture of safety, accountability, and technical discipline within the team.

Technical Escalation & Support

• Serve as the primary technical escalation point for Data Center Technicians and Network Technicians on shift.
• Provide hands-on technical guidance for advanced diagnostics, break-fix procedures, and deployment activities when needed.
• Escalate unresolved technical issues, resource gaps, or operational risks to the Site Lead in a timely manner.
• Support technical decision-making during hardware incidents, network issues, and deployment activities.

Customer & Site Lead Coordination

• Provide prompt, concise daily communication to the Site Lead on shift performance, open issues, and shortages that could impact service levels.
• Support execution of customer-directed priorities communicated by the Site Lead.
• Participate in operational reviews, shift briefings, and readiness discussions as required.
• Represent the team''''s operational status accurately in reporting to site leadership.

Deployment, Commissioning & Expansion Support

• Coordinate technician and network technician support for new deployments, site expansions, and infrastructure turnover activities.
• Validate deployment quality against rack elevations, port maps, and customer specifications prior to sign-off.
• Support commissioning activities, operational acceptance testing, and readiness reviews.
• Ensure staffing, tooling, and inventory are in place ahead of scheduled deployment work.

Asset & Inventory Management

• Oversee day-to-day inventory accuracy, chain-of-custody practices, and asset handling within the shift.
• Coordinate RMA workflows and ensure documentation and reconciliation are completed accurately.
• Monitor spare parts levels and flag replenishment needs to the Site Lead.
• Support monthly cycle counts, variance tracking, and root cause follow-up.

Incident Response & Operational Support

• Lead shift-level response to operational incidents, outages, and service disruptions.
• Coordinate technician and network technician activities during major incident response and restoration efforts.
• Ensure timely escalation and clear communication of critical events to the Site Lead.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective action follow-through after incidents.

Team Development & Mentorship

• Coach, mentor, and support the technical development of Data Center Technicians and coordinate development needs with Network Technician leadership.
• Support onboarding, training, and qualification programs for new and existing personnel.
• Identify skill gaps and growth opportunities within the team and communicate these to the Site Lead.
• Promote adherence to technical standards, SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs.

Documentation & Quality Assurance

• Maintain accurate shift records covering diagnostics, repairs, deployments, and incident activity.
• Review technician and network technician documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Support audit readiness and compliance with customer quality and documentation standards.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of procedures and work instructions.

Safety, Security & Compliance

• Ensure the team adheres to all site safety, security, and operational procedures.
• Champion Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) practices and safe work behaviors on shift.
• Ensure compliance with physical security requirements and customer access policies.
• Participate in audits, inspections, and compliance reviews as needed.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience supporting data center operations, hardware deployment, or infrastructure support environments.
• Minimum 2 years of experience in a lead, supervisory, or informal leadership capacity within a technical operations environment.
• Strong understanding of hardware diagnostics, deployment procedures, and technical escalation processes.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate technical teams and manage competing operational priorities.
• Experience working within 24x7 mission-critical operational environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience supporting hyperscale, AI, HPC, cloud, or enterprise data center environments.
• Experience coordinating across both compute/technician and network technician functions.
• Familiarity with liquid-cooled computing environments and high-density rack architectures.
• Working knowledge of structured cabling, fiber optics, and physical-layer networking concepts.
• Experience with asset management, inventory control, and RMA processes.
• Vendor or data center certifications preferred (e.g., CDCT, BICSI, or equivalent).
• Experience supporting deployment, commissioning, or site expansion activities.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods within active data center environments.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or move equipment weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to work in confined spaces, elevated locations, and rack environments.
• Ability to work in hot aisle/cold aisle environments and varying operational conditions.
• Ability to participate in on-call and after-hours support as required.

Work Environment

This position operates within a mission-critical data center environment supporting advanced AI and accelerated computing infrastructure. The role requires close coordination with Data Center Technicians, Network Technicians, and the Site Lead to ensure consistent shift execution, technical escalation coverage, and operational readiness in a 24x7 environment.