Data Center Operations Production Specialist

Rackspace Technology • US-VA-IAD3, VA

1d • $73,336 - $107,522 • Onsite

About The Position

The Data Center Operations Production Specialist ensures IT infrastructure in the data center is configured and deployed to specification and brought online in a timely manner. The role supports customer configurations through hardware and software installation, operating system administration, network and storage deployment, troubleshooting, and customer communication. It also serves as a technical escalation point for DCOPS Technician I personnel and coordinates onboarding and training for team members.

The position is based in Ashburn, Virginia, with a stated Tuesday–Friday first-shift schedule of 7 a.m.–6 p.m. EST (four 10-hour days). The requirements also call for flexible scheduling and 24x7x365 coverage, including holidays and weekends, and occasional travel of 2–4 weeks per year.

The role requires maintaining quality and process standards, investigating customer incidents and risks using root cause analysis, supporting global alignment through process and knowledge-base reviews, and keeping work areas clean and organized. Compensation ranges from $73,336.00 to $107,521.70 per year depending on geographic market, with pay also based on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The compensation package may include annual bonus or incentive opportunities, equity awards, and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• At least 2 years of experience working in a data center environment or an equivalent technology background required.
• At least 2 years of experience, or demonstrated familiarity, building, repairing, or upgrading hardware components required.
• Experience with Dell PowerEdge and HP ProLiant rack server hardware required.
• Experience with Cisco ASA and ASA-X series firewalls, F5 BigIP and Brocade ADX series load balancers, and Alert Logic IDS required.
• Experience with Cisco Catalyst 2900, 4900, and 6500 and Nexus series switches, and ASR series routers required.
• Experience with Dell PowerVault DAS, NetApp and EMC Isilon NAS systems, and EMC VMAX and VNX SAN systems required.
• Ability to prepare and deliver technical training sessions for data center staff.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule and provide 24x7x365 coverage, including holidays and weekends.
• Ability to prioritize work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment and resolve escalated issues and events.
• Experience leading root cause analysis investigations.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, proficient typing, and professional phone etiquette.
• Proficiency with productivity software including Microsoft Office and Open Office, as well as email client software.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds overhead.
• Reliable transportation and willingness to travel occasionally, approximately 2–4 weeks per year.
• Ability to demonstrate excellent verbal and non-verbal communication, anticipate issues and solutions, take the lead when needed, solicit feedback, proactively solve problems, and make rational decisions under pressure.

Nice To Haves

• University or college degree preferred.
• At least 1 year as a Rackspace employee preferred.
• At least 2 years of experience in a customer-service-oriented position preferred.
• Industry-recognized certifications in operating systems, networking, security, and/or storage technologies preferred.

Responsibilities

• Use custom management software and internal ticketing systems to provide customer support.
• Assign physical locations and IP addresses for simple customer configurations, and assign locations and request IPs for complex configurations.
• Use custom software to optimize data center space and power utilization.
• Install customer configurations, including hardware modifications, operating systems, devices in cabinets, and required cabling.
• Build functioning servers using x86-based hardware and install supported operating systems, including Microsoft Windows Server, Red Hat Enterprise Server, Ubuntu Linux, and VMware ESX Server.
• Configure operating-system storage requirements, including file systems, disk management, and RAID technologies.
• Administer operating systems and troubleshoot configuration files, permissions, login, password, and connectivity issues.
• Configure LAN connectivity and remote access using SSH, Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services, and remote access controllers.
• Configure and deploy network hardware, including routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and security appliances.
• Configure and deploy shared and dedicated SAN, DAS, and NAS storage devices.
• Communicate technical information about customer configurations concisely and professionally.
• Understand how electrical, HVAC, and redundant infrastructure systems relate to the overall data center environment.
• Follow company security, health and safety, and local governing policies and procedures.
• Serve as the primary technical escalation point for DCOPS Technician I personnel.
• Coordinate onboarding and training for new DCOPS personnel.
• Maintain 5S and housekeeping practices and keep areas of responsibility clean and organized.
• Use Rackspace software tools to complete work, including globally across data centers when required.
• Complete customer builds and hardware troubleshooting accurately and before specified delivery dates, following build instructions and avoiding rework.
• Install and terminate copper and fiber cabling to high functional and aesthetic standards.
• Investigate customer incidents and potential risks using root cause analysis and resolve technical events accurately and promptly.
• Quality-control production and provisioning activities in accordance with published policy and process.
• Conduct customer interactions in a manner that delights customers.
• Complete process and policy sign-offs and team training by specified due dates.
• Review process and policy documentation in the knowledge base for accuracy and relevance, and assist with knowledge-base formatting.
• Prepare and deliver technical training sessions for data center staff.
• Prioritize work in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, including escalated issues and events.
• Occasionally travel, estimated at 2–4 weeks per year.

Benefits

• Annual bonus or incentive opportunities may be included in the compensation package.
• Equity awards may be included in the compensation package.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED