Data Center Technician Manager

Microsoft•Charlotte, NC

About The Position

As a Microsoft Data Center Technician (DCT) Manager, you lead and develop a team of technicians responsible for hardware deployments, diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacement, and decommissioning. You provide technical guidance, allocate and monitor work, review performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and help improve service quality and operational efficiency. The role supports Microsoft Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I), which delivers the infrastructure behind services including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, and Microsoft Azure. CO+I operates a global portfolio of more than 200 data centers in 32 countries and supports services used by customers and businesses worldwide. The organization emphasizes employee development, inclusion, and environmental sustainability in its data center design and operations. You will oversee operational compliance, ticket execution, technician training, scheduling, safety and security practices, incident response, and service delivery. This includes coordinating with internal and external stakeholders, reviewing process changes, supporting projects and pilots, and helping ensure data-bearing devices are properly identified for eradication or destruction. The role involves working in a data center environment with elevated ambient noise, heat, and light, and may require travel to other locations. Work may include 12-hour shifts during non-standard hours, including evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Microsoft does not provide visa sponsorship for this role; candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship.

Requirements

High school diploma, GED, or equivalent, and basic knowledge of computer hardware and components.
At least 3 years of experience supporting IT equipment or related technology, or experience working with technical teams.
At least 1 year of experience directing, supervising, or managing others.
Ability to work 12-hour shifts, including non-standard hours that may include evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
Authorization to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
At least 4 years of experience supporting IT equipment or related technology.
At least 3 years of experience in a production, mission-critical 24x7x365 data center environment.
Applicable certifications such as ITIL Foundation, ASICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA A+, Server+, or Network+, Basic Structure Cabling (BSC), Certified Data Center Professional (CDCP), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), or Six Sigma Green Belt.
At least 2 years of experience leading a diverse technical or IT workforce of up to ten employees.

Responsibilities

Provide technical guidance on preparing, installing, diagnosing, troubleshooting, replacing, and decommissioning data center technology and equipment.
Guide technicians on the functions and interactions of cabling infrastructure, network, server, and storage equipment.
Hold technicians accountable for compliance with data center policies, procedures, deadlines, and operational assurance requirements; address compliance issues and contribute to improvement plans.
Coordinate and assign technician tasks, monitor ticket progress, adjust allocations, and support efficient delivery against task-specific KPIs and SLAs.
Escalate challenging tickets to internal business partners and summarize issues for direct-line management.
Analyze technician ticket performance, share findings with management, and provide feedback to technicians to improve performance.
Review process changes and Process Change Notifications (PCNs), assess impacts on service execution, and communicate relevant information to stakeholders.
Promote an effective team environment through meetings, cross-discipline collaboration, shift coordination, feedback, and adoption of best practices.
Conduct or participate in safety briefings and committees; ensure completion of Environmental & Health Safety training and compliance with safety procedures, Task Hazard Analyses, and required personal protective equipment.
Ensure technicians complete security and data management training and comply with security procedures; enforce physical access policies and report, investigate, and escalate access concerns or violations.
Manage service escalations and client-technician interactions, track follow-up and resolution, and partner with stakeholders to mitigate risks to people, resources, performance, and compliance.
Identify and assign required technical and personnel-management training, validate completion, and advise technicians about relevant certifications.
Review team KPIs and business intelligence indicators, share feedback, and communicate lessons to direct-line management.
Engage designated responsible individuals and appropriate stakeholders for data center technical or safety incidents; participate in bridge calls and complete on-site follow-up actions as directed.
Coordinate training packages and guide technicians on execution order, tools, and supplies for infrastructure installation, deployment, upgrade, refresh, simple change, decommission, and replacement work.
Investigate causes of missed ticket KPIs and take corrective action.
Verify compliance with data-bearing device destruction standards and ensure applicable devices are identified for eradication or destruction.
Create technician shift schedules, coordinate project timelines, notify stakeholders, avoid schedule conflicts, and manage assigned projects or programs against service delivery objectives.
Participate in pilot programs and task forces as directed, and coordinate feasible technical solutions while accounting for operational requirements and procedures.
Evaluate quality-check procedures, perform post-execution verification of grounding, staging, labeling, and cabling as needed, and correct noncompliance with safety protocols, deployment standards, and Network Design Templates (NDTs).
Identify errors in deployment standards or NDTs and coordinate corrections with internal partners, technologists, or subject matter experts.
Evaluate diagnostic and troubleshooting processes and suggest improvements.
Maintain awareness of conditions that could significantly affect customers or the business and promptly escalate imminent incident risks.
Model Microsoft’s culture and values and deliver success through empowerment, accountability, coaching, and care.