Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist - Rapid Response

Microsoft•Des Moines, IA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

In alignment with Microsoft values, this role is crucial for cultivating an inclusive work environment and positively impacting culture. Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) powers our cloud services, and as a Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist – Rapid Response, you will be instrumental in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services. CO+I is dedicated to employee personal and professional development, offering opportunities like Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion trainings, and professional certifications. Our global infrastructure spans over 200 Data Centers in 32 countries, supporting more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses worldwide. As part of the Rapid Response Team, you will travel across the AMER Region, supporting Breakfix and Deployment of Datacenter IT hardware, and managing escalations at local and regional levels. Your primary focus will be collaborating with internal teams to mitigate risk, ensure operational success, and resolve complex IT equipment investigations. By developing practices and documenting lessons learned, you will drive improvements in people, processes, and tools for sustaining Microsoft’s Azure Cloud Service. You will contribute to world-class support services across sites and assist other regions as needed, fostering a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and decision-making, embodying the One Microsoft culture. With a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability and optimization in our datacenter design and operations, we continuously adapt to meet evolving business demands as a world-class cloud provider. Join us in CO+I to empower billions globally and be at the forefront of innovation.

Requirements

High School Qualification or equivalent AND 2+ years experience supporting IT equipment or related technology or delivering server and network deployment projects in large-scale environments OR equivalent experience
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.

Nice To Haves

4+ Years’ experience in a 24x7x365 production environment or related experience.
4+ Years’ experience in datacenter processes and tooling or related experience.
Technical College degree or certification in Computer Science, Math, Telecommunications, or equivalent work experience. (e.g. CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Server+, CCNA)
Solid working knowledge of physical IT infrastructures (e.g., Servers, SANs, Networking, etc.).
Knowledge of physical Enterprise-class IT infrastructures.
Basic knowledge of CE infrastructures (e.g. UPS, Generator, AHU, etc.).
Data Center Operations Management IC3

Responsibilities

Support deployment of on-site datacenter physical hardware.
Create and manage end-to-end project plans and ensure on time delivery.
Communicate end-to-end project progress with stakeholders and teams.
Perform day-to-day project check-in and update to manage project delivery and quality.
Prepare, stage, set up, and perform startups and shutdowns (e.g., racks, hard drives, switches) according to specific instructions provided via checklists, guides, standard protocols, and emails.
Install, replace, and troubleshoot cables and hardware.
Complete assigned tickets efficiently and in alignment with expectations for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) per task type while meeting or exceeding established Service Level Agreements (SLAs), with minimal guidance.
Perform post-execution quality checks and verify that grounding, staging, labeling, and cabling are set up properly according to safety protocols, deployment standards, and planned Network Design Tasks (NDTs).
Partner with engineering teams to perform diagnostic and fault code regression testing to quickly identify the root cause(s) of issues.
Complete ticketed tasks to replace faulty components with minimal customer and business disruption.
Maintain accurate documentation of incoming and out going deliveries.
Perform regular audits of datacenter equipment to ensure inventory controls are met.
Perform tactical management tasks such as prioritizing ticketing queues, resolving escalations, and clearing blocking issues to enable continued delivery of Inventory and Asset activities in accordance with Microsoft’s internal policies and service level agreements.
Movement of equipment using pallet jacks or other assisted lifting equipment.
Handle and perform destruction of data bearing devices (ex. Hard drives, solid state drives, etc.).
Perform material movement, including shipping/receiving and inventory management.
Perform and execute organization’s safety programs and policies, and compliance knowledge assessments.
Identify risks, gaps, and opportunities and communicate to stakeholders and other teams to drive resolution.
Gather and provide feedback on lessons learned, practices, and innovations on process/procedures and tools to improve efficiencies and productivity.
Demonstrate expertise in standard processes and procedures, and review process changes to evaluate their impact.
Apply advanced diagnostic and troubleshooting expertise to quickly identify the causes of issues.
Follow procedures to communicate and report any incidents and decommission hardware for complex changes.
Contribute to issue tracking and client relations, help collect service metrics, and maintain an awareness of key performance indicators.
Demonstrate an understanding of cross-functional support processes, and train other technicians while on the job.
Facilitate compliance with safety procedures while following all safety, security, and data management procedures yourself.
Reinforce a positive team environment by sharing information and responding to feedback.