Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist - Rapid Response

Microsoft•San Jose, CA

5d•$84,400 - $186,600

About The Position

Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) supports the infrastructure and foundational technologies behind Microsoft’s online services. The Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist on the Rapid Response Team travels across the AMER Region to support datacenter IT hardware break-fix and deployment, and to provide escalation management at local and regional levels. The role partners with internal teams to mitigate risk, deliver operational success, and resolve complex IT-equipment investigations. It also develops standard practices and lessons learned to improve the people, processes, and tools used to sustain Microsoft Azure Cloud Services, while supporting sites and other regions as needed. The specialist performs hands-on datacenter hardware, inventory, shipping, and project work; helps ensure quality, safety, security, and data-management compliance; and coordinates with stakeholders and engineering teams to resolve issues. The role contributes to continuous learning, innovation, and improvements in operational efficiency. The stated base pay range is USD $84,400–$168,800 per year across the U.S., with a range of USD $118,800–$186,600 for the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Requirements

High school qualification or equivalent, plus at least 2 years of experience supporting IT equipment or related technology, or delivering server and network deployment projects in large-scale environments; equivalent experience is also accepted.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including passing the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.

Nice To Haves

At least 4 years of experience in a 24x7x365 production environment or related experience.
At least 4 years of experience with datacenter processes and tooling or related experience.
Technical college degree or certification in Computer Science, Math, Telecommunications, or equivalent work experience; examples include CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Server+, and CCNA.
Strong working knowledge of physical IT infrastructure, including servers, SANs, and networking.
Knowledge of physical enterprise-class IT infrastructure.
Basic knowledge of CE infrastructure, such as UPS, generators, and AHUs.
Strong problem-solving and analytical capabilities, data-analysis skills, and attention to detail.
Ability to prioritize and execute multiple tasks and projects effectively.
Advanced customer service, interpersonal awareness, and communication skills.
Ability to work autonomously when the direct manager is remote.
Strong verbal and written communication and organizational skills.
Experience working directly with customers.
Ability to support frequent standing, movement throughout the work environment, lifting, and working at heights.
Willingness to work flexible hours, non-business hours, or other schedules required by operational needs.

Responsibilities

Support deployment of on-site datacenter physical hardware.
Create and manage end-to-end project plans and ensure on-time delivery.
Communicate project progress to stakeholders and teams, and conduct project check-ins to manage delivery and quality.
Prepare, stage, set up, start, and shut down equipment such as racks, hard drives, and switches according to instructions, checklists, guides, protocols, and emails.
Install, replace, and troubleshoot cables and hardware.
Complete assigned tickets efficiently, meeting task-specific KPIs and SLAs with minimal guidance.
Conduct post-execution quality checks to verify grounding, staging, labeling, and cabling against safety protocols, deployment standards, and planned Network Design Tasks.
Partner with engineering teams on diagnostic and fault-code regression testing to identify root causes.
Replace faulty components through ticketed tasks while minimizing customer and business disruption.
Maintain accurate records of incoming and outgoing deliveries and audit datacenter equipment to ensure inventory controls are met.
Prioritize ticket queues, resolve escalations, and remove blockers to support inventory and asset activities in accordance with internal policies and SLAs.
Move equipment using pallet jacks or other assisted lifting equipment.
Handle and perform destruction of data-bearing devices, including hard drives and solid-state drives.
Perform material movement, shipping and receiving, and inventory management.
Execute organizational safety programs and policies and complete compliance knowledge assessments.
Identify risks, gaps, and opportunities, and communicate them to stakeholders and other teams to drive resolution.
Gather and share lessons learned, standard practices, and process, procedure, and tool innovations to improve efficiency and productivity.
Apply subject-area knowledge of standard processes and procedures, and review process changes to evaluate their impact.
Use advanced diagnostic and troubleshooting knowledge to identify causes of issues; follow procedures for incident reporting and decommission hardware for complex changes.
Contribute to issue tracking and client relations, collect service metrics, and maintain awareness of KPIs.
Understand cross-functional support processes and train other technicians on the job.
Promote compliance with safety procedures and follow safety, security, and data-management procedures; support a positive team environment by sharing information and responding to feedback.