Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist

Overview
In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day and we need you as a Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist - Rapid Response.

Microsoft's Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist - Rapid Response, you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services. As a group, CO+I is focused on the personal and professional development of all employees and offers trainings and opportunities including Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion trainings and events, and professional certifications.

Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 200 Data Centers in 32 countries and millions of servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.

As a Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist with the Rapid Response Team, you will travel across the AMER Region and be responsible for supporting Breakfix and Deployment of Datacenter IT hardware in addition to providing escalation management at the local and regional level. Your primary focus will be partnering with internal teams to mitigate risk, deliver operational success, and resolve complex investigations pertaining to IT equipment. By creating best practices and lessons learned during the duration of projects and initiatives, you will drive improvements to the people, processes, and tools involved in sustainment of Microsoft's Azure Cloud Service. You will help your team drive and deliver world-class support services across your sites and assist other regions as necessary. You will foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and decision-making, as well as embody the One Microsoft culture and values.

With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

Do you want to empower billions across the world? Come and join us in CO+I and be at the forefront of the action

Responsibilities
Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

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 outgoing 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, best 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.

Embody the Microsoft One culture and values.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:

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.

Experience in data center operations or mission-critical environments.

Other Requirements:

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.

Preferred Qualifications:

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.).

Strong problem-solving skills, analytical capabilities, data analysis and attention to detail.

Ability to effectively prioritize and execute multiple tasks and projects.

Excellent customer service, interpersonal awareness, and communication skills.

Ability to function autonomously as your direct manager will be remote.

Solid verbal + written communication and organization skills.

Experience working directly with customers.

Ability to support frequent standing, walking, lifting, and working at heights.

Willingness to work flexible hours, non-business hours, or other scenarios required by the flow of operations.

Data Center Operations Management IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $81,400 - $161,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $109,800 - $183,100 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until 12/18/2025.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day and we need you as a Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist - Rapid Response.

Microsoft's Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist - Rapid Response, you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services. As a group, CO+I is focused on the personal and professional development of all employees and offers trainings and opportunities including Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion trainings and events, and professional certifications.

Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 200 Data Centers in 32 countries and millions of servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.

As a Datacenter Regional Operations Specialist with the Rapid Response Team, you will travel across the AMER Region and be responsible for supporting Breakfix and Deployment of Datacenter IT hardware in addition to providing escalation management at the local and regional level. Your primary focus will be partnering with internal teams to mitigate risk, deliver operational success, and resolve complex investigations pertaining to IT equipment. By creating best practices and lessons learned during the duration of projects and initiatives, you will drive improvements to the people, processes, and tools involved in sustainment of Microsoft's Azure Cloud Service. You will help your team drive and deliver world-class support services across your sites and assist other regions as necessary. You will foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and decision-making, as well as embody the One Microsoft culture and values.

With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our datacenter design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

Do you want to empower billions across the world? Come and join us in CO+I and be at the forefront of the action

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

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 outgoing 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, best 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.

Embody the Microsoft One culture and values.

Culture | Microsoft Careers

Do what you love. Create the future you want. Explore the career options that Microsoft has to offer.

Required Qualifications:

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.

Experience in data center operations or mission-critical environments.

Other Requirements:

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.

Preferred Qualifications:

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.).

Strong problem-solving skills, analytical capabilities, data analysis and attention to detail.

Ability to effectively prioritize and execute multiple tasks and projects.

Excellent customer service, interpersonal awareness, and communication skills.

Ability to function autonomously as your direct manager will be remote.

Solid verbal + written communication and organization skills.

Experience working directly with customers.

Ability to support frequent standing, walking, lifting, and working at heights.

Willingness to work flexible hours, non-business hours, or other scenarios required by the flow of operations.

Data Center Operations Management IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $81,400 - $161,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $109,800 - $183,100 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

Data Center Operations Management IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $81,400 - $161,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $109,800 - $183,100 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about
requesting accommodations.