Data Center Operations Team Lead

Company Overview

Milestone Technologies is a global IT managed services firm that partners with organizations to scale their technology, infrastructure and services to drive specific business outcomes such as digital transformation, innovation, and operational agility. Milestone is focused on building an employee-first, performance-based culture and for over 25 years, we have a demonstrated history of supporting category-defining enterprise clients that are growing ahead of the market. The company specializes in providing solutions across Application Services and Consulting, Digital Product Engineering, Digital Workplace Services, Private Cloud Services, AI/Automation, and ServiceNow. Milestone culture is built to provide a collaborative, inclusive environment that supports employees and empowers them to reach their full potential.

Our seasoned professionals deliver services based on Milestone's best practices and service delivery framework. By leveraging our vast knowledge base to execute initiatives, we deliver both short-term and long-term value to our clients and apply continuous service improvement to deliver transformational benefits to IT. With Intelligent Automation, Milestone helps businesses further accelerate their IT transformation. The result is a sharper focus on business objectives and a dramatic improvement in employee productivity. Through our key technology partnerships and our people-first approach, Milestone continues to deliver industry-leading innovation to our clients. With more than 3,000 employees serving over 200 companies worldwide, we are following our mission of revolutionizing the way IT is deployed.

Job Overview

The Data Center Operations Team Lead serves as the onsite working leader responsible for the daily execution, coordination, and quality of data center operations activities within a large-scale AI and accelerated computing environment. This role provides leadership and support to Data Center Technicians and Network Technicians, ensuring shift-level readiness, technical execution, and adherence to established procedures.

Reporting to the Data Center Operations Manager / Site Lead, the Team Lead acts as the primary point of daily coordination between technician-level staff and site leadership. The role is accountable for shift performance, technical escalation management, deployment support, and personnel development, while ensuring operational priorities set by the Site Lead are translated into effective daily execution.

This position requires a hands-on technical leader capable of directing technician teams through deployment, break-fix, and incident activities within a mission-critical, customer-facing environment.

How You Will Make an Impact

Team Leadership & Shift Operations

• Lead and coordinate daily activities of Data Center Technicians and provide operational coordination support to Network Technicians.
• Assign work, prioritize tasks, and balance customer requests, project activities, and maintenance requirements across the shift.
• Maintain shift schedules and ensure adequate staffing and coverage for 24x7 operational requirements.
• Conduct shift handoffs to ensure continuity of open work, incidents, and priorities.
• Establish and reinforce a culture of safety, accountability, and technical discipline within the team.

Technical Escalation & Support

• Serve as the primary technical escalation point for Data Center Technicians and Network Technicians on shift.
• Provide hands-on technical guidance for advanced diagnostics, break-fix procedures, and deployment activities when needed.
• Escalate unresolved technical issues, resource gaps, or operational risks to the Site Lead in a timely manner.
• Support technical decision-making during hardware incidents, network issues, and deployment activities.

Customer & Site Lead Coordination

• Provide prompt, concise daily communication to the Site Lead on shift performance, open issues, and shortages that could impact service levels.
• Support execution of customer-directed priorities communicated by the Site Lead.
• Participate in operational reviews, shift briefings, and readiness discussions as required.
• Represent the team's operational status accurately in reporting to site leadership.

Deployment, Commissioning & Expansion Support

• Coordinate technician and network technician support for new deployments, site expansions, and infrastructure turnover activities.
• Validate deployment quality against rack elevations, port maps, and customer specifications prior to sign-off.
• Support commissioning activities, operational acceptance testing, and readiness reviews.
• Ensure staffing, tooling, and inventory are in place ahead of scheduled deployment work.

Asset & Inventory Management

• Oversee day-to-day inventory accuracy, chain-of-custody practices, and asset handling within the shift.
• Coordinate RMA workflows and ensure documentation and reconciliation are completed accurately.
• Monitor spare parts levels and flag replenishment needs to the Site Lead.
• Support monthly cycle counts, variance tracking, and root cause follow-up.

Incident Response & Operational Support

• Lead shift-level response to operational incidents, outages, and service disruptions.
• Coordinate technician and network technician activities during major incident response and restoration efforts.
• Ensure timely escalation and clear communication of critical events to the Site Lead.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective action follow-through after incidents.

Team Development & Mentorship

• Coach, mentor, and support the technical development of Data Center Technicians and coordinate development needs with Network Technician leadership.
• Support onboarding, training, and qualification programs for new and existing personnel.
• Identify skill gaps and growth opportunities within the team and communicate these to the Site Lead.
• Promote adherence to technical standards, SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs.

Documentation & Quality Assurance

• Maintain accurate shift records covering diagnostics, repairs, deployments, and incident activity.
• Review technician and network technician documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Support audit readiness and compliance with customer quality and documentation standards.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of procedures and work instructions.

Safety, Security & Compliance

• Ensure the team adheres to all site safety, security, and operational procedures.
• Champion Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) practices and safe work behaviors on shift.
• Ensure compliance with physical security requirements and customer access policies.
• Participate in audits, inspections, and compliance reviews as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience supporting data center operations, hardware deployment, or infrastructure support environments.
• 2+ years of experience in a lead, supervisory, or informal leadership capacity within a technical operations environment.
• Strong understanding of hardware diagnostics, deployment procedures, and technical escalation processes.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate technical teams and manage competing operational priorities.
• Experience working within 24x7 mission-critical operational environments.
• Current valid driver's license
• Ability to pass Motor Vehicle Records check

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting hyperscale, AI, HPC, cloud, or enterprise data center environments.
• Experience coordinating across both compute/technician and network technician functions.
• Familiarity with liquid-cooled computing environments and high-density rack architectures.
• Working knowledge of structured cabling, fiber optics, and physical-layer networking concepts.
• Experience with asset management, inventory control, and RMA processes.
• Vendor or data center certifications preferred (e.g., CDCT, BICSI, or equivalent).
• Experience supporting deployment, commissioning, or site expansion activities.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to safely lift, push, pull, and move items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Walk, squat, and climb for extended periods of time.
• Ability to work in environments that may include areas reaching temperatures of 90+ degrees Fahrenheit at times.
• Travel required up to 25%.
• Valid REAL ID or other federally accepted identification for U.S. travel.
• Reliable transportation for moving between locations on campus.
• Ability to work overtime and/or weekends if necessary.
• Ability to use power and non-power hand tools.
• Ability to work comfortably in a loud, noisy environment.
• Ability to wear appropriate PPE as required.

Work Environment

This position operates within a mission-critical data center environment supporting advanced AI and accelerated computing infrastructure. The role requires close coordination with Data Center Technicians, Network Technicians, and the Site Lead to ensure consistent shift execution, technical escalation coverage, and operational readiness in a 24x7 environment.

This position is designated for Export Control Screening (ECS) and may require access to hardware, software, technology, technical data, facilities, systems, or customer environments subject to U.S. export control laws, including the EAR and, where applicable, the ITAR. Following an offer, the selected candidate must complete Milestone Technologies' Export Control Compliance Verification Form and certification and provide any requested supporting documentation. Any assignment or continued access to controlled items is contingent upon the company's determination that the individual is legally authorized to receive such access or that any required government authorization can be obtained. This review is conducted solely for export-control compliance purposes and is separate from Form I-9 employment eligibility verification.

Compensation

Estimated Pay Range: $27.66 - $50.25 USD

Exact compensation and offers of employment are dependent on circumstances of each case and will be determined based on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, licenses or certifications, and location.

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

At Milestone we strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve and work with, where we all feel empowered to bring our full, authentic selves to work. We know creating a diverse and inclusive culture that champions equity and belonging is not only the right thing to do for our employees but is also critical to our continued success.

Milestone Technologies provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, national origin, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law, or local ordinance. Milestone also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled applicants and employees.

We welcome the unique background, culture, experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression and perspectives you can bring to our global community. Our recruitment team is looking forward to meeting you.