Data Center Operations Specialist Principal

Type of Requisition:

Regular

Clearance Level Must Currently Possess:

Top Secret/SCI

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain:

Top Secret/SCI

Public Trust/Other Required:

None

Job Family:

IT Infrastructure and Operations

Job Qualifications:

Skills:

Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM), Data Center Operations, Enterprise IT

Certifications:

CompTIA Security+ CE | CompTIA - CompTIA

Experience:

5 + years of related experience

US Citizenship Required:

Yes

Job Description:

Data Center Operations Technician is responsible for the installation, configuration, maintenance, troubleshooting, and decommissioning of data center infrastructure, including bare-metal servers, storage systems, and network switches. This role ensures the reliability, availability, and operational readiness of critical infrastructure while providing technical expertise, proactive problem-solving, and clear communication to internal stakeholders.

The ideal candidate combines strong hands-on technical skills with the ability to identify risks, remove roadblocks, recommend solutions, and act as a trusted advisor for infrastructure-related initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Infrastructure Deployment & Installation

• Rack, stack, cable, and deploy servers, storage arrays, network switches, and supporting infrastructure.

• Install and configure bare-metal systems according to documented hardware and networking requirements and documenting anything new in the environment.

• Perform hardware validation, burn-in testing, and deployment verification.

• Configure network connectivity, VLAN assignments, IP addressing, and port mappings as directed by engineering standards.

• Maintain accurate asset inventory and rack elevation documentation.

Hardware Lifecycle Management

• Execute hardware refreshes, upgrades, migrations, and decommissioning activities.

• Ensure proper sanitization, removal, disposal, or return of retired equipment according to cyber, organization, and company policy.

• Track asset movement and maintain accurate inventory records throughout the hardware lifecycle.

• Coordinate equipment receiving, staging, deployment, and retirement processes.

Troubleshooting & Incident Response

• Diagnose and resolve server, storage, networking, and cable issues.

• Perform root cause analysis for hardware failures and operational incidents.

• Replace failed components including drives, memory, CPUs, power supplies, NICs, and other field-replaceable units.

• Escalate complex issues appropriately while maintaining ownership through resolution.

• Participate in incident response and maintenance activities to minimize service disruption.

Operation Excellence

• Follow and improve standard operating procedures (SOPs), installation guides, and operation runbooks.

• Ensure all work is performed according to quality, safety, and change management processes.

• Identify opportunities to improve deployment efficiency, operational reliability, and documentation accuracy.

• Support capacity planning, hardware audits, and infrastructure optimization initiatives.

Technical Advisory & Continuous Improvement

• Serve as a subject matter expert for data center hardware deployment and operational best practices.

• Provide recommendations regarding infrastructure design, deployment methodologies, hardware standards, and operational processes.

• Advise leadership and engineering teams on potential risks, dependencies, and infrastructure readiness.

• Communicate project status, risks, roadblocks, and mitigation plan clearly and professionally.

• Collaborate with engineering, network, systems, facilities, and project management teams.

• Provide timely updates during deployment, incidents, and maintenance activities.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED

Bring your technology expertise and drive for innovation to GDIT. The IT Operations Manager must have:
● Education: Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science
● Experience: 5+ years of related experience
● Technical skills: Experience installing, configuring, and decommissioning bare-metal servers, storage systems, and network devices. Strong understanding of data center cabling standards and rack layout best practices. Familiarity with TCP