Overview

As a Microsoft Senior Data Center Technician (DCT), you will demonstrate expertise in standard processes and procedures for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and/or decommissioning equipment, as well as a holistic understanding of the functions of, and interactions between, network and server equipment. You will provide input for suggested modifications to these processes and procedures as needed to improve service quality and efficiency while providing guidance to other technicians.

Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a CO+I DCT, you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, One Drive, and the Microsoft Azure platform. As a group, CO+I is focused on the personal and professional development of all employees and offers training and growth opportunities including Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion training 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.

With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our data center 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.

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.

Responsibilities

Datacenter Operations

• Demonstrates expertise in and participates in providing guidance on standard processes and procedures related to preparing, installing, diagnosing, troubleshooting, replacing, and/or decommissioning datacenter IT technologies and equipment, while proactively prioritizing security considerations. Maintains expertise in the functions of, and participates in providing guidance on the interactions between cabling infrastructure, network, server, and storage equipment.
• Provides guidance to other technicians on changes to processes and procedures. Reviews Process Change Notifications (PCNs) and proactively shares relevant information to promote efficient workflows and evaluate the impact on task execution, in order to identify and mitigate the effects that changes within their work area may have on others. Asks questions when required information is missing, responds to others’ questions in a timely manner, and may provide feedback to direct-line management regarding process changes. Coaches others on incorporating security requirements into feedback and process changes, ensuring compliance with industry standards and best practices.
• Efficiently completes assigned tickets independently in alignment with applicable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based on task type. Provides guidance and/or assists less experienced technicians with complex tickets or tasks, and appropriately escalates difficult or complex tickets to internal partners as needed. May temporarily coordinate and assign tasks to other technicians (e.g., in the absence of direct-line management or automated ticket assignment), providing direction as needed to ensure appropriate workload distribution and KPI adherence per task type.
• Complies with Data Center business unit policies, procedures, and deadlines with support from experienced technicians and/or direct-line management, while maintaining audit readiness. Escalates compliance or operational assurance issues to direct-line management. Identifies potential operational security vulnerabilities, escalates them promptly, and implements best practices.

Datacenter Work Environment:

• Fosters a positive and effective team environment by sharing information and best practices with other shifts and technician teams, assisting as needed with cross-disciplinary collaboration, and staying informed of the status of others’ work to respond to questions related to work-window adjustments, internal partner inquiries, and team needs. Partners with other shifts to ensure smooth transitions and effective handoffs of ticketed work. Provides, solicits, and encourages feedback on ways to improve team effectiveness and efficiency, and adopts best practices shared within and across shifts or technician teams. Proactively shares security-related learnings, resources, and best practices across teams.
• May conduct, assist with, or participate in daily safety briefings. Completes required Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) training, provides guidance to other technicians to ensure compliance with safety procedures (e.g., equipment use, lifting, electrical hazards, ladder or rolling stair use), completes required Task Hazard Analyses (THAs), and uses appropriate tools and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for assigned tasks. Adheres to and promotes a culture of safety by proactively alerting others to safety concerns, near-misses, and/or incidents. Participates in regular proactive safety observation reporting processes and systems.
• Completes required security and data management training while complying with applicable procedures and policies, with guidance from direct-line management. May escort third-party vendors or IT support personnel on-site at datacenters or network locations, ensuring compliance with third-party access and operational security requirements. Takes appropriate action and reports physical security access concerns and/or incidents to direct-line management or through established reporting mechanisms.

Service Management

• Completes required training aligned with assigned job focus areas and workload (e.g., Break Fix, Deployment, Simple Change, Decommission, IT Critical Environment) in a timely manner per direct-line management assignments. Actively mentors and supports the training of other technicians through on-the-job training (OJT) and direct guidance in specific job focus areas. May complete additional or supplemental training to obtain or maintain relevant technical or industry certifications.
• Maintains awareness of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through dashboards and reporting systems to support monthly individual performance discussions as needed.
• Escalates and/or seeks guidance from experienced technicians or direct-line management regarding client interactions.
• Develops a comprehensive understanding of cross-functional datacenter processes to support partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.

Physical Requirements:

• Applies primarily to U.S.-based datacenter roles: occasional ladder climbing; frequent stair and/or ramp climbing; prolonged standing; occasional lifting of up to 50 lbs / 22.5 kg; occasional pushing or pulling of 50–75 lbs / 22.5–34 kg with an assistive device. Normal visual acuity (near, far, and peripheral, with correction) as defined by standard medical criteria. Normal color vision required for electrical work, as defined by standard medical criteria.

Service Delivery

• Provides guidance to less experienced technicians and develops/uses effective execution order strategies for assigned tasks. Prepares, stages, installs, and performs basic startup and shutdown procedures for hardware (e.g., racks, hard drives, switches) according to specific written instructions (checklists, guides, standard processes, emails), while mentoring less experienced technicians, with management direction as needed. May perform tasks in tandem with other technicians to meet procedural and safety requirements. Ensures all tasks align with security principles, configurations, and controls.
• Follows procedures to immediately communicate, report, and escalate datacenter-related technical, safety, or security incidents to direct-line management. Participates in bridge calls to provide incident status updates and executes on-site follow-up actions as directed. Applies learnings to help improve service quality and support.
• Applies advanced diagnostic and troubleshooting expertise and/or standard procedures to quickly and efficiently identify root causes of technical issues and replace faulty components in network, storage, or server equipment with zero-to-minimal customer or business impact. Maintains heightened awareness of conditions or scenarios that may significantly impact customers or datacenter operations and immediately escalates observations of imminent risks or potential incidents.
• Performs discrete quality control and assessment activities on work completed by other technicians, ensuring compliance with standards and processes. Regularly performs post-execution verification of grounding, staging, labeling, and cabling to align with safety protocols, deployment standards, and planned Network Design Templates (NDTs). Identifies deployment standard or NDT errors and escalates them to relevant technicians, specialists, or internal partners to coordinate corrections.
• Directly performs decommissions, simple changes (e.g., memory upgrades, OS rebuilds), complex changes (e.g., full rack upgrades), and infrastructure refreshes for cabling, network, storage, and server equipment, following standard procedures with minimal-to-no supervision. Processes and verifies compliance with standards and procedures for the destruction of Data-Bearing Devices (DBDs) and/or confirms that all such devices (e.g., hard drives, SSDs, flash cards) contained within equipment have been identified for eradication or destruction. May execute work as defined by organizational standards and project timelines, with guidance from direct-line management and appropriate stakeholder notification. Ensures end-to-end DBD management in accordance with security protocols and regulations.

Working Conditions

• Applies primarily to U.S.-based datacenter roles: working for extended periods in environments with elevated ambient noise, heat, and lighting due to equipment and ventilation systems.
• Ability to work 12-hour shifts, including non-standard schedules that may include evenings, nights, weekends, and/or holidays.
• As outlined in the job description, this role may require up to 25% business travel, meaning occasional travel may be required as part of this position.

Other

• Embodies our culture and values.

Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent and basic knowledge of computer hardware and components AND 2+ years experience supporting IT equipment or related technology OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

• This role requires the ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements. 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.
• Reliability Status screening: This position requires that the successful candidate obtain and maintain a Reliability Status security screening with the Government of Canada. Microsoft will work with individuals on a case-by-case basis to determine if the requisite screening can be obtained within required timelines.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Associate's degree in Computer Science or related field and/or equivalent work experience AND 5+ years experience supporting IT equipment or related technology OR equivalent experience.
• 2+ years experience working in a production, mission-critical 24x7x365 datacenter environment.
• Applicable certifications: ASICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA (A+, Server+, Network+), Basic Structure Cabling (BSC), Data Center Foundation Certification (DCFC), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Vendor-Specific Network Certifications.

Find additional pay information here:

Canada Pay Information | Microsoft Careers

Microsoft will accept applications and processes offers for these roles on an ongoing basis.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

Data Center Technicians ATR-D - The typical base pay range for this role across Canada is CAD $72,400 - CAD $114,200 per year.

Find additional pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/canada-pay-information.html

Data Center Technicians ATR-D - L'échelle salariale de base typique pour ce rôle dans l'ensemble du Canada est de 72,400 $ CAD à 114,200 $ CAD par année.

Pour plus d'information au sujet de la rémunération, veuillez cliquer ici:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/canada-pay-information.html

Ce poste sera ouvert pendant au moins cinq jours et les candidatures seront acceptées de façon continue jusqu’à ce que le poste soit pourvu.

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

Microsoft est un employeur offrant l’égalité d’accès à l’emploi. Tous les candidats qualifiés seront pris en considération pour l’emploi, sans égard à l’âge, à l’ascendance, à la citoyenneté, à la couleur, aux congés médicaux ou familiaux, à l’identité ou à l’expression de genre, aux renseignements génétiques, à l’état d’immigration, à l’état matrimonial, à l’état de santé, à l’origine nationale, à un éventuel handicap physique ou mental, à l’affiliation politique, au statut de vétéran protégé ou au statut militaire, à la race, à l’ethnie, à la religion, au sexe (y compris la grossesse), à l’orientation sexuelle ou à toute autre caractéristique protégée par les lois, ordonnances et règlements locaux applicables. Si vous avez besoin d’aide avec des accommodements religieux et/ou d’un accommodement raisonnable en raison d’un handicap pendant le processus de candidature, apprenez-en plus sur la demande d’accommodement.

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.