Lead Data Center NOC Engineer

Job description

**This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Lead Data Center NOC Engineer based in the United States.** This role provides technical leadership and operational ownership across modular, edge, and distributed data center environments. You will serve as a senior technical escalation point, guiding NOC operations and supporting the reliability of critical infrastructure. The position combines hands-on troubleshooting across power, cooling, networking, and monitoring systems with incident leadership and team mentorship. You will own complex incidents from detection through resolution while driving root cause analysis and continuous reliability improvements. The role also offers significant influence over operational processes, runbooks, automation, alerting, and change management practices. You will collaborate closely with Engineering, Product, and cross-functional teams in a fast-moving infrastructure environment. The position is ideal for an experienced NOC or data center professional who thrives on technical ownership, operational excellence, and solving complex infrastructure challenges. ### Accountabilities - Act as the senior technical lead on shift, providing guidance and support to L1 NOC technicians and serving as the primary escalation point for incidents until resolution or handoff to L3 Engineering. - Lead shift handovers, operational prioritization, incident decision-making, and cross-functional incident bridges. - Mentor and coach junior NOC team members and contribute to onboarding and technical development. - Serve as Incident Commander for medium- and high-severity incidents, owning the full incident lifecycle from detection, triage, mitigation, communication, and resolution through post-incident follow-up. - Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for recurring issues while continuously improving mean time to resolution and overall operational reliability. - Monitor and troubleshoot physical data center infrastructure using PLC, BMS, and DCIM platforms, including UPS, PDUs, generators, CRAC/CRAH systems, and related MEP infrastructure. - Support modular, containerized, micro data center, and distributed edge deployments while coordinating maintenance activities and remote-hands support. - Monitor and troubleshoot switches, routers, firewalls, and edge connectivity, performing L2/L3 troubleshooting across VLANs, IP addressing, MTU, routing, optics, link status, and redundancy paths. - Troubleshoot VPNs and secure remote access solutions, escalating architecture and design-level issues to Network Engineering when appropriate. - Use observability and ITSM platforms such as Grafana, Zenduty, ServiceNow, Jira, and SolarWinds to monitor systems, manage incidents, and improve operational visibility. - Own and maintain runbooks, SOPs, escalation procedures, dashboards, and alerting practices while reducing unnecessary alert noise. - Support automation, reporting, audits, compliance requests, change planning, post-change validation, and continuous improvement initiatives. - Partner with Engineering and Product teams to identify operational gaps and improve infrastructure reliability, scalability, and support processes. **Requirements** - 7+ years of experience in NOC, data center, infrastructure, or related technical operations environments. - Demonstrated experience leading technical incidents, operational shifts, or infrastructure support teams. - Strong hands-on experience with DCIM and BMS platforms, including technologies such as Distech, Schneider, or RadixIOT. - Advanced L2/L3 networking troubleshooting skills, including VLANs, IP addressing, MTU, routing fundamentals, switching, firewalls, optics, and connectivity. - Solid understanding of data center power, cooling, environmental monitoring, and critical infrastructure systems. - Ability to interpret electrical one-line diagrams, network diagrams, and related infrastructure documentation. - Strong incident management, troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and technical decision-making skills. - Comfortable working shifts and participating in on-call rotations to support critical infrastructure and incident response. - Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, leadership, and cross-functional stakeholders. - Demonstrated ability to mentor team members, prioritize competing operational demands, and make sound decisions in high-pressure situations. - Experience with edge or remote connectivity technologies such as VSAT, LTE/5G, or Starlink is preferred. - Familiarity with Linux and Windows server environments is beneficial. - Basic scripting experience with Python, Bash, or PowerShell is a plus. - Certifications such as CCNA, JNCIA, CDCTP, CDCP, or equivalent are preferred. - Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, growth mindset, ownership, adaptability, and a results-oriented approach. **Benefits** - Competitive annual base salary based on geographic pay tier: - Tier 1 markets such as San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, and Seattle: $144,715–$180,890. - Tier 2 markets covering most U.S. metropolitan areas: $125,840–$157,300. - Tier 3 markets covering other U.S. cities: $119,548–$149,435. - Additional equity compensation. - Subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance. - Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), and Dependent Care FSA (DCFSA) options. - Retirement plan options, including 401(k) and Roth 401(k). - Unlimited paid time off. - 14 paid company holidays per year. - Remote work opportunities across the United States, with the Greater Seattle Area strongly preferred. - Opportunities to work on innovative modular, edge, and distributed data center infrastructure. - A collaborative, fast-paced environment offering significant technical ownership and opportunities to influence operational practices and infrastructure reliability.