Overview
As a Senior Critical Environment Technician (CET) - Controls SME in Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) team, you will maintain the critical infrastructure that keeps our Datacenters up and running. This could be anything from coordinating with supplier/vendors, working closely with Management to address operational, risk and safety situations, mentoring other CE Technicians, having a hands-on understanding on how critical environment equipment works, performing various types of maintenance, responding to onsite incidents while coordinating with other critical facilities professionals, and using telemetry and other platforms to monitor equipment performance and operations.
Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a CO+I Critical Environment Technician, you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's online services including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, 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 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 datacenters 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 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.
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.
In this environment, you may be asked to go on business travel to support other metros periodically, 0-25% of the time and have the ability to work 12-hour shifts, including shift assignments during non-standard business hours that may include evening, nighttime, weekends and/or holidays.
Responsibilities
Critical Environment Culture
- Understands, follows, and ensures safety and security requirements (e.g., job hazard assessments [JHAs], toolbox talks), and business processes and procedures are met, to properly perform work in a safe, quality, and reliable manner in accordance to applicable Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) regulations, and Microsoft requirements. Recognizes safe versus unsafe working conditions and responds accordingly (e.g., stop/pause tasks, stand down vendors where necessary). Escalates immediately when unsafe working conditions are observed and promotes a safe working culture to empower less experienced team members. Participates in required meetings, trainings, and necessary handoffs. Proactively assesses and shares current and emerging security threats in safety discussions and shares best practices to address or mitigate risk. Assesses and identifies appropriate resources and equipment necessary to fully support environmental health and safety (EHS) objectives. Actively maintains safe working conditions at all times. Proactively ensures safety and security requirements are followed and met for the work of themselves and others.
Equipment and Systems Maintenance
- Processes method statement of work (MSOW) documents. Coordinates activities and associated schedules with contractors. Performs inspections of equipment in a facility. Participates in testing and commissioning activities. Advises engineer partners or project management colleagues on project scope process or execution methodology. Presents for review and approval MSOW in their area of responsibility.
- Prepares and submits highly complex reports as assigned following preexisting scripts and templates, or using ad hoc methods required to support trending and analysis (e.g., Root Cause Analysis [RCA] reports) and may review prior reports delivered by less experienced team members. Develops methods of operating procedure (MOPs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), and/or digital methods of operating procedures (DMOPs) for highly complex and/or interdependent equipment and disciplines to ensure safe and reliable execution. Reviews completed work using approved tools and procedural templates from less experienced technicians for accuracy and completeness. Completes and provides coaching to support less experienced technicians for mandatory, technical, and procedural training assignments. Analyzes findings from reports and documents observations.
- Performs various types of maintenance (e.g., planned, predictive, corrective) and repairs for multiple disciplines and multiple equipment types of increasing complexity with no supervision, while serving as a subject matter expert for one discipline - in consideration of Task Hazard Analysis (THA), Method Statement of Work (MSOW), or varying permit requirements. Incorporates security governance frameworks into maintenance practices and drives continuous security improvements. Communicates and/or escalates maintenance activities per established process and procedure. Prioritizes maintenance activities as required and/or appropriate. Documents tasks or issues during maintenance activities within appropriate systems per process and procedure as needed. Provides consultation to colleagues on maintenance and repairs through deep understanding of equipment, systems and their interrelations. Follows recommended maintenance schedules. Oversees everyday, complex, large-scale tasks for a single discipline or equipment across disciplines. Ensures follow up action items are addressed in a timely manner. Masters the maintenance of all systems and equipment in a safe and professional manner and understands levels of risk (LORs) associated with varying types of maintenance across all disciplines. Plans, coordinates, and presents maintenance items for review and approval in their area of responsibility. Serves as an expert on applying security principles to ensure all systems are protected against unauthorized access during maintenance.
- Acts as a subject matter expert, performing troubleshooting independently for multiple equipment, systems, subsystems, and component types. Documents issues found in troubleshooting process within appropriate systems per process and procedure as needed. Ensures equipment and system settings are consistent with established parameters and designs. Determines when troubleshooting efforts are deemed adequate and communicates or escalates to suppliers, engineers, or more experienced colleagues as needed. Has a hands-on understanding of how equipment in all disciplines work and how to troubleshoot to subsystem level. Provides consultation to less experienced colleagues with troubleshooting systems and problems. Oversees less experienced colleagues, or directly troubleshooting systems and investigates root causes. Ensures that security incidents identified during troubleshooting are addressed promptly and escalated as necessary.
- Provides necessary escort to third-party contractors, sub-contractors, vendors, and service providers on site based on all procedure levels of risk (LOR), enforcing security requirements for all third-party access and operations. Takes part in getting third-party work underway (e.g., making sure systems are properly energized/deenergized), ensuring the work is started and completed in a safe manner in accordance with standard practices, procedures, and Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) regulations. Ensures work performed by suppliers/vendors is performed to scope, all documentation is performed correctly, and escalates as appropriate. Recognizes circumstances when to stop supplier/vendor work to address potential and/or identified concerns. Coordinates across all LOR applicable to preventative and/or corrective maintenance. Identifies and recommends procedure corrections if/when errors are detected or when appropriate. Coordinates and schedules supplier/vendor on-site activities. Coordinates with vendor to schedule maintenance and determines availability of equipment/parts, as directed. Resolves or escalates observed vendor quality issues. May review and approve vendor supplier field service reports, invoices, and work orders.
Equipment and Systems Operations
- Serves as an expert in the inspection and supervision of critical environment-related facility equipment (e.g., controls, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning [HVAC], mechanical systems), building, and grounds for unsafe or abnormal conditions. Understands critical system alarms for multiple discipline(s) of equipment, their meanings, and engages with appropriate escalation processes or procedures. Recognizes circumstances where execution would be considered safe to proceed. Performs various inspections and validations of equipment performance. Monitors the performance from central monitoring locations (e.g., Facility Operations Centers) of maintenance and operations of equipment (e.g., electrical, mechanical, fire/life safety) and understands risks or impacts to other subsystems across the data center. Escalates per applicable policies and standards. Utilizes telemetry, control systems, and other platforms to monitor site status, analyze past and current events, as well as other processes, and can identify all alarms. Uses technical expertise, prior experience, and device analytics to recognize trends with equipment behavior and checks potential issues as they arise. Advises less experienced colleagues on issues found while monitoring applicable CE systems. Performs all monitoring equipment repair, replacement, and maintenance work, which meets or exceeds Microsoft Service Level Agreement (SLA) requirements. Uses data trends to develop or produce predictive analyses of equipment performance.
- Safety and quickly responds to and leads an onsite incident response team for all abnormal conditions that impact operations, and coordinates with other critical facilities professionals to perform corrective repairs, without supervision. Gathers necessary information and creates incident timelines/data, root-cause analyses, and/or action items following an abnormal condition as required. Identifies and contacts/engages appropriate parties and security points of contact to mitigate incidents as they occur. Develops new or follows preexisting emergency operating procedures (EOPs), methods of procedure (MOPs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), and digital methods of operating procedures (DMOPs) in relation to incidents. Directly provides and/or leads and coordinates emergency monitoring response plans for irregular or malfunctioning conditions. Serves as technical expert in ensuring emergency operating procedures (EOPs) are consistent with proper incident response.
- Works on complex, advanced tasks (e.g., stabilization, resolution, recovery) independently. Serves as a subject matter expert in critical environments-related systems within the data center, advises less experienced colleagues on such topics, and provides oversight and training/mentorship to team members on tasks regarding these subsystems (e.g., electrical, mechanical, controls, generators). Serves as a resource for less experienced team members to incorporate security-first principles into daily tasks, ensuring all equipment operations prioritize identifying potential security threats and mitigating them immediately. Demonstrates an understanding of and operates equipment and systems across all disciplines (e.g., electrical, mechanical, controls) with knowledge of the interactions between them and overall operation of a data center. Operates all systems and equipment in a safe and professional manner in alignment with Microsoft standards.
- Utilizes internal computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) to track all equipment assets and to complete work order requests for maintenance work in accordance with all Microsoft security policies. Tracks hours for performed tasks within applicable task management systems. Tracks utilization and time tracking results for team members, within applicable task management systems, as needed. Guides and coaches team in CMMS usage best practices. Adds required data, documents, logs changes, and upkeeps procedures related to building management systems and reports. Properly signals spare equipment and parts utilization within maintenance work orders.
Physical Requirements
- Applies to but is not limited to US-based Data Center roles: Occasional climbing of ladders. Frequent climbing of stairs and/or ramps. Prolonged standing. Occasional lifting 50lbs / 22.5kg. Occasional push or pull 50-75 lbs / 22.5-34kg. with assistive device. Normal visual acuity (near, far and peripheral with correction), defined via standard medical terms and applicable criteria. Normal color vision for electrical work, defined via standard medical terms and applicable criteria.
Working Conditions
- Applies to but is not limited to US-based Data Center roles: Working for extended periods under elevated levels of ambient noise, heat, and light due to necessary equipment and ventilation systems.
- As indicated above, this role has a travel requirement of up to 25% which means you may be required to travel, from time to time, as part of this role.
- As indicated above, have the ability to work 12-hour shifts, including shift assignments during non-standard business hours that may include evening, nighttime, weekends and/or holidays.
Other
- Embody our culture and values
Qualifications
**Required Qualifications: **
- High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent
- 3+ years mission critical services work/applied learning experience (e.g., high availability assembly/manufacturing/critical infrastructure environments such as data centers, oil and gas refineries, hospitals, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, or related fields) OR equivalent experience.
- 1+ year(s) experience in a specialized area (e.g., mechanical field, electrical field, controls field) or related field.
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:
- Associate's Degree or technical trade certification (e.g., military, trade school), or higher-equivalent education AND 4+ years mission-critical services experience (e.g., high-availability assembly/manufacturing/critical infrastructure environments such as data centers, oil and gas refineries, hospitals, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, or related fields)
- OR High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent AND 5+ years mission critical services experience (e.g., high-availability assembly/manufacturing/critical infrastructure environments such as data centers, oil and gas refineries, hospitals, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, or related fields) OR equivalent experience.
- 3 + year(s) experience with knowledge and understanding of the critical electrical and mechanical systems of a facility (e.g. generators, Uninterruptable Power Supply [UPS] systems, static transfer systems, chillers, air handlers, controls) their interdependencies, and how they perform to support critical IT load.
- Experience leading or coordinating controls-related programs/projects within critical environments (BMS, EPMS, PLCs, automation systems).
- Ability to manage multi-vendor controls scopes, schedules, and dependencies across construction, commissioning, and live operations.
- Strong understanding of change management, configuration control, and documentation standards for controls systems.
- Proven ability to translate operational requirements into executable controls roadmaps and milestones.
Critical Environment Ops ATR-D - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $34.13 - $56.54 per hour. 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 $45.24 - $63.61 per hour.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
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.**