Senior Data Center Specialist - Shift Lead

STACK Infrastructure; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

STACK Infrastructure is seeking a Senior Data Center Specialist - Shift Lead to act as the most senior on-shift technical authority within a 24/7 Critical Operations team. You will lead a team of technicians, monitor real-time plant health, and guide incident response to protect critical infrastructure across electrical, mechanical and life-safety systems.

As the on-shift leader, you will provide expert diagnostics, ensure safety and reliability, and coordinate with engineers, vendors and

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Data Centres or comparable Mission Critical facilities.
• Demonstrated expertise operating and monitoring critical power and cooling systems.
• Strong knowledge of UPS, generators, switchgear, PDUs/PMMs, ATS/STS, CRAC/CRAH, FWU/CDU, chilled water, pumps and fire systems.
• Strong experience inspecting, triaging and stabilising critical plant during abnormal conditions.
• Experience reviewing MOPs, SOPs, EOPs, risk assessments, switching plans and commissioning documentation.
• Ability to interpret single-line diagrams, network diagrams, automation logic and OEM manuals.

Responsibilities

• Lead the on-shift team and provide advanced technical oversight of critical plant.
• Maintain real-time awareness of electrical, mechanical and controls systems through BMS/EPMS and field observations.
• Act as the senior technical escalation point for technicians.
• Provide real-time guidance, diagnostic support and risk evaluation during operational events.
• Lead or support first-response incident actions including stabilisation, containment and technical communication.
• Coordinate vendors during shift and verify correct system configuration following maintenance.
• Review risk assessments, switching plans, permits and return-to-service documentation.

Skills

Leadership

Incident response

Risk management

BMS/EPMS monitoring

Troubleshooting

Operational excellence

Team mentoring

Tools

BMS/EPMS systems

CMMS

Job description

What if your next role put you in the driver’s seat on shift, leading the technical team that protects a Mission Critical Data Centre?

Summary/Objective

The Senior Data Center Specialist - Shift Lead (SDCS Shift Lead) is the most senior on-shift technical authority and shift lead within the 24/7 Critical Operations team. This role leads a team of Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians, providing deep technical expertise, operational assurance, leadership in incident response and oversight of plant stability across all electrical, mechanical, controls and life-safety systems.

The SDCS Shift Lead applies high-level technical judgement, disciplined risk management, real-time plant monitoring and structured fault response. The role leads and validates the quality of work completed by Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians, enforces authorised operating boundaries and ensures critical infrastructure is operated safely, accurately and consistently.

The SDCS Shift Lead acts as the on-shift team lead and senior technical point of contact for the Critical Operations Supervisors, Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians, providing high-quality escalation context, analysis and operational recommendations.

This role directly supports STACK’s commitment to 100% uptime and a concierge-level customer service experience, ensuring risk is proactively managed, planned works are executed safely, and customer communications are clear, timely and professional.

Key Responsibilities

As the senior technical authority on shift, you’ll combine advanced technical capability with team leadership to maintain safe, stable and reliable operation across STACK’s critical infrastructure.

You’ll:

• Lead the on-shift team and provide advanced technical oversight of critical plant.
• Maintain real-time awareness of electrical, mechanical and controls systems through BMS/EPMS and field observations.
• Act as the senior technical escalation point for Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians.
• Provide real-time guidance, diagnostic support and risk evaluation during operational events.
• Lead or support first-response incident actions, including stabilisation, containment and technical communication.
• Perform advanced diagnostics across telemetry, protection responses, redundancy changes and thermal behaviours.
• Verify operational readiness following maintenance, resets, system changes and commissioning activities.
• Provide technical direction during planned maintenance, shutdowns, functional testing and energisation activities.
• Review risk assessments, switching plans, permits, isolations/LOTO and return-to-service documentation within authorised scope.
• Conduct enhanced rounds focused on redundancy, automation, generator/UPS coordination, thermal stability and plant performance.
• Coordinate vendors during shift and verify correct system configuration following maintenance.
• Identify recurring faults, capacity constraints, systemic risks and design issues and escal… appropriately.
• Improve SOPs, MOPs, EOPs, shift logs, CMMS data quality, handovers and alarm-handling processes.
• Support reliability investigations, post-event reviews and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Represent Critical Operations during customer visits, tours, audits and technical discussions.

This role provides advanced operational expertise, oversight and technical authority. It does not perform licensed electrical, mechanical or refrigeration work. All trade-restricted work is completed by appropriately licensed personnel or specialist contractors.

What You’ll Bring

You’ll be a technically strong and confident operational leader who can make sound decisions under pressure, communicate clearly and guide others through complex Mission Critical events.

Your experience may come from Data Centres or other Mission Critical environments, including utilities, hospitals, Defence or industrial facilities.

You’ll bring:

• Extensive experience in Data Centres or comparable Mission Critical facilities.
• Demonstrated expertise operating and monitoring critical power and cooling systems.
• Strong knowledge of UPS, generators, switchgear, PDUs/PMMs, ATS/STS, CRAC/CRAH, FWU/CDU, chilled water, pumps, controls and fire systems.
• Strong experience inspecting, triaging and stabilising critical plant during abnormal conditions.
• Experience reviewing MOPs, SOPs, EOPs, risk assessments, switching plans and commissioning documentation.
• Ability to interpret single-line diagrams, network diagrams, automation logic, chilled-water schematics and OEM manuals.
• Strong knowledge of permit-to-work processes, isolations/LOTO and operational risk frameworks.
• Proficiency with BMS/EPMS, CMMS and operational data platforms.
• Strong coaching and technical mentoring capability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for incidents, reporting and customer briefings.
• A calm, authoritative presence during alarms, escalations and operational events.
• Strong coordination skills across technicians, vendors, Security, Projects and Facilities.
• A continuous improvement mindset focused on safety, reliability and operational excellence.
• Ability to meet site authorisation, onboarding, safety and compliance requirements.
• Physical capability to perform inspections, rounds and emergency response tasks.
• Legal entitlement to work in Australia and ability to meet Data Centre security requirements.
• Availability to work a rotating 24/7 shift roster, including nights, weekends and public holidays.

Work Environment / Conditions

The role supports a 24/7 rotating shift environment, including nights, weekends and public holidays as operationally required.

Work occurs across Data Halls, plant rooms, electrical/mechanical spaces and external plant areas, with PPE required under site policy.

Participation in emergency response, readiness exercises and incident management activities is required.

Minimal travel is expected, although occasional travel between local STACK facilities may be required based on operational needs.

Equal Opportunity Employer

STACK provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, redundancy, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.