Data Centre Team Leader

Onnec; Greater London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Onnec Group is seeking a Data Centre Team Leader to manage and support client data centre cabling infrastructure, server hardware, and physical security controls. You will lead a 4+ person local team on rotated 24/7 shifts, ensuring precise execution of MAC activities and BAU tasks while coordinating with the Data Centre Manager and Service Delivery Manager.

The role emphasizes proactive monitoring, incident response, and asset management within a banking IT environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in banking IT or mission-critical data centres is highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of MAC (Moves Adds & Changes) workflows and server/hardware deployment.
• Proven ability to test, patch, and document cabling and connectivity changes.

Responsibilities

• Lead a 4+ engineers team across 24/7 shifts in data centre operations.
• Coordinate provisioning, testing, and handover of server deployments and patch panels.
• Manage change records and approvals for physical and logical changes.
• Monitor and report on data centre health, incidents, and asset lifecycle.

Skills

Structured cabling

Data Centre operations

Change management

Asset management

Ticketing systems

MS Office

Tools

ServiceNow

Job description

ONNEC Group are a leading independent technology partner and global integrator, with over 30 years experience, and a 800+ team of global experts, specialising in providing end-to-end connectivity solutions that propel organisations everywhere.

From structured cabling to managed services, our end-to-end services give infrastructure that can be completely replied on. Design. Build. Deploy. Optimise. We offer a complete solution for business connectivity.

The Data Centre Team Leader is a key position in managing and providing support for our Client’s Data Centre cabling infrastructure, its server and network hardware environment and physical security controls. Reporting to the Local Data Centre Manager, the Data Centre Team Leader will be site based and be responsible for the delivery of Moves, Adds and Changes (MAC) work and Business As Usual (BAU) works at a client Data Centre (In certain circumstance this may be multiple Data Centres and/or may include some Campus locations). The role is focused on the coordination and management of a team of 4+ local DC operations engineers working on rotated 24/7 shifts, as well as assisting in remote management for the wider DC Ops staff in conjunction with the peer team lead. The Data Centre Team Leader assists with the planning and smooth implementation of the day-to-day activities for all DC Ops engineering works. Working with the client, Service Delivery Manager and Data Centre Manager to improve the operational systems, processes, and procedures in support of enhanced service deliverables and management reporting.

What you’ll be doing as our Data Centre Team Leader:

Device provisioning and change execution:

• Building equipment racks, copper & fibre patching, SFP module installations and complete hardware installations for new server deployments, ensuring adherence to documented procedures.
• Connectivity testing for all installations (end-device patching)
• Change record ownership for new installs and server move activities.
• Assist with all facets of build process including shipping and receiving, identification of incompatibility and work around solutions.
• Assisting in routine changes using the IDRAC / MGMT port for some changes (IP's, gateway, ports, etc.) and server relocations within and across the data centres
• Swap out small, racked network devices
• Decommissions & disposals:
• Approve change record for phase 1 (cool off) & 2 (physical) changes.
• Remove equipment to secure store area.
• Arrange and manage asset disposal process as documented in central system.

Break/ fix & monitoring:

• Responding to break/fix incidents
• Assist in maintenance and monitoring of data centre systems to include incidents/events, problems, changes, monitoring, problem escalation/notification/resolution and all other aspects of support.
• Continual monitoring of data centre support queues and then troubleshooting and diagnosing hardware problems
• Performing daily date centre health checks
• Perform date centre walkthroughs verifying alerts for PDUs, HVACs and RPPs as well as for any server ambers lights and reporting any finds to technical support.
• Raise incident tickets, where applicable
• Records and reporting

Inventory of cabling materials for provision - reported to DC Manager:

• Capacity reporting and available cab count.
• Inventory of data centre spares (memory, SFP, network cards etc) for hardware support and change works updated on central repository.
• IT asset management, to include database record entries and updates (ServiceNow)
• Raising asset lifecycle tickets for BAU installations/decommissions
• Schedule tape rotation process and managing delivery/collection of new/used tapes (liaising with Production support)

Third party chaperone

• Raising access via COLO portal
• Raising access requests and liaising with Security team with activate/deactivate access cards.
• Raising access, Smart hands, trouble tickets, delivery/collection requests via the COLO portal and tracking requests to completion.

What we’re looking for in our Data Centre Team Leader:

Essential

• Relevant experience working in banking IT environment.
• Relevant experience working in a Data Centre Moves Adds and Changes environment (IT Hardware deployment).
• Extensive knowledge/ experience in structured cabling installation, fault finding and testing with fluke test equipment.
• Thorough knowledge of structured cabling standards and cable types (FTP,UTP & Optical Fibre)
• Excellent MS Office Suite experience (Outlook, Excel, Word etc)
• Self-starter, organised, detailed-oriented and ability to work independently as well as part of a team.
• Prioritisation skills and multitasking ability.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Expert knowledge of Asset Management Systems
• Expert knowledge of Ticketing Systems
• Expert understanding of complex change management and service delivery processes.
• Ability to mentor and train new starters on all systems, processes, and procedures.
• Ability to approve / sign off training modules.
• Ability to lead / supervise shift activities.
• Ability to lead / supervise special projects from design through to handover.
• Experienced Service Delivery professional.
• Support in a large-scale and diverse environment of incident management, escalation procedures and project delivery disciplines.
• Supervisory of people and management skills.
• Experience of managing 3rd parties and 3rd party delivered services
• Satisfactory Skills Matrix score
• Be an ambassador for Onnec Group Managed Services, working across the business to provide effective
• communication and build relationships with other teams to ensure effective dialogue and cooperation between departments.
• COMPTIA Server+
• COMPTIA Network+

Preferred But Not Essential

• Previous training / qualifications within Information Technology field.
• BICSI Technician Training
• Certified Data Centre Technician Professional (CDCTP®)
• Cisco Certified Network Associate - Data Center (CCNA DCICN DCICT)
• Certified Data Centre Management Professional (CDCMP®)
• Information Technology Infrastructure Library - Foundation & Expert (ITIL®)