Datacenter Engineer

Smarttrade Technologies; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A global financial services firm is seeking a Datacenter Engineer to manage their London operations. This role involves hands-on work with datacenter operations and Linux systems administration, ensuring optimal performance in a hybrid environment. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in server hardware, networking, and scripting for automation. Competitive compensation and opportunities for professional growth are offered.

Benefits

Opportunities for travel

Qualifications

• Experience with server assembly, cabling, and maintenance.
• Strong knowledge of Linux OS internals and troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with networking protocols and monitoring tools.

Responsibilities

• Perform racking, stacking, and maintenance of servers and equipment.
• Deploy, configure, and maintain Linux servers.
• Implement monitoring systems for proactive issue detection.
• Contribute to change management and documentation.

Skills

Data center operations

Linux systems administration

Networking (TCP/IP, VLANs)

Monitoring tools

Scripting (Bash, Python)

Hardware assembly and maintenance

Analytical skills

Education

3+ years of experience in data center operations

Tools

Nagios

Zabbix

Prometheus

Ansible

Docker

VMware ESXi

Job description

Global - Infrastructure · London · Hybrid

Datacenter Engineer

smartTrade Technologies builds mission‑critical trading and connectivity platforms for global financial markets. Our low‑latency infrastructure supports real‑time services across EMEA, North America, and APAC.

We operate our own private cloud infrastructure in Equinix Datacenter with hybridization on IBM Cloud and AWS.

Position Summary

We are seeking a hands‑on Datacenter Engineer to join our Europe Operations team. You’ll be the on‑the‑ground owner for our Slough (Equinix) environment and a key contributor to our global private cloud.

The role blends datacenter operations and Linux systems administration (Ubuntu), containerized compute (LXD/LXC, some Docker) and networking.

You will partner with engineering, network, and security teams to ensure reliability, performance, and change control in a 24×7, market‑facing environment.

This is a production‑oriented role: you’ll prepare, review and execute changes, troubleshoot live issues, execute maintenance windows, and continuously improve our platform through automation and rigorous documentation.

Interaction and Hierarchy

• Reports to the Europe Operations Team Lead
• Works closely with System and Network Admins, Project & cybersecurity Teams
• Interacts with the following departments or external organizations: Technology, suppliers

Role and Responsibilities

Data Center Operations

• Perform racking, stacking, cabling, and labeling of servers, network, and storage equipment. Conduct hardware upgrades, component swaps, and replacements for disks, memory, and NICs.
• Perform fiber and copper cable cleaning, routing, and documentation to maintain reliability and performance.
• Track and manage hardware inventory, asset tagging, and lifecycle documentation.
• Coordinate RMA and vendor support for failed components and warranty claims.
• Assist with data center expansion and decommissioning projects, ensuring minimal downtime.

Server Administration

• Deploy, configure, and maintain Linux servers (Red Hat, CentOS, Ubuntu, or similar enterprise distributions).
• Manage virtualization platforms (VMware ESXi, KVM, or Proxmox) and assist with capacity planning.
• Apply patches, updates, and firmware upgrades as part of scheduled maintenance cycles.
• Support system imaging and provisioning for new hardware deployments.

Monitoring & Performance

• Implement and maintain infrastructure monitoring systems (Nagios, Zabbix, Prometheus, Observium, Dynatrace, Centreon) for proactive issue detection.
  Analyze performance metrics to identify and resolve hardware or system bottlenecks.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of deployment and monitoring processes.
• Participating in strategic planning for datacenter & infrastructure improvements.

Change Management

• Contribute to change management (runbooks, maintenance windows, rollback plans)and keep documentation current (network diagrams, inventories, SOPs).

Networking & Connectivity

• Work with network teams to troubleshoot L1–L3 issues, VLAN assignments, link failures, and firewall connectivity.
• Validate and document physical network and fiber patching maps.

Automation & Scripting

• Use scripting (Bash, Python, or Ansible) to automate hardware checks, provisioning, and maintenance tasks.

Security & Compliance

• Ensure systems meet security and compliance standards through access control, patching, and hardening.
• Support audit preparation by maintaining accurate operational documentation.

Incident Response & Support

• Perform root cause analysis and corrective actions for infrastructure incidents.

Documentation

• Maintain detailed rack diagrams, wiring maps, system configurations, and operational SOPs.
• Update change logs and records in asset management systems.

Position Requirements

• 3+ years of experience in a data center operations and Linux systems role.
• Proven hands‑on experience with server hardware assembly, cabling, and maintenance.
• Strong knowledge of Linux OS internals, troubleshooting, and system tuning.
• Familiarity with TCP/IP networking, VLANs, DNS, and DHCP.
• Experience with monitoring tools (Nagios, Zabbix, Observium, Dynatrace, OpenTelemetry, or Prometheus).
• Proficiency in Bash or Python scripting for automation.
• Good knowledge of backup, recovery, and DR procedures.
• Ability to lift and install rack‑mounted equipment (up to ~25–30kg safely).
• Comfortable working in controlled environments (raised floors, hot/cold aisles, etc.).

• Experience working in global team environments and solving problems28.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, reporting, analytical, and problem‑solving skills30.
• Strong autonomy
• High ability to adapt and anticipate
• Languages: English, French (Optional)
• Standard business hours aligned to Central European Time
• Standard week will be from Tuesday to Saturday
• Travel: 1–4 trips per month to Slough

Preferred skills

• Experience with virtualization (VMware, KVM, or Proxmox).
• Exposure to containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with GIT workflows/pipelines
• Familiarity with configuration management tools (Ansible, Puppet, or Chef).
• Knowledge of ITIL processes, ticketing systems (JIRA), and change management.

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