Datacenter Administrator

OTAVA LLC; Ann Arbor (MI); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Health insurance

Generous PTO

Volunteer time off

Job summary

OTAVA is seeking a Data Center Administrator to support, maintain, troubleshoot, and optimize our data center infrastructure. You will provide hands-on technical support across servers, networking, power, and cabling while ensuring reliable, secure, and highly available environments.

Responsibilities include daily operational support, monitoring critical infrastructure, and on-site deployments. 2+ years data center experience and certifications like CCNA or Network+ are a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in computer science, IT, engineering, or related field.
• 2+ years in data center operations, infrastructure support, or similar.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily operational support and monitoring across OTAVA’s data center environments.
• Rack, stack, cable, troubleshoot, replace, and decommission servers and network hardware.
• Install and maintain copper and fiber connectivity, cable management, and grounding.
• Troubleshoot hardware/network incidents per SLAs and coordinate repairs.
• Assist on-site deployments and vendor coordination for power, network, and cabling.
• Maintain accurate ticket updates and documentation.

Skills

Server hardware

Network hardware

TCP/IP networking

Linux/Windows Server

Scripting: Python/PowerShell

Customer service

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / IT / Engineering

Tools

CCNA

Network+

CompTIA Server+

Linux+

ITIL

Job description

The Data Center Administrator is responsible for supporting, maintaining, troubleshooting, and optimizing OTAVA’s data center infrastructure and operations. This role provides hands‑on technical support across server, network, power, cabling, and physical infrastructure while working closely with clients and internal teams to maintain reliable, secure, and highly available data center environments. The ideal candidate brings hands‑on data center experience, strong infrastructure and troubleshooting skills, and a passion for delivering exceptional technical support and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily operational support and monitoring across OTAVA’s data center environments
• Perform daily data center walkthroughs and monitor critical infrastructure, environmental conditions, alarms, access control, and security systems
• Provide smart‑hands remote and on‑site support for OTAVA clients and internal teams
• Rack, stack, cable, troubleshoot, replace, and decommission servers, network switches, routers, power distribution devices, and related data center hardware
• Install and maintain copper and fiber connectivity, equipment grounding, cable management, and other infrastructure required for data center operations
• Perform local and network‑based hardware administration and coordinate repair or replacement of server and network hardware
• Diagnose, troubleshoot, resolve, and escalat hardware and network‑related incidents through established support processes and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
• Support server and equipment decommissioning activities, including secure data wiping and removal of End‑of‑Life (EOL) equipment
• Assist in maintaining 100% critical system uptime and promptly respond to and escalat infrastructure alarms, risks, and issues
• Support on‑site deployment of new clients and infrastructure, including coordination with vendors for power, network, rack, cage, and cabling installations
• Collaborate with Network, Systems, NOC, Deployment Engineering, and Data Center Operations teams on incidents, maintenance, migrations, and client deployments
• Maintain accurate ticket updates, inventory records, troubleshooting documentation, and operational procedures
• Participate in scheduled maintenance windows and on‑call or after‑hours support activities as required
• Deliver exceptional customer service while supporting enterprise clients
• Perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned

Experience

• 2+ years of experience in data center operations, infrastructure support, systems administration, networking, or a related technical environment preferred
• Hands‑on experience installing, troubleshooting, maintaining, and decommissioning server and network hardware
• Experience with rack‑and‑stack activities, structured cabling, copper and fiber connectivity, cable management, and power distribution
• Hands‑on experience with enterprise server hardware such as Dell, HPE, or similar platforms preferred
• Experience working within ticketing systems and established incident, change, and escalation processes
• Experience supporting customer‑facing or managed services environments preferred
• Familiarity with compliance‑driven environments such as SOC 2, HIPAA, and PCI is a plus

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Strong understanding of server and network hardware and data center infrastructure

Working knowledge of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, VLANs, VPNs, and common networking concepts

Working knowledge of Linux and/or Windows Server environments

Ability to troubleshoot hardware, connectivity, cabling, power, and basic network issues

Familiarity with RAID, SAN/storage technologies, x86 architecture, and enterprise server platforms

Understanding of structured cabling, copper and fiber connectivity, and cable management best practices

Understanding of data center infrastructure including UPS systems, generators, PDUs, HVAC/cooling, environmental monitoring, access control, and physical security systems

Basic scripting or automation experience with Python, PowerShell, Bash, or similar tools is a plus

Ability to diagnose and resolve technical issues in a production data center environment

Excellent customer service and communication skills

Ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences

Strong troubleshooting, analytical, organizational, and documentation skills

Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across technical teams

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, related field or equivalent experience in data center operations, infrastructure support, systems administration, networking, or a related technical role.

Certifications

• One or more relevant industry recognized certifications such as CCNA, Network+, CompTIA Server+, Linux+, ITIL, or similar certifications are a plus

What We Offer:

Competitive base salary ( $70 – 90K depending on experience and certifications ) plus bonus, 401(k) match, health insurance, generous PTO, paid volunteer time off, and working with world‑class co‑workers who are just as dedicated and as awesome as you are.

What about Otava?

At Otava, we are people empowering people to enable growth. We are excited for you to join us!
As a global leader in secure, compliant, enterprise‑class cloud hosting, we deliver a full range of solutions from colocation to private and hybrid cloud computing. We’re creative thinkers who love to serve others, automate where possible, and change when required. Above all, we love to help our clients. We aim for superior client service in everything we do and strive to get even better.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.