Director, Data Center Services

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) in New York City is seeking a Director, Data Center Services to lead data center operations in a 24/7 environment. You will manage server farms, DMZs, load balancers, and BOMs while ensuring SLAs and uptime across multiple facilities.

The role requires extensive experience in data center management, security, budgeting, and cross-functional leadership. Residency requirements apply for NYC-based employment and the position offers full-time civil

Qualifications

• A baccalaureate degree in a related field and four years of relevant experience in telecom or electronics.
• Alternate: associate degree with five years of specialized experience as described.
• Must have high school diploma or equivalent and related executive/management experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage server farm, DMZ, and load balancer devices end-to-end and meet SLAs.
• Create budget documents and BOMs for tech refreshes and upgrades.
• Maintain multi-year device upgrade lists and supervise staff.
• Lead 1:1s and team meetings to improve group functions.
• Provide escalation support and staff training on issues.
• Oversee data center facilities for capacity, power, and uptime.
• Enforce security standards and conduct compliance audits.
• Coordinate maintenance with facilities and vendors; plan DR operations.

Skills

Server lifecycle management

Budget planning

Data center security

Team leadership

POC deployment

Education

Bachelor's degree in telecommunications or related field

Associate degree + 5 years experience in telecom

Equivalent combination of education/experience

Job description

FOR CURRENT OTI EMPLOYEES ONLY

The Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) leverages technology to drive opportunity, improve public safety, and help government run better across New York City. From delivering affordable broadband to protecting against cybersecurity threats and building digital government services, OTI is at the forefront of how the city delivers for New Yorkers in the 21st century. Follow us on social media @NYCOfficeofTech, and visit www.nyc.gov/oti to learn more.

The successful candidate will serve as a Director, Data Center Services reporting to the Infrastructure Management division.

Responsibilities

• Manage Server Farm, DMZ, and load balancer network devices over their life cycle from end-to-end, and ensure BOM requests are distributed to meet committed SLAs.
• Create budget approval documents (CP) and bills of material (BOM) with internal and external resources to fund end-to-end equipment upgrades and technology refreshes.
• Maintain and update the multi-year device upgrade list year-to-year.
• Conduct regular 1:1 and team meetings to gather input and feedback for improving group functions.
• Assess team training needs and secure funding or resources for provisioning.
• Provide escalation support for the Operations team during support calls and train staff on repetitive issues.
• Lead and manage proof-of-concept (POC) ideas, deploy test scenarios, and secure required legal approvals.
• Oversee physical rack space, power allocation, and hardware provisioning across data center facilities to ensure optimal infrastructure capacity and uptime.
• Enforce robust data center security standards, compliance audits, and access control protocols for all server rooms and hardware assets.
• Monitor environmental metrics such as cooling, airflow, and temperature to maintain optimal operating conditions and energy efficiency within the server facilities.
• Coordinate with facilities management and vendors to schedule critical maintenance, hardware replacements, and emergency disaster recovery operations.

HOURS/SHIFT

Day - Due to the necessary management duties of this position in a 24/7 operation, the candidate may be required to be on call and work various shifts such as weekends and/or nights/evenings.

WORK LOCATION

Brooklyn, NY

TELECOMMUNICATION MANAGER - 82984

Minimum Qualifications

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by 24 credits in the field of voice and/or data telecommunications or in a pertinent scientific, technical, electronic or related area, and four years of satisfactory fulltime experience in the performance of analytical, planning, operational, technical, or administrative duties in a voice and/or data telecommunications or closely related electronics planning, management, and/or service organization, one year of which must have been in a highly specialized capacity and 18 months must have been in an executive, managerial, or administrative capacity or in the supervision of staff performing work in the voice and/or data telecommunications field; or 2. An associate degree from an accredited college including or supplemented by 12 credits in the field of voice and/or data telecommunications or in a pertinent, scientific, technical, electronic or related area and five years of experience as described in "1" above; or 3. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above. However, all candidates must have at least a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and one year of the specialized experience as described in "1" above and must possess the 18 months of executive, managerial, administrative or supervisory experience as described in "1" above.

Preferred Skills

The successful candidate should possess the following:

• 10+ years of experience in end-to-end server farm, DMZ, and load balancer network device lifecycle management, ensuring BOM requests consistently meet committed SLAs.
• 10+ years of experience in financial planning and resource allocation, including authorizing budget approval documents (CPs) and bills of material (BOMs) to fund technology refreshes and equipment upgrades.
• 10+ years of experience in data center facilities oversight, managing physical rack space, power allocation, & hardware provisioning to maximize infrastructure capacity and uptime.
• 10+ years of experience in data center security and compliance, enforcing robust security standards, especially for network devices, access control protocols, and audits across server rooms and hardware assets.
• 10+ years of experience in cross-functional leadership and team mentorship, conducting regular 1:1s, assessing training needs, & providing escalation support for operations teams.
• 10+ years of experience in emerging technology deployment, leading and managing proof-of-concept (POC) initiatives, test scenarios, and securing necessary legal approvals.

55a Program

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.