Intern, Technical Graduate Year-Round - Data Center Services, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; On-site; USD 2,755,200 - 4,132,800; Part time

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico is seeking an Intern, Technical Graduate Year‑Round – Data Center Services. You will support data center operations, assist with power and cooling assessments, and help document infrastructure layouts while working closely with veteran engineers and technicians.

The role requires enrollment in a related graduate program, a Bachelor's degree, a minimum 3.0 GPA, and the ability to work onsite up to 30 hours per week during the academic year and up to 40

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Currently enrolled full-time in a related accredited graduate program.
• Minimum GPA 3.0/4.0.
• U.S. citizenship with ability to obtain DOE Q clearance.

Responsibilities

• Assist with hands-on data center tasks (racking, cabling, hardware handling).
• Support power and cooling assessments and document infrastructure layouts.
• Collaborate with data center teams to ensure uptime and reliability.

Skills

Teamwork

Detail‑oriented

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate program enrollment

Job description

Intern, Technical Graduate Year-Round – Data Center Services, Onsite

As a Data Center Infrastructure & Hardware Intern, you will work alongside experienced engineers and technicians supporting real world data center operations. This is a great opportunity if you are curious, detail oriented, and excited to learn how modern data centers function at both technical and operational levels.

Responsibilities

On any given day, you will collaborate closely with the teams who maintain and expand our data center spaces, deploy new hardware, coordinate vendor work, design power/cooling configurations, and ensure high availability services for internal partners.

Your daily work may include: hands‑on tasks such as racking and cabling equipment, assisting with power and cooling assessments, documenting infrastructure layouts, and supporting hardware lifecycle activities.

You’ll gain exposure to mechanical and electrical troubleshooting, data center design principles, system reliability concepts, and the operational processes required to maintain secure, mission‑critical computing environments.

Salary Range

At Sandia, we value the important work done by our interns and its contribution to National Security. Because of this, our interns earn competitive pay rates. Our pay structure is based on earned credit hours, classification, and degree level. Your pay rate will be determined during the hire process and included in your offer package. You can view the Intern Pay Rate chart here (https://www.sandia.gov/app/uploads/sites/51/2024/12/Student-Rate-Sheet-2025.docx).

Qualifications We Require

• Earned bachelor's degree
• Currently attending and enrolled full time in a related accredited graduate program
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Ability to work up to 30 hours per week during the academic year, and up to 40 hours per week during the summer
• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship
• Must be able to work onsite

Qualifications We Desire

• Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Ability to work safely in environments with electrical equipment, raised floors, and active construction or installation activities.
• Basic understanding of computer hardware components (servers, workstations, PDUs, networking gear).
• Comfort using tools such as screwdrivers, cable testers, torque drivers, and other common installation equipment.
• Ability to follow written procedures, technical diagrams, and detailed work instructions.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work within a team.
• Familiarity with data center concepts such as rack elevations, power draw, cooling requirements, cable management, VLANs, and redundancy.
• Experience assembling or troubleshooting PCs, servers, or laboratory equipment.
• Understanding of electrical fundamentals (voltage, current, amperage, phases, breakers, UPS, etc.).
• Exposure to facilities level systems such as HVAC, CRAC units, or industrial cooling solutions.
• Ability to read technical drawings or help update documentation (Visio diagrams, rack maps, wiring schematics).
• Interest in automation or scripting to streamline infrastructure tasks.
• Strong attention to detail, willingness to ask questions, and enthusiasm for learning hands‑on technical skills.
• Ability to pursue and obtain a Q clearance.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre‑employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q‑level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted. Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matters if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug‑releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs. If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on‑site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.