Datacenter Lead

We are looking for an experienced Datacenter Lead to manage daily data center operations and ensure reliable, secure, and efficient infrastructure services. This role will oversee technical operations, incident resolution, maintenance activities, capacity management, and compliance while leading onsite teams and coordinating with vendors and key stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have strong infrastructure knowledge, proven leadership capabilities, and experience maintaining service levels in enterprise data center environments., * Oversee daily data center operations, including server, storage, networking, middleware, and supporting infrastructure services.

• Lead technical teams in monitoring infrastructure health, maintaining system availability, and ensuring operational efficiency.
• Manage incidents, service requests, change requests, and problem resolution while ensuring compliance with established SLAs.
• Coordinate critical escalations, troubleshoot infrastructure issues, and drive timely resolution to minimize service disruptions.
• Supervise hardware installations, equipment decommissioning, infrastructure migrations, and capacity planning activities.
• Plan and coordinate scheduled maintenance, security patching, hardware replacements, and infrastructure upgrades.
• Ensure adherence to data center security policies, operational procedures, audit standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Support business continuity, disaster recovery readiness, and infrastructure availability initiatives.
• Manage vendor relationships, coordinate third-party support, and oversee onsite logistics and equipment handling.
• Maintain accurate operational documentation, asset inventories, configuration records, and maintenance logs.
• Provide technical leadership, coaching, and mentoring to data center technicians and infrastructure engineers.
• Serve as a key point of contact for the Datacenter Director, maintaining strong client-facing relationships and providing operational updates, escalation reports, and project status communications.
• Collaborate with infrastructure, security, facilities, and service management teams to improve operational performance and service delivery.
• Identify operational risks, recommend process improvements, and implement best practices to enhance reliability and efficiency.

• Minimum 5 years of experience in data center operations, infrastructure support, or enterprise IT operations.
• Strong understanding of server hardware, storage systems, network infrastructure, power distribution, cooling systems, and environmental monitoring.
• Experience managing incident, change, problem, and service request processes in accordance with IT service management practices.
• Knowledge of infrastructure installations, migrations, decommissioning, maintenance, patching, and capacity management.
• Understanding of data center security controls, compliance requirements, audit procedures, business continuity, and disaster recovery practices.
• Experience managing SLAs, operational escalations, service availability, and infrastructure performance.
• Proven ability to lead technical teams, coordinate vendors, and manage multiple operational priorities.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, troubleshooting, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work onsite in Madison, Wisconsin, and coordinate effectively with the Datacenter Director and other business stakeholders.

Key Success Measures:

• Consistent achievement of SLA targets and high infrastructure availability.
• Timely handling of incidents, escalations, and service requests.
• Successful delivery of maintenance, upgrades, migrations, and infrastructure projects.
• Compliance with security policies, audit requirements, and operational standards.
• Accurate asset management, documentation, and inventory maintenance.
• Effective team leadership, vendor coordination, and client stakeholder satisfaction.
• Continuous improvement in operational efficiency, reliability, and service quality.