Data Center Operations Engineer Jobs in Illinois

What You’ll Do: 

Critical Facilities Operations

• Operate, monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot mission-critical electrical, mechanical, and life safety systems to ensure uptime and reliability
• Perform facility inspections, respond to abnormal conditions, and document findings
• Track, trend, and analyze system performance; utilize CMMS to manage work orders and maintenance

Electrical Systems

• Support electrical distribution from utility and generator switchgear through UPS and customer load
• Assist with maintenance activities involving generators, switchgear, UPS, STS, ATS, PDUs, transformers, and power circuits
• Perform customer power adds, disconnects, and related infrastructure support activities Mechanical Systems

Mechanical Systems

• Operate and maintain chilled water, HVAC, CRAC/CRAH, humidification, and central plant systems
• Support cooling optimization, pumps, VFDs, cooling towers, heat exchangers, and water treatment.

Fire Life Safety & Infrastructure

• Monitor wet sprinkler and double-interlock pre-action systems and associated detection devices
• Support customer infrastructure projects including cage builds, rack and stack, overhead installs, power, and cabling

Collaboration & Customer Support

• Partner with senior technicians, contractors, and vendors on maintenance, upgrades, and expansions.
• Provide advanced remote hands, manage trouble tickets, incidents, and customer requests
• Support administrative and communication activities across CMMS, ticketing, monitoring, and other operational platforms; maintain accurate documentation and provide timely updates to stakeholders
• Contribute to procedures, documentation, and continuous improvement while promoting Operational Excellence

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Required:

• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills with the ability to apply technical knowledge effectively
• Self-motivated, dependable, and accountable with a strong work ethic
• Team-oriented mindset with the ability to collaborate across operations, engineering, and customer teams
• Commitment to safety, quality, and operational excellence
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-availability environment
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Working knowledge of data center electrical, mechanical, and BAS/BMS infrastructure and systems
• Strong understanding of data center electrical and mechanical infrastructure
• Working knowledge of NEC, NFPA 70E, NFPA 72, NFPA 25, OSHA, and fire life safety requirements
• Comfortable using hand tools, electrical test equipment, and standard computer applications

Preferred Experience: 

• Electrical distribution systems including generators, switchgear, UPS, STS, ATS, PDUs, and transformers
• Mechanical systems including chilled water, HVAC, CRAC/CRAH, humidification, pumps, VFDs, cooling towers, and heat exchangers
• Fire protection systems including wet sprinkler and double-interlock pre-action systems
• BMS, PLC controls, and integrated monitoring systems
• Fiber and copper cabling installation, termination, and testing
• Proficiency with fiber optics, structured cabling, and telecommunications infrastructure
• Working knowledge of basic security systems, including access control, CCTV, and facility monitoring systems

Education/Experience:

• High School Diploma or greater
• 2-5 years of experience in the data center industry
• Proven hands-on experience with large commercial or industrial electrical and mechanical systems
• Strong fit for candidates with experience in the military with HVAC or Electrical training

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job’s essential functions.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the job’s duties, the employee is required to stand; walk, sit, use hands to handle or feel objects, reach with hands and arms, climb stairs, balance, stoop or kneel, talk, and hear.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. The position also demands flexibility to work in a fast-paced, high-stress environment with changing priorities, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and on-call hours as needed.

Must pass background check, employment verification, and other pre-employment requirements.

• First-day medical insurance through Cigna with generous premium cost coverage
• Dental insurance through Delta Dental
• Vision insurance through VSP
• Telemedicine through MDLive for Cigna
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account (FSA) plans
• Health saving account (HSA) plans for employees participating in the High Deductible Health Plan
• Life, AD&D, short-term disability, and long-term disability insurance fully paid by the company
• Voluntary coverage benefits for supplemental life, critical illness, accident, and hospital insurance
• First-day eligibility for 401(k) savings plan through Fidelity, which includes an attractive matching company contribution with a 5% company match
• Discretionary annual bonus and equity incentive plan
• Employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) with a 15% discount
• 16 days of paid time off (PTO)11 paid company holidays and additional floating holidays
• Additional paid time off for school events, elder care, volunteering, bereavement, jury duty, voting, parental leave and disability leave
• Free parking or a company contribution toward a public transit pass

• Wellness Reimbursement Program: Yearly stipend of $500 for employees and $300 for dependents, up to $800 total for the family
• Wellness Incentive Program: Participate in various wellbeing activities to earn up to $450 per year in cash incentives
• Technology Stipend: $100 monthly stipend.
• Educational Reimbursement Program: Work-related learning and development with reimbursement on qualifying degree programs, up to $5,250 per year
• Giving Back: Charitable donation matches up to $5,000 per year and nominate organizations for Company Foundation grants
• Financial Management: Access to financial coaching, digital tools and services to manage and pay student loan debt quicker
• Pet Insurance: Keep your furry friends healthy and happy
• Family Planning: Benefits and services related to fertility, pregnancy, menopause, adoption and surrogacy
• Employee Assistance Program: 24x7 service to support family, work, money, health, legal and life challenges
• Counseling and Caregiving Programs: Including access to mental health services, licensed counselors, and caregiving tools including membership for finding care.
• Referral Bonus: Receive a $3,000 cash bonus if referred candidate is hired and meets eligibility requirements
• Discounts: Discounts, cash back offers and perks on thousands of brands
• LinkedIn Learning Membership: Support your development when accessing LinkedIn’s online library o