How to hire a data center administrator

How to hire a data center administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step data center administrator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a data center administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new data center administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a data center administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the data center administrator you need to hire. Certain data center administrator roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a data center administrator to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a data center administrator that fits the bill.

   This list presents data center administrator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Data Center Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Data Center Administrator	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$12-42
   Information Technology Administrator	An Information Technology (IT) administrator is a professional responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of an organization's IT systems and ensuring that the systems are running effectively. IT administrators must conduct consistent analyses of the computer system and install updates when needed... Show more	$24-50
   Systems Administrator Lead	A systems administrator lead is responsible for planning, designing, and implementing procedures for critical enterprise systems. Typical duties of systems administrators include managing the day-to-day operations of a company's computer and network systems, developing new application and system implementation plans, and establishing guidelines for installing and managing the organization's computer operating systems... Show more	$37-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Linux
   • VMware
   • Vmware Esxi
   • Windows Server
   • HVAC
   • Disaster Recovery
   • Switches
   • Lan Wan
   • Raid
   • Data Centers
   • Ethernet
   • Provisioning
   • System Administration

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Cisco UCS systems that host the organization's VMware environment running critical clinical applications.
   • Work with USAMITC to manage DNS and with DISA tiger team to manage mail.mil email system.
   • Manage integrated network connectivity, reporting, and troubleshooting including switch, router, and firewall connectivity to increase system stability.
   • Work with SQL database developer to create the VMware view database and importing require tables.
   • Move content to new SQL server.
   • Use of EMC centera base file archival management system.

   More data center administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your data center administrator job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A data center administrator salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a data center administrator in Nebraska may be lower than in California, and an entry-level data center administrator usually earns less than a senior-level data center administrator. Additionally, a data center administrator with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average data center administrator salary

   $49,854yearly

   $23.97 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level data center administrator salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average data center administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$68,999	$33
   2	Florida	$58,850	$28
   3	Texas	$55,533	$27
   4	Nevada	$52,114	$25
   5	New Jersey	$51,277	$25
   6	Mississippi	$50,735	$24
   7	Virginia	$49,064	$24
   8	New York	$47,544	$23
   9	South Carolina	$47,518	$23
   10	Georgia	$47,517	$23
   11	Oklahoma	$43,931	$21
   12	Oregon	$41,911	$20
   13	Missouri	$39,007	$19
   14	Kansas	$38,277	$18
   15	Michigan	$34,396	$17

   Average data center administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NETSCOUT	$110,864	$53.30
   2	Cloudflare	$100,221	$48.18	27
   3	Tata Group	$79,494	$38.22	140
   4	Alliance of Professionals & Consultants	$76,011	$36.54	3
   5	University of California-Berkeley	$54,959	$26.42	1
   6	BronxWorks	$51,996	$25.00
   7	Susquehanna International Group	$51,690	$24.85	22
   8	The Gund Company	$50,764	$24.41
   9	Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health	$46,849	$22.52	1
   10	Southern Glazer's	$44,680	$21.48	7
   11	TWO95 International	$44,329	$21.31
   12	Exponential	$43,324	$20.83
   13	Texas Health Resources	$43,221	$20.78
   14	Paycom	$42,415	$20.39	3
   15	Allied Universal	$41,480	$19.94
   16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$41,433	$19.92	33
   17	Robert Half	$40,860	$19.64	381
   18	Expeditors	$39,932	$19.20	1
   19	Securitas AB	$38,850	$18.68	38
   20	Garmin	$36,903	$17.74	2

4. Writing a data center administrator job description

   A data center administrator job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a data center administrator job description:

   Data center administrator job description example

   • HS Diploma/Relevant Experience
   • 3+ years working in Data Center space
   • Familiarity with Server operating systems is desired (Windows and Linux)
   • Familiarity with Cisco Switching is desired. (Ability to configure switchports)

   SKILLS, ABILITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS:

   • Should be able to coordinate with partners and providers to support daily data center activity
   • Should be able to install / uninstall hardware including network, server and storage equipment
   • Ability to login to Network devices to add basic Ethernet port programming is desired
   • Ability to troubleshoot & provide root cause analysis of any issues, and recognizing when to escalate
   • Good understanding of Layer 2 to include network cabling and cable termination types
   • Hands-on exposure on Windows/Linux/Unix
   • Ability to absorb large amounts of technical knowledge and apply it to troubleshooting and support tasks
   • Organize time efficiently with minimal supervision
   • Ability to work in a geographically distributed team environment and communicate clearly and efficiently

   We appreciate the interest of all candidates, but only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.

   “KORE Wireless Group, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of any kind. KORE is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at KORE are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identify and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. KORE will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.”
   
   

   #LI-RA1

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find data center administrators for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your data center administrator job on Zippia to find and recruit data center administrator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit data center administrators, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a data center administrator applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new data center administrator

   Once you've found the data center administrator candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new data center administrator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a data center administrator?