How to hire a data center technician lead

How to hire a data center technician lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step data center technician lead 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 technician lead job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new data center technician lead
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The data center technician lead hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A data center technician lead's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, data center technician leads from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of data center technician leads.

   Type of Data Center Technician Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Data Center Technician Lead	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.	$36-104
   Systems Administrator	Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures... Show more	$28-48
   Network Administrator	A network administrator is responsible for managing an organization's computer systems, ensuring its smooth operations and highest efficiency. Network administrators' duties include inspecting network malfunctions, troubleshooting unresponsive programs, improving system processes, analyzing client's specifications, upgrading existing applications, coordinating with the technology department, and creating a report of network issues resolutions... Show more	$26-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Infrastructure
   • Cloud
   • Java
   • Switches
   • Data Centers
   • Customer Service
   • Linux
   • OS
   • SQL
   • Azure
   • SLA
   • Center Management
   • Windows Server
   • Nexus

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Recommend, engineer and manage office systems, including centralize productivity and communication systems such as e-mail and centralize desktop environments.
   • Install & setup BPCS & 3rd party ERP applications.
   • Provide first line defense by providing customer with support on hosting, HTML, FTP, POP3 issues.
   • Support various web-base applications, LAN/WAN connections and various media devices (FTP programs, PDAs and Smartphone's).
   • Set appropriate recovery model for SQL databases to maximize space used, depending on the type of data in the database.
   • Back up terabyte databases and perform restores and run consistency checks from SQL standby servers prior to making changes in production.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your data center technician lead job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A data center technician lead can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, data center technician leads' average salary in nebraska is 43% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level data center technician leads 65% less than senior-level data center technician leads.
   • Certifications. A data center technician lead with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a data center technician lead's salary.

   Average data center technician lead salary

   $128,891yearly

   $61.97 hourly rate

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   Entry-level data center technician lead salary

   $76,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

4. Writing a data center technician lead job description

   A job description for a data center technician lead role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a data center technician lead job description:

   Data center technician lead job description example

   The Computing Facilities team is part of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. We are currently seeking a Data Center Tech Lead to join our Operations team.
   
   The position will involve providing operational support for multiple data centers in the School of Computer Science. Specific tasks include racking and connecting servers to power and network. Power capacity planning at the rack and facility level. Provisioning new racks and accompanying equipment based on available resources and standard baseline configurations.
   
   Individuals in this position will be part of a team providing round-the-clock service, multi- platform system backups, distributed printing, and audio-visual equipment support.
   Your core responsibilities will include:
   
   Develop a power and cooling capacity plan for several small/medium sized data centers. Conduct audit of current power distribution/utilization down to the per-rack level for existing data center environment and document current state. Identify current norms and practices among staff working in data centers. Implement changes to improve responsiveness, safety and reliability. Establish policies and procedures to assess risks and impact related to normal data center operations. Implement monitoring and logging routines to ensure timely identification/resolution of problems. Collaborate with engineering/programming staff to implement load monitoring resources for power, cooling, and HPC workloads. Produce a proposal and project plan to transition existing data centers to a fully lights-out environment. Position racks, PDUs, and connectorized electrical circuits to support servers and associated equipment. Maintain records of circuit locations and utilization to be used in troubleshooting and capacity planning. Assign circuits to new resources based on capacity and location. Monitor system and environmental status in a data center using an operational dashboard and take necessary action based on documented procedures. Maintain machine room layout records for machine and rack allocation Document policies and procedures for safety protocols and standards for machine room work to be utilized by other Computing Facilities staff members
   
   Additional Tasks (team coverage - occasional):
   Take phone calls, answer basic computer questions, enter support tickets, and escalate to service owners where appropriate. Perform computer system backups, label and mount and file backup tapes. Provide support for printing equipment, replace paper, toner and other supplies, and manage large format print jobs. Periodic checks of Audio-Visual equipment across multiple buildings. Log and record events during shift and report to supervisor. Other duties as assigned.
   
   Flexibility, excellence, and passion are vital qualities within the School of Computer Science. Inclusion, collaboration and cultural sensitivity are valued competencies at CMU. Therefore, we are in search of a team member who is able to effectively interact with a varied population of internal and external partners at a high level of integrity. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work
   
   Qualifications :
   Education/Training: Bachelor's degree in computer technology or equivalent combination of education and experience. 1-3 years of relevant work experience Intermediate computer skills. Ability to quickly learn new procedures and technology. Ability to lift 30 pounds of paper or equipment above head.
   
   Additional Desirable Skills
   Working knowledge of electrical circuit capacity and data center safety procedures. Familiarity with operational support of Lights-Out data centers. Previous experience as a computer operator or system administrator. Operational experience with large scale network backup systems (Teradactyl, Crashplan) and a variety of tape backup media systems (LTO, DLT, 8mm, etc). Working knowledge of Linux, Macintosh, and Windows operating systems. Experience with large scale network printing systems and printer hardware, especially Hewlett Packard Laser Printers.
   
   Requirements:
   Successful Background Check
   
   Are you interested in this exciting opportunity?! Apply today!
   
   CMU's COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements: As a condition of employment, Carnegie Mellon University requires all staff and faculty working in the United States to be fully vaccinated, including a booster when eligible, against COVID-19. Prior to commencement of employment, new hires in the United States must provide proof of vaccination or obtain an approved exemption. (Exemptions may be requested for medical reasons or for religious or strong moral or ethical conviction.) Those granted an exemption must comply with all applicable COVID-19 mitigation requirements. The most up-to-date information on CMU's COVID-19 mitigation requirements can be found here: Minimum Requirements to Return to Campus.
   
   Location
   Pittsburgh, PA
   Job Function
   Systems Administration and Support
   Position Type
   Staff - Regular
   Full Time/Part time
   Full time
   Pay Basis
   Salary
   More Information:
   
   Please visit "Why Carnegie Mellon" to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world. Click here to view a listing of employee benefits Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran . Statement of Assurance

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find data center technician leads 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 technician lead job on Zippia to find and recruit data center technician lead 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

   Recruiting data center technician leads requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   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 technician lead 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 technician lead

   Once you've found the data center technician lead 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with 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 technician lead. 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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