Career Center

A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in one page or less, please let us know how you will align with your career aspirations and skills. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file (because of system limitations).

The Information and Technology Services (ITS) organization has an opportunity to employ a Data Center Operations Support Specialist Intermediate to provide Tier I support monitoring networks from a centralized IT operations center ensuring high availability and completion of service level agreements by detecting and escalating alarms for Network, Voice, Video, Hardware, Data Center infrastructure and related systems. You will provide Tier 1 after-hours phone support to faculty, staff, students, guests and alumni. The Specialist also performs tasks such as backup tape handling, operational monitoring, job scheduling requests, and access to data centers. You will have problem resolution, diagnostic and customer service skills.

You will report to the Assistant Director of Data Center Engineering and Operations. The ITS Data Center Operations department provides Tier I monitoring support for networking systems, security and datacenter infrastructure and provide backup support for the ITS Service Desk after-hours.

You will have experience providing excellent customer service, the ability to follow documented procedures and standards in a manner, and to keep up-to-date with changing job requirements. This role also requires excellent written skills to write and update documentation and providing details in ticketing systems. The Specialist will accept a reasonable level of risk in decision-making when faced with unusual situations relating to customer calls and alerts.

Note: ITS Data Center Operations operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. You will need flexibility to work overtime, weekends and some holidays. Additionally, this position is considered important and may work onsite during the University's Emergency Reduction in Operations policy.

For more information about the department of ITS, please visit our website: http://www.its.umich.edu/

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Assignments may require some originality. Work on more than one task at a time and manage work by prioritizing own assignments, schedules, and meetings resulting in completion of work. Demonstrate proficient understanding of principles, standards, technology, and procedures used. Rely on established procedures to plan and accomplish tasks. Comprehends and distills issues, identifies problem factors, determines appropriate information, checks assumptions against facts, and generates solutions. Promote cooperation and manage relationships. Lead work while seeking direction, guidance or assistance as needed. Generally requires direction from senior technical staff or a manager.

PRODUCTION SUPPORT (85%)

As a Data Center Operations Support Specialist Intermediate for the ITS Infrastructure Service and Operations organization at the University of Michigan, your position's responsibilities include the following:

• Perform monitoring functions using a variety of toolsets to monitor networks, job schedules, and physical infrastructure with the ability to identify and address alerts to ensure escalation.

• Work with network services, systems support, applications development and hardware vendors to restore service. Escalate complex problems to specific support groups.

• Perform research to isolate and troubleshoot alarms and events by applying basic networking fundamentals.

• Receive inbound emails, phone calls from end-users and service request tickets. Evaluate problems and determine priority of responding.. Provide Tier I resolutions, workarounds, and escalate problems to Tier II support. Follow up with users to ensure problem resolution.

• Support our teams and projects. Participate in system testing and knowledge management activities.

• Maintain proper handling and storage of media to insure integrity of data for Disaster Recovery needs which involves processing tapes. Provide quality of printed materials within the timeframe specified and may assist with deliveries. Consult with vendors to report hardware failures.

• Provide access to Data Centers using established guidelines.

• Contribute and share information and ideas with the team. Develop positive, collaborative relationships, inside and outside of the workgroup.

• Provide trending and analysis of networks and equipment using monitoring tools

SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS (10 %)

• Build relationships by collaborating with team members, support groups to understand service improvement requests and opportunities. Support and recommend service enhancement projects that involve quality improvements to monitoring and departmental processes.

• Develop and edit technical support knowledge base documentation ensuring materials are accurate and comprehensive.

• Collaborate with subject matter experts to document, research, update knowledge based documentation

• Identify when established procedures are not working well and gaps in processes. Look for opportunities to automate and create efficiencies in production support and make recommendations for improvement

DEVELOP SELF AND OTHERS (5%)

• Stay current with relevant advances in technologies. Maintain and update knowledge of IT policies and procedures, hardware, software and technical services. This can include: on-the-job training, attending technical courses or conferences, reading, research and testing. Develop and follow best practices and share knowledge with team members.

• Demonstrate skill development by participating in growth opportunities for continuous development and improvement and applying new skills to the job as evident by the ability to perform assigned responsibilities, resulting in exceeding customer expectations and performance metrics.

• Maintain an overall awareness of our key IT services for which support is provided by joining IT collaborative groups, reading all correspondence of organizational programs, webcasts and publications

• Minimum two years of experience in a related role requiring confidentiality, customer service, organization, prioritization, troubleshooting to assist customers with their computing needs.

• Demonstrated proficiency with hardware and network monitoring software tools.

• Demonstrated experience with IT Service Management tools such as Service Now, Remedy.

• Demonstrated knowledge of operating systems (Windows, MacOS) and industry standard web browsers.

• Demonstrated proficiency with current computer technology and applications (e.g. word processing, spreadsheet, and collaboration applications).

• Demonstrated verbal and written communication skills and ability to provide phone support to customers

• ITIL Foundation Certification

• Comp TIA / A+ Certification

• AWS Foundations Certification

• Demonstrated experience with building management software tools such as Siemens Building Management System, Eaton Foreseer, Tridium, etc.

• Demonstrated experience with job scheduling software

UM- ITS welcomes a healthy applicant pool so we encourage all interested applicants to apply. This position may be underfilled at a lower classification depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate.

• Ability to operate a University service vehicle safely and efficiently

• Ability to pass a motor vehicles records check with an excellent driving record (fewer than 7 points)

• Periodic moving of paper boxes weighing up to 50 pounds by self

• May require on-call availability and may require working during non-business hours and on weekends.

• 2 shifts are available for this role

• Position 1: Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat: 4pm - midnight

• Position 2: Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat: midnight - 8am

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

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COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters when eligible, are required for all University of Michigan students, faculty and staff across all campuses, including Michigan Medicine.  This includes those working remotely.   More information on this new policy is available on the Campus Blueprint website or the UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint websites.