Data Center Operations, Network Technician Lead

📋 Description

• • Fluidstack is at the forefront of building the essential infrastructure for abundant intelligence, partnering with leading AI labs, governments, and enterprises to deliver compute power at unprecedented speeds. We are driven by a mission to accelerate the realization of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), and our team is characterized by high motivation, unwavering commitment, and a dedication to delivering world-class infrastructure solutions. We operate with a deep sense of ownership, treating our customers' success as our own and taking immense pride in the systems we engineer and the trust we cultivate. If you are a purpose-driven individual, obsessed with excellence, and ready to dedicate significant effort to shaping the future of intelligence, we invite you to join us in building what's next.
• • As a Data Center Operations Network Technician Lead, you will be the pivotal on-site expert responsible for the network and structured cabling infrastructure across our cutting-edge AI datacenters. This role demands a unique blend of deep expertise in physical layer infrastructure and a solid understanding of network fundamentals, positioning you as the Tier 3 escalation point for all network and ICT-related incidents. Your primary focus will be on the rapid and effective resolution of physical layer faults, meticulously validating repairs, and ensuring that any issues impacting customer workloads are addressed with utmost urgency and efficiency.
• • You will be an integral part of the Data Center Operations organization, assigned to a specific site, and will work in close collaboration with Tier 1 and Tier 2 technicians, as well as the Network Operations team and other cross-functional departments. Your contributions will be critical in maintaining the exceptional reliability and peak performance of our high-density AI infrastructure. When issues extend beyond the on-site capabilities, you will be responsible for escalating them to the Network Operations team with comprehensive and clear documentation, facilitating deeper investigation and resolution.
• • The ideal candidate possesses a dual proficiency: a robust foundation in structured cabling and fiber optics, coupled with sufficient network knowledge to interpret device-level diagnostics and confirm that physical repairs have successfully restored connectivity. You must be comfortable operating as the sole network/ICT escalation resource on-site, taking complete ownership of issues from inception through to their successful resolution. This role requires a proactive approach to problem-solving and a commitment to maintaining the integrity of our network infrastructure.
• • Key responsibilities include serving as the primary Tier 2 escalation point for network and cable plant incidents, whether reported by customers or identified through our advanced monitoring systems. You will be tasked with troubleshooting, diagnosing, and resolving a wide array of physical layer issues, including but not limited to fiber faults, transceiver failures, patch panel problems, and various cable plant defects. As we mature our automated diagnostics and repair processes, you will lead your local team, moving beyond basic troubleshooting to mature process and metrics operations.
• • A significant aspect of your role will involve performing meticulous fiber inspection, cleaning, and testing, utilizing optical power meters and light sources to validate light levels and identify/remediate connectivity issues. You will actively participate in the testing and deployment of new automated diagnostic and repair tools, acting as a crucial liaison between on-site operations, Network Operations, NRE (New Research & Engineering), and Network Automation teams. This includes leading on-site pilots, providing invaluable constructive feedback, and ensuring the diligent monitoring and adoption of these new tooling systems.
• • You will execute structured cabling repairs, which may involve re-patching failed runs or coordinating with Infrastructure Deployment teams for more complex remediation efforts. Post-repair validation will be a critical step, employing specialized tools to confirm device connectivity, verify LLDP neighbor relationships, and ensure acceptable optical power levels are achieved. Your ability to interpret basic network diagnostics—such as light levels, interface status, and neighbor discovery—will be essential to confirm that physical repairs have successfully restored the expected network connectivity.
• • Thorough documentation of all incidents is paramount. You will be responsible for escalating issues to Network Operations with clear, concise problem statements when investigations require logical-layer or deeper protocol-level analysis. Maintaining a comprehensive awareness of the site's topology and cable plant documentation will be key to accelerating fault isolation and resolution times. Furthermore, you will collaborate closely with Tier 2 teams in other regions, actively contributing to the development and refinement of best practices across the organization. You will also build and manage dashboards and views within our ticketing systems, providing critical insights and guidance on workload management and operational efficiency. Finally, you will collaborate with Tier 1 technicians, offering guidance on network/ICT triage procedures to minimize unnecessary escalations and optimize support workflows.