Data Center Infrastructure Specialist

Data Center Infrastructure Specialist (Onsite)

This position is 100% on-site and located on the Cornell University Campus in Ithaca, New York.

No Visa Sponsorship is available for this position.

This position will require occasional off-hours support.

Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) Enterprise Network Services organization provides cutting-edge technology services and solutions that enable the Cornell community to achieve its academic, research, and administrative goals. Our highly skilled and experienced team is committed to delivering technology solutions that are both standards-based and process-oriented, as well as agile and adaptive. We understand the importance of adhering to best practices and industry standards to ensure our services' reliability, security, and scalability. At the same time, we recognize the need to be flexible and adaptive in a rapidly changing technological landscape. We continually strive to provide exceptional customer service and support and work closely with our partners across campus to foster a culture of innovation and excellence. Our team is adept at collaborating with stakeholders across the university to understand their unique needs and requirements and to develop solutions that meet their specific goals.

What will you do:

As a member of Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) Network Facilities & Infrastructure Services (NF&IS)'s Infrastructure team, the Data Center Infrastructure Analyst will play a key role in the maintenance and operations activities of the CIT data centers, data center and research computing networks, and other campus telecommunications facilities.

This position will have broad range of current technical knowledge, hands on experience, and possess a customer-oriented mindset. Under general supervision, the Data Center Infrastructure Analyst will perform maintenance, operations, and support activities for a wide variety of data center services and IT facilities functions. Duties include, but are not limited to:

Data Center Infrastructure & Hardware Operations

• Perform rack and stack operations, including cabling, labeling, and securing equipment in accordance with best practices.
• Perform hardware lifecycle activities such as RMA processing, shipping/receiving, inventory tracking, and auditing.
• Diagnose and repair infrastructure issues; perform physical upgrades, improvements, decommissions, and rebuilds.

Facility & Environmental Monitoring

• Assist in the monitoring and maintenance of power and cooling infrastructure including UPSs, PDUs, and HVAC systems.
• Conduct regular facility walk-throughs and inspections to proactively identify and resolve issues.
• Ensure compliance with safety, cleanliness, and operational standards within the data center.

Cabling & Physical Infrastructure

• Assist in the design and implementation of structured cabling solutions for new deployments and upgrades.
• Maintain thorough cable management, labeling, and physical layout documentation.
• Assign rack space, provision and connect infrastructure cables, and switch ports.

Systems & Network Support

• Provision & deprovision data center and research networks using standard procedures.
• Troubleshoot basic network connectivity issues in the data center and research networks.
• Install and maintain network hardware, UPS, and other equipment in coordination with CIT engineering teams.
• Participate in change control processes and support incident response efforts to maintain facility integrity.

Project Implementation & Collaboration

• Engage with project teams to ensure deployments align with documented processes and standards.
• Coordinate and track service requests to ensure seamless infrastructure operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to improve deployment efficiency, automation, and monitoring.

Documentation & Communication

• Maintain accurate records of installations, moves, changes, and inventory in management systems.
• Develop and review documentation to support implementation and future maintenance activities.
• Communicate technical requirements, instructions, and status clearly with stakeholders of varying technical expertise.

This position is 100% on-premise and will require occasional off-hours support.

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Required qualifications include:

• A bachelor's degree and up to two (2) years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in data centers, server rooms, telecom rooms, or mission-critical IT environments
• Technical Knowledge
  • Data center physical infrastructure, network technologies, and support systems.
  • Servers, switches, routers, console servers, and related electronics.
  • HVAC, UPS, power and cooling distribution systems.
  • OSI model, IP/Ethernet operations, routing, switching, DNS, DHCP.
  • Cable testing procedures, airflow management, and data center design principles.
• Technical Skills
  • Installation, monitoring, and maintenance of mission-critical IT equipment.
  • Troubleshooting and diagnostics for server and network hardware.
  • Basic hardware repairs.
  • Inventory management, materials handling, shipping, and receiving.
  • Reading and interpreting blueprints and technical documentation.
  • Basic network monitoring protocol usage.
• Soft Skills & Work Style
  • Ability to work in fast-paced, high-stress environments.
  • Strong organizational and project-management abilities.
  • Excellent communication, teamwork, and customer-support skills.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset.
  • Willingness to learn new technologies and stay current with industry developments.
  • Commitment to accurate documentation practices.
  • Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.
• Possess and maintain a valid NYS Driver's License. Out-of-state employees must obtain and provide proof of a NYS license within 30 days of starting employment.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Experience working in Higher Education / R1 Research Universities
• Experience in network and/or server support for research computing / HPC
• Knowledge of Juniper, Aruba, and Fortinet network hardware and software
• Experience with ticketing systems (Team Dynamix) and inventory management systems (PCR360)

Application Information:

• A resume is required for further consideration for this position. A cover letter expressing alignment with Cornell's mission and this role is strongly encouraged. When applying through our system, please remember to attach your application materials (Cover Letter and Resume) in PDF format.
• No Visa Sponsorship of any kind is available for this position.
• No Relocation assistance will be provided for this position.
• This position is 100% on-site and will require occasional off-hours support.

University Job Title: Network Engineer II

Job Family: Information Technology

Level: E

Pay Rate Type: Salary

Pay Range: $70,951.00 - $82,457.00