Data Center Operator

About the Role

Astek Middle East is seeking an experienced Data Center Operator to join its IT operations team in Al Jubail, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. This full-time role requires 5-10 years of experience and focuses on monitoring and maintaining day-to-day data center operations, ensuring infrastructure availability, operational continuity, physical security, and compliance with established procedures. The successful candidate will work in a structured 24/7 operational environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform daily data center inspections, shift handovers, and scheduled operational checks across server rooms, racks, and critical infrastructure.
• Monitor data center environmental conditions and infrastructure systems, including power supply, cooling systems, UPS, generators, fire detection and suppression systems, and water/leak detection.
• Monitor infrastructure and facility management consoles, acknowledge alarms, log incidents, execute approved first-response procedures, and escalate issues according to established protocols.
• Support rack-and-stack activities, equipment installation and relocation, cabling, labeling, asset handling, and equipment moves, adds, and changes (MAC).
• Maintain accurate operational records, including shift logs, incident reports, visitor access logs, vendor records, asset movements, and equipment inventories.
• Perform scheduled operational tasks, including backup checks, batch job monitoring, tape/media rotation, and monitoring system status, where assigned.
• Coordinate with infrastructure, network, cybersecurity, facilities, service desk, and external vendors to resolve operational incidents and support planned activities.
• Ensure compliance with physical security, access control, housekeeping, cable management, and data center operational standards.
• Participate in planned maintenance, disaster recovery (DR) exercises, failover testing, and emergency response activities.
• Follow health, safety, electrical safety, and ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) procedures, immediately escalating unsafe conditions.
• Ensure accurate documentation, incident timelines, operational checklists, and structured shift handovers.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• 5-10 years of hands-on experience working in a 24/7 operational environment, including shift rotations.
• Good understanding of data center infrastructure, including servers, network hardware, power distribution, UPS, generators, cooling, and environmental monitoring systems.
• Experience with infrastructure monitoring tools, alarm management, incident logging, ticketing systems, and escalation procedures.
• Familiarity with rack management, structured cabling, equipment installation, asset tracking, physical access control, and vendor coordination.
• Ability to follow operational runbooks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), safety guidelines, and incident management processes.
• Basic knowledge of Windows/Linux environments and networking concepts.

Skills and Attributes

• Strong attention to detail.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Accountability.
• Effective communication.

Work Environment

This is a fully onsite position based in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Candidates must be willing to work in a shift-based operational environment, including 24/7 coverage where required. Candidates of all nationalities are encouraged to apply.