Data Center Manager

Requisition Id 15352 

Overview:  

The Field Intelligence Operations Division (FIOD) invites candidates to apply to join the team as a Data Center Manager and technical expert in support of classified computing capabilities to support classified programs throughout the FIOD.  This position will require you to apply leadership expertise coupled with technical proficiency to sustain and maintain safety, security, and operational functionality throughout each data center. This position combines advanced technical skills with strategic management and strict adherence to security protocols. We are looking for candidates with extensive experience with daily data center operations within a secure government environment, requiring adherence to strict security protocols, managing cleared personnel, and maintaining compliance with government regulations. Key responsibilities include managing physical and information security, overseeing IT infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, coordinating with various teams and vendors, and handling emergency incidents while maintaining detailed records and communicating effectively. 

Purpose:

A data center manager is a professional responsible for overseeing data center operations. They ensure the efficient running of servers, storage, network, and hardware systems in data centers while maintaining uptime and ensuring equipment is performing optimally. As part of our team, you will be joining a vibrant group of professionals eager to provide premier customer service to ensure people and information technology remain secure. The team is collaborative and strives to ensure security practices and procedures are understood, implemented, and enforced.

Major duties and responsibilities:

• Operations Management: Direct daily data center operations, ensuring the stability, availability, and integrity of IT infrastructure, including servers, storage, networking, and power.
• Security and compliance management: Implement and enforce rigorous security policies and compliance frameworks adhering to DOE, DOD, and IC compliance policies and orders for all data center assets.
• Resource and budget management: Oversee the department's budget for hardware, software, and staffing. They manage resource allocation, job scheduling, and load balancing to maximize the efficiency of HPC systems.
• Team supervision and mentorship: Lead and mentor a team of engineers and administrators, providing technical guidance and evaluating performance. The manager ensures their team has the necessary skills to support the organization's computing needs.
• Strategic planning and project management: Develop long-term strategic plans for the computing environment and lead technical projects from conception to completion. This includes planning for hardware upgrades, new technology implementations, and system performance enhancements.
• Performance optimization and troubleshooting: Monitor system performance, identify bottlenecks, and resolve complex hardware, software, or network issues to minimize downtime. They oversee the optimization of the system for better performance and utilization.
• Technical Oversight: Oversee the installation, maintenance, and upgrades of hardware, software, and network components. 
• Compliance and Documentation: Ensure all operations comply with government regulations and maintain accurate records and detailed documentation of the data center environment. 
• Customer/Stakeholder Relations: Coordinate with internal and external customers, vendors, and other government agencies to meet business needs. 
• Incident Response: Be available to respond to emergency and urgent needs, managing outages and troubleshooting complex technical problems.
  
  

  Basic Requirements: 

• Current TS clearance with SCI eligibility
• Bachelor’s degree in information technology or technical equivalent and a minimum of eight years of experience in high performance computing or related environments. A combination of equivalent education and experience may be considered.
• Strong understanding of IT infrastructure, including compute, storage, networking, and security systems. 
• Extensive experience in classified environments is necessary, along with a thorough understanding of security policies and protocols.
• Proven success in a supervisory or management role within a technical team is a must. This includes experience in project management and talent development.
• Experience in interpreting and implementing government security requirements, managing security operations, and overseeing projects. 
• Ability to troubleshoot complex technical and security issues and develop mitigation strategies for risks and single points of failure. 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills are essential for collaborating with technical teams, researchers, and executive leadership. 

Desired Skills:

• Recent and demonstrated leadership experience within the DoD or Intelligence Community with emphasis on diverse technical environments.

• High-performance computing (HPC) specialization such as cluster management, parallel computing, and performance optimization.

• Hardware and software: The ability to deploy, administer, and monitor hardware and software components, from bare-metal installation to application troubleshooting, is a core responsibility. 

• Information technology (IT) specialization such as systems architecture with proven experience in design, deployment, and maintenance; networking fundamentals, protocol and design, and cloud and virtualization technologies.
• Security and compliance for classified environments

• Security policies and frameworks: A solid understanding of accreditation frameworks (e.g., NIST 800-53, RMF, and JSIG), compliance policies, and security threats is critical.
• Implementation: Experience implementing and managing security infrastructure, countermeasures, and tools is essential for safeguarding classified information

Special Requirement: 

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance from the Department of Energy. As such, this position is a Workplace Substance Abuse (WSAP) testing designated position. WSAP positions require passing a pre-placement drug test and participation in an ongoing random drug testing program.  In addition, due to the SCI, you may also be subject to random polygraph testing. 

Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements:
For employment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a Real ID compliant form of identification will be required.  Additionally, ORNL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which requires a favorable post-employment background investigation.

To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete and pass a Federal Tier 1 background check investigation.  This investigation includes a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last year.  This includes marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

For foreign national candidates:
If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) risk determination to maintain employment.  Once you meet the three-year residency requirement, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment.  

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply.  UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.