Datacenter Technician

Job Title: Datacenter Technician

Job Location: Rockdale, TX

Job Type: Contract

Pay Range: $52.92hr - $55.86hr

Job Overview:

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Contract Worker to support the installation, maintenance, and operational support of next-generation liquid-cooled AI rack infrastructure in a high-density datacenter environment. The ideal candidate will have direct hands-on experience with Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) systems, high-density compute platforms including AMD Instinct GPU compute trays and EPYC server nodes and the physical plant systems (CDUs, manifolds, busbar, networking fabric) required to sustain racks operating at up to 246 kW per rack.

This role supports AMD Helios-class rack-scale AI infrastructure: open-standard double-wide (ORW) racks housing compute trays (4 AMD Instinct MI455X GPUs + 1 EPYC Venice CPU each) and switch trays interconnected via a UALink / Ethernet fabric. The technician performs hands-on tray-level service, cooling system operations, firmware cycling, and physical cabling to sustain continuous availability of production AI training and inference workloads.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Liquid Cooling Operations

• Operate, monitor, and maintain Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) including flow rate management (target: ~385 L/min per rack system), temperature setpoints, and alarm response.
• Install, replace, and pressure-test blind-mate quick-disconnect (QD) connectors on compute and switch trays without interrupting adjacent rack cooling circuits.
• Perform leak detection, containment, and remediation in accordance with site EHS protocols.
• Maintain secondary loop plumbing (supply/return manifolds, flexible hose assemblies, isolation valves); coordinate with facilities for primary loop support.
• Support rack-level thermal assessments; contribute to coolant quality monitoring (pH, conductivity, biocide levels).

High-Density Rack & Server Hardware

• Install and service AMD Helios-class compute trays (~77 kg each; 576 differential connections) using approved lift equipment and torque specifications.
• Install and service switch trays (1,728 connections; ~310 kg insertion force) using lever-assist handles per OEM guidance.
• Replace field-replaceable units (FRUs): AMD Instinct MI450/MI455X GPU modules, HBM4 memory, EPYC CPU+DIMM assemblies, NVMe drives, power modules, and fan trays.
• Execute rack-level hot-swap operations on busbar and power shelf components following LOTO and high-voltage DC (HVDC) safety procedures.

Networking & Fabric Infrastructure

• Patch and manage fiber/copper connections within the Broadcom Tomahawk 6-based switch fabric supporting single-hop, multi-plane GPU-to-GPU interconnect.
• Validate optical power budgets and verify high-speed links following tray moves, adds, or changes.
• Coordinate with network engineering for fabric topology changes and UALink / UEC configuration validation.

Monitoring, Diagnostics & Firmware

• Use BMC/Redfish/IPMI tools to monitor GPU and CPU health, review system event logs, and identify hardware faults proactively.
• Execute firmware update workflows (BIOS/UEFI, BMC, NIC, GPU firmware) following approved change management processes.
• Run AMD ROCm-based diagnostic utilities (rocm-smi, GPU benchmarks) to validate compute readiness post-maintenance.
• Interface with DCIM and BMS platforms (e.g., Schneider EcoStruxure, Motivair CDU telemetry) to track PUE, coolant flow, and rack-level power draw (up to 246 kW/rack).

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate asset inventory, maintenance logs, and incident records in the CMDB/ticketing system.
• Follow EHS, physical security, and datacenter access procedures at all times.
• Contribute to runbooks, SOP updates, and lessons-learned documentation after significant incidents or deployments.
• Participate in on-call rotation for after-hours critical hardware incidents.

REQUIRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• Liquid Cooling Systems: Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), CDU operation, rear-door HX, manifold & distribution plumbing Required.
• Blind-Mate Quick-Disconnects: Installation, replacement, and leak-testing of QD connectors under operational rack conditions Required.
• High-Density Rack Platforms: OCP Open Rack / ORW form factor (AMD Helios-class); double-wide rack mechanics up to 246 kW Required.
• GPU Compute Infrastructure: AMD Instinct MI450/MI455X or NVIDIA equivalent; OAM/SXM mezzanine hardware; HBM4 awareness Required.
• EPYC Server Hardware: AMD EPYC (SP5/SP7) platforms; DIMM installation; BIOS/UEFI familiarity Required.
• Electrical Safety (HV DC): Hot-plug busbar systems, 48V/400V DC bus awareness, LOTO procedures Required.
• Fiber & High-Speed Networking: QSFP-DD/OSFP optics, DAC/AOC cable management, fabric interconnect (UALink, InfiniBand, RoCE) Required.
• Physical Infrastructure: Rack installation, torque specs, cable management, PDU work, grounding Required.
• BMC / IPMI / Redfish: Out-of-band management, firmware updates, power cycling, event log review Required.
• AMD ROCm Software Stack: Basic familiarity with rocm-smi, GPU health checks, diagnostic tooling Preferred.
• OCP / Open Standards: OCP Open Rack, UALink, UEC familiarity; open telemetry standards Preferred.
• DCIM / BMS Tools: Schneider EcoStruxure, Motivair, Vertiv, or equivalent DCIM / facility monitoring Preferred.
• Certifications: BICSI RCDD/DCIS, CompTIA Server+, ASHRAE Class A4/W5 awareness, vendor certs (AMD, HPE, Dell) Plus.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum: 4 5 years in a datacenter infrastructure or datacenter operations (DCO) technician role

Must Have

• 4+ years hands-on experience with Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) systems in production datacenter environments, including CDU operation and coolant loop maintenance.
• 4+ years experience with enterprise server hardware installation and break/fix servicing at component level (CPU, DIMM, GPU, storage, NIC).
• Demonstrated experience with high-density rack platforms ( 20 kW/rack) including cabling, power distribution, and liquid-cooling integration.
• Proven ability to follow and enforce LOTO, EHS, and physical security procedures in a critical facility environment.
• Experience with out-of-band server management (BMC, IPMI, Redfish, iDRAC, iLO, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with high-speed fiber optics (LC/MPO, QSFP-DD/OSFP) including cleaning, inspection, and patch panel management.

Strongly Preferred

• 2+ years experience with GPU compute infrastructure (AMD Instinct, NVIDIA HGX, or equivalent OAM/SXM form factors).
• Experience with AMD EPYC server platforms (1P/2P) including BIOS, memory population, and diagnostic procedures.
• Familiarity with OCP Open Rack / ORW standards and open datacenter architectures.
• Exposure to AI or HPC datacenter deployments with cluster-scale interconnects (InfiniBand, Ethernet RoCE, or UALink).
• Working knowledge of AMD ROCm software stack for hardware validation tasks.

Nice to Have

• BICSI RCDD, DCIS, or equivalent datacenter infrastructure certification.
• CompTIA Server+, Linux+, or similar vendor/industry certifications.
• Experience with Schneider Electric EcoStruxure, Motivair, or Vertiv CDU/DCIM platforms.
• Familiarity with change management frameworks (ITIL) and CMDB tooling (ServiceNow or equivalent).

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to lift and maneuver equipment up to 50 lbs (23 kg) unassisted; team-lift required for compute trays (~77 kg) and switch trays (~120 kg with tooling).
• Ability to stand, bend, kneel, and work in confined rack spaces for extended periods.
• Comfort working in raised-floor and hot/cold-aisle-contained datacenter environments.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to handle fine connectors, optical fibers, and small form-factor electronics.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position is on-site at a high-density AI datacenter facility operating AMD Helios-class rack-scale infrastructure. Racks operate at up to 246 kW with fully liquid-cooled compute and switch trays. The environment involves high electrical density, pressurized coolant loops, heavy mechanical components, and stringent physical security controls. Candidates must be comfortable in this environment and committed to strict adherence to safety protocols.

Typical schedule is Monday Friday with participation in an on-call rotation for critical-path incidents outside standard business hours. Shift work may be required during large-scale deployments or datacenter expansions.

ABOUT THIS ENGAGEMENT

This is a contract worker (CW) engagement. The position does not carry employee benefits or implied conversion guarantees unless separately agreed in writing. The CW will be engaged through an approved staffing agency and will work under the direction of the datacenter operations team. All work will be performed on-site at the designated AMD datacenter facility.

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• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Disability Insurance (Short-Term and Long-Term)
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Paid Sick Leave (where required by applicable state or local law)
• Supplemental Insurance Plans
• Identity Theft Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Employee Wellness Programs
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Career Growth and Professional Development Opportunities