Senior Data Center Specialist - Shift Lead (Australia)

COMPANY OVERVIEW

STACK Infrastructure builds, owns, and operates hyperscale and colocation data centers that power the world’s most ambitious technology companies. With a rapidly expanding footprint across APAC, STACK combines deep development expertise, flexible capital, and operational discipline to deliver critical digital infrastructure at scale.

Our clients include the largest hyperscale cloud platforms. We are building a regional platform defined by speed of delivery, power reliability, and long-term partnership — and we are assembling the team to lead that effort.

SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE

The Senior Data Center Specialist - Shift Lead (SDCS Shift Lead) is the most senior on-shift technical authority and shift lead within the 24/7 Critical Operations team. This role leads a team of Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians, providing deep technical expertise, operational assurance, leadership in incident response and oversight of plant stability across all electrical, mechanical, controls and life-safety systems.

The SDCS Shift Lead applies high-level technical judgement, disciplined risk management, real-time plant monitoring and structured fault response. The role leads and validates the quality of work completed by Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians, enforces authorised operating boundaries and ensures critical infrastructure is operated safely, accurately and consistently.

The SDCS Shift Lead acts as the on-shift team lead and senior technical point of contact for the Critical Operations Supervisors, Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians, providing high-quality escalation context, analysis and operational recommendations.

This role directly supports STACK’s commitment to 100% uptime and a concierge-level customer service experience, ensuring risk is proactively managed, planned works are executed safely, and customer communications are clear, timely and professional.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

Critical Operations

• Uphold STACK’s 100% uptime objective by leading the on-shift team and providing advanced technical oversight, disciplined operational control and proactive plant monitoring.

• Maintain real-time situational awareness of critical electrical, mechanical and controls systems, identifying weak signals, anomalies and developing risks through BMS/EPMS and field observations.

• Act as the Shift Lead and senior technical escalation point for Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians, providing real-time guidance, diagnostic support and risk evaluation.

• Lead or support first-response incident actions for the on-shift team, including stabilisation, containment decisions, technical communication and event documentation.

• Perform advanced diagnostics on abnormal conditions, including interpretation of telemetry, protection responses, redundancy shifts and thermal behaviours.

• Verify operational readiness following maintenance, resets, system changes or commissioning activities by confirming alarms, redundancy status, load paths and control sequences.

• Provide technical direction to Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians during planned maintenance, shutdowns, functional testing and energisations to ensure safe execution aligned to SOPs, MOPs and EOPs.

• Review and provide input into risk assessments, switching plans, permit-to-work controls, isolations/LOTO and return-to-service documentation within authorised scope.

• Conduct targeted enhanced rounds focusing on redundancy health, automation behaviour, generator/UPS coordination, thermal stability and plant performance.

• Coordinate vendor activities during shift, ensuring safe execution, alignment to site requirements and correct system configuration after maintenance.

• Identify systemic risks, recurring faults, capacity constraints and design issues, and escalate to Critical Operations Supervisors, the Site Director and engineering stakeholders.

• Improve operational documentation, including SOPs, MOPs, EOPs, shift logs, CMMS data quality, handover standards and alarm-handling procedures.

• Support reliability investigations, post-event reviews and continuous improvement initiatives by providing detailed technical insights.

• Provide advanced operational expertise, oversight and technical authority. This role does not perform licensed electrical, mechanical or refrigeration work. All trade-restricted work is completed by appropriately licensed personnel or specialist contractors.

People

• Model outstanding safety behaviour, operational discipline and professional conduct as the Shift Lead across the shift.

• Lead, coach, uplift and technically mentor Senior Critical Operations Technicians and Critical Operations Technicians to strengthen team capability and execution consistency.

• Reinforce high-quality shift communication across the on-shift team, including clear escalation structures, accurate technical context and structured handovers.

• Support onboarding and technical familiarisation for new team members, clarifying operating boundaries, site safety, shift expectations and the Shift Lead escalation structure.

• Collaborate effectively with Security, Projects, Facilities and vendors to support safe and coordinated campus operations.

• Represent Critical Operations during customer visits, tours, audits and technical discussions, maintaining a concierge-level customer service approach at all times.

• Contribute practical insights and recommendations during toolbox talks, performance reviews, drills and operational meetings.

Competencies

• Advanced operational judgement in a mission-critical environment.

• Strong technical capability in electrical, mechanical and controls systems.

• Expert interpretation of plant telemetry, protection behaviour, automation sequences and redundancy models.

• Structured troubleshooting and stabilisation capability under pressure.

• Proficiency with BMS/EPMS, CMMS and operational data platforms.

• Skilled in coaching, guiding and uplifting technical capability in others.

• Strong written and verbal communication suitable for incidents and customer interactions.

• Calm, authoritative presence during alarms, escalations and operational events.

• Strong coordination and oversight skills for work control, vendor interaction and RTS verification.

• Continuous improvement mindset focused on safety, reliability and operational excellence.

Work Environment / Conditions

• The role supports a 24/7 rotating shift environment, including nights, weekends and public holidays as operationally required.

• Work occurs across data halls, plant rooms, electrical/mechanical spaces and external plant areas; PPE is required under site policy.

• Participation in emergency response, readiness exercises and incident management activities is required.

Travel Required

• Minimal travel expected; occasional travel between local STACK facilities may be required based on operational needs.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Extensive experience in data centres or other mission-critical facilities, including utilities, hospitals, Defence or industrial environments.

• Demonstrated expertise operating and monitoring critical power and cooling systems, including UPS, generators, switchgear, PDUs/PMMs, ATS/STS, CRAC/CRAH, FWU/CDU, chilled water systems, pumps, controls and fire systems.

• Strong background in inspecting, triaging and stabilising critical plant under abnormal conditions.

• Experience reviewing MOPs, SOPs, EOPs, risk assessments, switching plans and commissioning documentation.

• Ability to interpret single-line diagrams, network diagrams, automation logic, chilled water schematics and OEM manuals.

• Knowledge of permit-to-work processes, isolations/LOTO and operational risk frameworks.

• Strong written and verbal communication for technical reporting, incident updates and customer briefings.

Additional Eligibility Requirements

• Completion of STACK onboarding and required safety/compliance training.

• Ability to meet site authorisation requirements for system operation and system access.

• Physical capability to perform inspections, rounds and emergency response tasks.

• Ongoing compliance with STACK policies, procedures and behavioural standards.

Work Authorisation/Security Clearance Requirements

• Legal entitlement to work in Australia.

• Ability to satisfy pre-employment screening requirements, as applicable, including right-to-work checks, background checks and reference checks.

• Ability to meet data centre security requirements, including badging, access control and adherence to customer-mandated security protocols.

• Security clearance is not required unless specified for a customer-specific facility.

Equal Opportunity Employer

STACK provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, redundancy, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Other Duties

Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this role. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice..