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Data center jobs · Critical facilities and operations

Critical Environment Technician job

What a critical environment technician does day to day, the 12-hour shift and on-call schedule, NFPA 70E and EPA 608, and how Navy nuclear, electrician's mates, electricians and HVAC techs get hired.

By Czarina Tabayoyong, Founder, Critical Path Hiring

Last reviewed · First published

Reviewed as terms, pay and markets change.

The job

A critical environment technician maintains the power and cooling equipment that keeps a data center running, including UPS systems, generators, switchgear and chillers. The work follows written procedures called MOPs.

A typical day

  • Review open work and alarms at the start of the shift
  • Watch the building management system and power monitoring for alarms
  • Walk the electrical and mechanical rooms and log readings
  • Carry out planned maintenance on UPS systems, generators, switchgear and chillers by following the MOP
  • Respond to alarms with the emergency procedure and escalate to the facility manager and vendors
  • Write up what happened after a failure

Location and schedule

Inside a live data center, in the electrical and mechanical rooms. The schedule is rotating 12-hour shifts and on-call.

Skills and certifications

Required

  • Working on UPS systems, generators, switchgear and chillers
  • Following MOPs

Helpful

  • NFPA 70E
  • EPA 608

Routes in

Military veterans (Navy nuclear, electrician's mates), electricians and HVAC techs move into this role.

Next roles

This role leads to critical facilities engineer or shift lead.

Pay

Pay varies by market and level, and the current ranges are in our data center salary guide.

Questions

What is the schedule for a critical environment technician?
Rotating 12-hour shifts, and on-call time.
What certifications help a critical environment technician?
NFPA 70E and EPA 608 help. The required experience is working on UPS systems, generators, switchgear and chillers, and following MOPs.
How do I become a critical environment technician?
Military veterans from Navy nuclear and electrician's mate ratings, electricians and HVAC techs move into the role. Critical facilities engineer and shift lead are the next steps.

Next steps