Senior Data Center Analyst

The University of Southern California (USC) Information Technology Services is seeking a talented Senior Data Analyst with an exceptional commitment to excellence to join its team. As the Senior Data Analyst, you will be an integral member of the Data Center Operations and Disaster Recovery team, collaborating with diverse and talented team members to help solve multidimensional information technology problems, improve customer experience, and generate value for our campus stakeholders across a broad base of departments and constituencies.

THE TEAM

ITS has embarked on a major Digital Transformation initiative to continually improve services to faculty, staff, and students, and support USC ascent as a leading institution of higher education.  That future ITS vision aligns strategy, business, and services, affirms ITS cultural values, empowers cross-functional teamwork, embraces world-class best practices, and promotes innovation, excellence, agility, and efficiency.

To achieve that future vision, ITS is committed to providing: a modern technology infrastructure that is resilient and delivers the performance to meet demands of a growing customer base, training on the latest technologies to its highly productive and motivated workforce, outstanding customer experience, and technology services aligned with the mission of the university to benefit learning opportunities for students.

For ITS employees, the future is one where they can develop key, cutting edge skills, take pride in the services they provide, and have access to roles and career paths that align to their abilities and potential. 

We are looking for top talent to join us on our journey.

ITS CULTURE

The USC ITS organization is a diverse and talented team that supports a collaborative culture and delivers secure and innovative IT services core to the mission of USC. ITS values accountability, excellence, and commitment to exceptional customer experience. The supportive and inclusive culture encourages employees to do their best work every day. ITS strives for a culture where individuals are recognized and celebrated for their uniqueness.  USC offers the flexibility through well-being programs to help individuals lead productive and balanced lives.

ABOUT USC

USC is a leading private research university in Los Angeles – a global center for arts, technology and international business. It serves over 47,500 students primarily in the main LA campus but also in various U.S. and global satellite locations.  As Los Angeles’ largest private employer, responsible for $8 billion annually in economic activity in the region, we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment, in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills across a variety of academic schools and units. As a USC employee, you will enjoy excellent benefits as a member of the Trojan Family ‐ the faculty, staff, students and alumni who make USC a great place to work.

Come join the ITS team and work as a trusted partner in shaping an environment of innovation and excellence for the university.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The candidate for the position of Senior Data Analyst must meet the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
• Five years of DCIM and general networking experience.
• Proven experience in technical writing (e.g., schematics, design).
• Experience with on-premise hosting and colocation, and knowledge of safety policies, practices, and procedures pertaining to data center operations.
• Experience and understanding of physical infrastructure associated with temperature control and power systems, namely UPS and HVAC systems, and with network, data center, email, and/or other enterprise-wide technical consolidations.
• Demonstrated business acumen and ability to partner with senior leadership, and experience with problem research and resolution, in relation to complex technical issues and remote troubleshooting.
• Proven ability to facilitate collaborations across a broad audience of stakeholders and drive consensus in alignment with university policies, processes, and procedures.
• Proven time management and prioritization skills for efficient, logical decision-making in rapidly changing environments.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with experience presenting technical topics in a business-oriented fashion to non-technical audiences.
• Ability to develop positive working relationships and strong rapport with team members.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate for the position of Senior Data Center Analyst has the following qualifications:

• Degree in computer science, computer information systems, information technology, or relevant field; preferably Master’s.
• 7 years’ experience in IT and data center environments

WORK YOU’LL DO

Leads the planning, design, and conception of data center projects, and manages and supports data center infrastructure management solutions (DCIM). Oversees the development of business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) strategies, and leads collaborative engagement efforts with a broad range of business partners and stakeholders. Provides day-to-day support for data center operations, delivering reliable, consistent service to a broad range of customers, partners, and key stakeholders from academic and administrative units. Collects and documents requirements, and assembles network and computer hardware. Supports the planning, implementation, security, maintenance, and repair of Data Center equipment. Demonstrates ITS values in action.

Job Accountabilities:

• Leads the planning, design, and conception of data center projects, and manages and supports data center infrastructure management solutions (DCIM). Manages data and security configurations, monitors computing performance, and maintains system firmware and software. Oversees the development of business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) strategies, and the creation, accuracy, and maintenance of diagrams, schematics, and documentation of resources (e.g., serial numbers, locations.) Aids in the collection and documentation of data requirements, provides expertise to relevant stakeholders, and ensures equipment, power, space, and bandwidth meet their needs.
• Assembles computer hardware, ensures compliance with policies and procedures, and provides frontline troubleshooting when disruptions occur. Maintains reliable and secure computing environments, and closely monitors temperature control and power systems. Audits and maintains equipment, and prepares performance reports as required. Stays current with emerging server and network technologies and leading-edge practices, and makes recommendations for adoption where relevant.  Supports staff development and leads collaborative, productive, and comprehensive engagement efforts with students, faculty, staff, and other partners and stakeholders to solve issues. Utilizes leading practices to effectively anticipate, prioritize, analyze, and articulate problems, evaluate and document problem alternatives, manage constraints, and suggest interim and long-term solutions.
• Develops skills, knowledge and abilities, implementing effective solutions for ITS and to support the data center operations and disaster recovery teams’ visions and decision-making. Aids the cultivation of an inclusive, transparent culture and environment, sharing information broadly, and deliberately, and actively embodies ITS values and behaviors (e.g., accountability, ethics, best-in-class customer service). Builds and maintains strong, collaborative relationships with diverse groups of peers, customers, and leaders to understand current and future business needs, and to ensure consistent, reliable service is delivered to a range of university stakeholders.