Datacentre Specialist (IT)

The Opportunity As a Data Centre Specialist, you will be a subject matter expert supporting the Parliamentary Digital Services estate of datacentres and comms rooms across the estate comprising of 3 DCs 2, on premise and one-off premise, 100+ comms rooms. The specialist will support the maintenance and development of Parliament's data centres, communications rooms and underlying digital infrastructure so that they are highly available, secure and fit-for-purpose for the Parliament's requirements. This will be including capacity and demand planning of electrical power, space and network port connectivity. The role is to manage the full datacentre lifecycle management i.e. from cradle to grave of the environments that host our physical assets. raises change requests to communicate forthcoming major changes within datacentres that may be impacting to other teams such as networks or the cafes and therefore reduce or eliminate conflicts between changes and the houses when sitting. maintenance / Installation - In consultation with other teams, plans, schedules, implements, and supervises all maintenance and installation work associated with the Parliamentary Building Infrastructure services, including major configuration changes, upgrades, environmental and electrical services, ensuring that safety and security procedures are followed. security - Advises on and assists with the assessment of the potential impact of specific planned technical changes, to help ensure that potential compromise or weakening of existing security controls is minimised. Also assists in the evaluation, testing and implementation of such changes. design / Standards - Influences design and development of new and changed systems and services to optimise operational efficiency. Contributes to definition of associated standards and techniques. Recommends operational and maintenance acceptance of new systems and services. audit - Auditing the environments to check and ensure the physical environment is accurately represented in the IT systems i.e. DCIM, rack elevations etc. monitoring - Monitors service providers, service quality and health & safety; monitors maintenance standards. procedures - Ensures that procedures and working practices for the efficient and effective running of all tasks associated with operating and controlling the installed hardware and software are developed and maintained. What You Need Experience of working in a data centre environment which can be from, co-location or on-premise comms room management background using an IT Service Management system such as SERVICENOW raising service requests to raise and work to established process for all datacentre requests and preferably has datacentre relevant training i.e. CDCTP, CDCDP or similar. The datacentre experience should include working with cooling calculations, generators, power calculations, highly available services and capacity planning. Deployment (rack and stack) of servers, firewalls, switches, cabling, patching, labelling, racks and active equipment including in rack ATS & UPS devices. Comfortable to raise change requests in line with the change process accurately and succinctly and present the change at the weekly CAB. Comfortable with using ITSM tool.Knowledge in racking and stacking DC hardware, cabling and powering up and maintaining associated documentation i.e. on SHAREPOINT such as rack elevations and patching schedules amongst others. Basic experience in installations, adds, changes and decommissions of IT Hardware e.g. IBM, DELL, HP, CISCO etc. Preparing end of life and obsolete IT Assets for disposal and reconciliation.Experience in basic troubleshooting, configuring, and monitoring the environmental solutions by the relevant products and vendors within data centre and communications rooms. experienced in creating and maintaining high-quality documentation and procedures, including patching schedules, rack elevations, and work instructions for data centre relocations. Auditing the environments to check for accuracy of the data against the physical environment. Ensuring anomalies, omissions and data errors are captured, and corrected in a timely manner. Managing health and safety, risks, faults, and alarms through appropriate channels to resolution. ability to work successfully within a team, whilst upholding the values of equality, diversity and inclusion. Able to manage a shift rota and a handover in times of absence (annual leave or sickness etc). Working with 3rd party vendors through the correct channels such as PLANON in relation to datacentres to ensure timely delivery of works to a high standard. experience of working independently, planning, and prioritising based on business need in a rapidly changing environment. Able to attend weekend works where it necessitates to support building powerdowns, electrical maintenance and similar works. using the PLANON application and SERVICENOW to log and report issues such as cooling, power, security, cleanliness, porterage and other requirements so as to ensure there is a log for all faults, alarms, health and safety issues as stated in Criterion 3 highly desirable - Awareness of the datacentre standards such as ISO 11081 or TIA 942. the ability to pass security clearance, backed by the right to work in the UK About The Team Datacentres are mission critical facilities that require a specially trained team to manage and operate them. The datacentre is the foundation and backbone to the IT Stack (ISO 7 Layer model.) The team is comprised of engineers and specialists skilled, knowledgeable and experienced in managing datacentres and comms rooms. The primary responsibility is to manage the day-to-day operations of datacentres and associated comms rooms ensuring their uptime, availability and security. This will include tasks and activities such as access requests, smart hands, logistics, IMACD, Disposal of decommissioned PDS IT assets, maintaining documentation and systems associated to the role. About Us UK Parliament is steeped in history and tradition. It is an important part of UK life and we need to ensure as many people as possible can engage with its work. This is why we are at the start of a huge transformation programme powered by technology. The Parliamentary Digital Service (PDS) works with the House of Commons and the House of Lords with all their IT and digital needs. We are here to realise the digital ambitions of a modern Parliament and welcome you to join us in building a digital democracy. Our Package Please refer to our Candidate Information Pack for a full list of our benefits which include: up to 35 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays generous maternity pay policy up to 6 months full pay great pension scheme options (contributory and non-contributory) on-site subsidised gym, nursery, catering, post office, travel office and GP flexible options including hybrid working and family friendly policies How To Apply Please make sure you're clear on the requirements of the role. These can be found in the Job Description and Candidate Information Pack. You will need to upload a CV and show how you meet criterions 1,2 and 3. Our application process is anonymous, so please remove any personal information from your CV. Apply By: Interviews: 07/07/2025 Format: Presentation + Panel Interview (Remote) Our Culture For our people, we provide an amazing opportunity to bring their talents to an institution that sits right at the heart of society in the UK. We are helping to change UK Parliament and strengthen democracy. What matters here is your potential for growth and your commitment to playing your part in our ongoing success. We are passionate about providing an environment which promotes inclusion, diversity and equality. Regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, beliefs or any of the other things that make you, you. We welcome applications from people who feel under-represented in the workforce. This includes those who may feel disadvantaged because of their socioeconomic circumstances.