From Data Centre Operator to Facilities and IT Technician in Australia
A step up the ladder, typically 12 months.
Skills to build
What a Facilities and IT Technician needs beyond a Data Centre Operator.
White space and IT hardware
- Build cages, trays and cabinets Up to Independent
- Carry out remote-hands requests Up to Independent
- Decommission equipment and handle media Up to Independent
- Install and test a cross-connect Up to Independent
- Keep hot and cold aisles right Up to Independent
- Patch and trace cabling Up to Independent
- Rack and stack equipment Up to Independent
- Receive and install an integrated rack-scale system Independent
- Certify a fibre circuit Assisted
- Keep cable-plant and circuit records Assisted
- Terminate and splice fibre Assisted
- Work in the meet-me room Assisted
Physical access and security
- Escort visitors and contractors Up to Independent
- Work under the two-person rule Independent
Procedures and documents
- Follow a standard operating procedure (SOP) Up to Independent
- Carry out a method of procedure (MOP) Assisted
- Complete work orders and maintenance records Assisted
- Keep the shift log and hand over Assisted
Site safety
- Move equipment and handle loads safely Up to Independent
- Assess risk and plan safe work Assisted
- Work at height Assisted
- Work under a permit to work Assisted
Emergency response
- Report an incident or near miss Independent
- Use a portable fire extinguisher Independent
- Rescue from a live electrical incident Assisted
- Respond to a spill or leak Assisted
Monitoring and response
- Walk the rounds and take readings Up to Independent
- Triage DCIM and BMS alarms Assisted
UPS and batteries
- Battery room safety Assisted
LV distribution
- Connect rack power and busway Assisted
- Read loads and capacity Assisted
- Trace the power path and its redundancy Assisted
- Work on in-rack DC busbars and power shelves Assisted
Systems and virtualisation
- Diagnose a fault to a field-replaceable unit in a rack-scale system Assisted
- Use the Linux and Windows command line Aware
Safe isolation
- Isolate and lock out a single energy source Assisted
- Prove dead before touching Assisted
- Remove isolations and restore plant Assisted
Cooling plant
- Psychrometrics and the thermal envelope Assisted
BMS and fire
- Respond to a fire alarm Assisted
Commissioning
- Work in a site that is part live and part under construction Assisted
Power transfer and generation
- Respond to a utility failure Aware
Liquid cooling
- Connect and disconnect a rack’s liquid loop Assisted, desirable
- Liquid-cooled IT and its loops Assisted, desirable
- Respond to a coolant leak or a CDU failure Assisted, desirable
Licences it adds
- The licence of the state or territory where the site is · Preferred
- NSW Qualified supervisor certificate (electrical wiring work), NSW
- VIC Electrician’s licence (A Grade), Victoria
- QLD Electrical work licence (electrical mechanic), Queensland
- WA Electrician’s licence, Western Australia
- SA Electrical worker registration, South Australia
- TAS Electrical practitioner licence (electrician), Tasmania
- ACT Electrician licence (unrestricted), ACT
- NT Electrical work licence (unrestricted electrical mechanic), NT
Not legal advice: check with the regulator for your state.
Questions about data centre careers? Ask about data centre careers
Sources and licences
- Critical Facilities reference framework © Facility Labs. (CC BY 4.0)
- Units of competency from training.gov.au, © Commonwealth of Australia, captured 2026.10. Kept as published. (Training package content, © Commonwealth of Australia: kept as published, no adapted copies)
- Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, OSCA – Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0, and its correspondence to ISCO-08. CC BY 4.0. (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International)