Network Operations Center (NOC) Operator
Voltage Park · Chicago, IL
- On site
- Full-time
- $85,000 / year
- Chicago, IL
Job highlights
- Monitor data center systems and respond to alerts.
- Triage and escalate issues using defined procedures.
- Manage incident tickets and document system status.
- Learn AI infrastructure and data center operations.
- Opportunity for growth into technical roles.
About the role
About Lightning AI & Voltage Park
Lightning AI is the company behind PyTorch Lightning, building an end-to-end platform for developing, training, and deploying AI systems. Through our merger with Voltage Park, a neocloud and AI Factory, we combine developer-first software with large-scale, cost-efficient compute infrastructure.
Our data centers power cutting-edge AI workloads, and our operations team ensures these systems remain reliable, observable, and performant at all times.
About The Role
We are seeking a Network Operations Center (NOC) Operator to join our overnight operations team at our Puyallup data center. This is an entry-level role focused on monitoring, alert triage, and escalation.
In this role, you will serve as the first line of response, ensuring that system alerts are acknowledged, validated, and routed to the appropriate teams. You will follow structured runbooks and workflows to support reliable operations across our infrastructure.
This is a great opportunity for someone looking to start a career in data center operations, networking, or infrastructure, with exposure to advanced AI systems and hands-on learning opportunities over time.
This role is fully on-site in Lisle, Illinois, and the pay band is $75,000 - $85,000.
What You Will Do
Monitoring & Alert Response
- Monitor data center systems using dashboards and alerting tools
- Acknowledge and triage alerts across compute, network, and hardware systems
- Identify and filter out false positives using predefined guidelines
Triage & Escalation
- Follow structured runbooks to perform initial validation steps (e.g., running diagnostic scripts or checking system status)
- Escalate issues to the appropriate teams (hardware, network, SRE) based on clear escalation criteria
- Notify relevant stakeholders during active incidents
Ticketing & Coordination
- Create, update, and manage tickets with accurate and timely information
- Attach relevant logs, diagnostics, and observations to support faster resolution
- Track incidents to ensure proper ownership and handoff
Operational Awareness
- Identify recurring alerts or patterns and report them to improve monitoring and reliability
- Maintain awareness of ongoing incidents and system status during your shift
Growth And Learning Opportunities
- Gain exposure to large-scale AI and HPC infrastructure, including GPU-based systems
- Learn the fundamentals of data center operations, networking, and system reliability
- Opportunities to assist with hands-on data center tasks such as hardware checks, inspections, and basic support activities under guidance
Pathways To Grow Into Roles Such As
- Data Center Technician
- Network Operations Engineer
- Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)
Key skills/competency
- Network Operations Center (NOC) Operator
- Data Center Operations
- AI Infrastructure
- System Monitoring
- Alert Triage
- Incident Management
- Runbooks
- System Reliability
- Networking Fundamentals
- Linux Systems
Skills & topics
- Network Operations Center
- NOC Operator
- Data Center Operations
- IT Operations
- System Monitoring
- Alert Triage
- Incident Management
- Entry-Level IT
- AI Infrastructure
- Voltage Park
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight any IT, Linux, or monitoring tool experience, academic or personal.
- Showcase your skills: Emphasize attention to detail, communication, and ability to follow procedures.
- Prepare for the interview: Be ready to discuss your problem-solving approach and eagerness to learn.
- Understand the environment: Research data center operations and AI infrastructure for informed questions.
- Express your ambition: Clearly articulate your interest in growing within data center or network operations.
Technical preparation
Familiarize yourself with Linux command line basics.,Understand basic networking concepts (IP, DNS, ports).,Review common monitoring tools like Grafana or Datadog.,Practice documenting technical issues clearly and concisely.
Behavioral questions
Describe a time you followed a strict procedure.,How do you handle stressful, fast-paced situations?,How do you prioritize multiple urgent tasks?,Tell me about a mistake and how you learned.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the typical working hours for a NOC Operator at Voltage Park?
- The Network Operations Center (NOC) Operator role at Voltage Park is part of an overnight operations team, requiring availability for all shifts as per business needs. This means you should be prepared to work nights and potentially weekends as part of a 24/7 environment.
- Is prior experience with AI systems required for the NOC Operator role?
- No, prior experience with AI systems is not strictly required. While exposure to AI and HPC infrastructure is a benefit and a learning opportunity, the role is entry-level and focuses on monitoring, triage, and escalation using defined procedures. Academic or personal experience with computers and Linux is sufficient to start.
- What kind of career growth can I expect as a NOC Operator at Voltage Park?
- This entry-level NOC Operator position offers significant growth opportunities. You'll gain hands-on experience with large-scale AI infrastructure and data center operations, with clear pathways to roles such as Data Center Technician, Network Operations Engineer, or Site Reliability Engineer (SRE).
- What does 'entry-level' mean for this NOC Operator position at Voltage Park?
- For this Network Operations Center (NOC) Operator role, 'entry-level' means that formal professional experience in data center operations is not a prerequisite. Basic familiarity with computers, Linux, or IT environments is sufficient, and the company provides structured training and runbooks to help you succeed.
- What is the pay range for the NOC Operator position at Voltage Park?
- The stated pay band for the Network Operations Center (NOC) Operator position at Voltage Park is between $75,000 and $85,000 annually.
- Is the NOC Operator role at Voltage Park remote or on-site?
- The NOC Operator role at Voltage Park is a fully on-site position, located at their production data center in Lisle, Illinois.