Guide

How to get a data center electrician job

For apprentices, journeymen and electricians coming from residential or commercial work.

Data centers are some of the biggest electrical projects being built anywhere. A single campus can need hundreds of electricians during construction, then a smaller permanent crew to keep the power running 24/7 once it opens. That means two very different kinds of jobs.

The two kinds of data center electrical work

• Construction. Building the site: conduit, cable pulls, switchgear, busway, generators, UPS systems and terminations. You'll work for an electrical contractor, often with lots of overtime, and move from project to project.
• Operations ("critical facilities"). Keeping a finished data center running: inspections, maintenance on UPS, generators and switchgear, responding to alarms, following strict procedures. Usually steadier hours, shift work, and long-term jobs with the data center company or a facilities firm.

What employers look for

• A license or apprenticeship progress for the state you're in (journeyman for most construction roles; some operations roles take strong experience instead).
• Commercial or industrial experience: three-phase power, switchgear, large conduit and cable.
• Safety training. OSHA 10 or 30 and NFPA 70E (arc flash) come up a lot.
• Comfort following procedures. Data centers can't go down, so careful, by-the-book work matters more than speed.
• Reliable transportation and the ability to pass a background check and drug screen. Many sites have strict security.

How to get hired

1. Pick a lane: construction (contractors) or operations (data center companies). Your résumé should match the one you choose.
2. Put the right words on your résumé: switchgear, UPS, generators, ATS, busway, three-phase, NFPA 70E, lockout/tagout, and the size of projects you've worked on.
3. Apply to the big electrical contractors directly. Firms that build data centers hire constantly, and many hire apprentices.
4. Consider the union. In many areas, IBEW locals supply a large share of data center electricians. Apprenticeships are paid while you train.
5. Get one data center project on your résumé. After the first one, the next jobs come much easier, including higher-paying operations roles.

Where the jobs are

The largest clusters are in Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Dallas–Fort Worth, Atlanta and Chicago, with new campuses going up in many other states. Many electricians travel for these projects.

This guide is general information, not legal or licensing advice. License rules differ by state, so check your state's licensing board.