About this role
Company OverviewUpchurch is a rapidly growing, full-service building engineering company providing mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services across the southeastern United States. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Horn Lake, MS, Upchurch has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, establishing a strong reputation for quality, reliability, and service excellence. We offer end-to-end solutions—from design and installation to ongoing maintenance and emergency support—helping clients maximize building performance, energy efficiency, and equipment lifespan.
Through our Data Center Mission Critical (DC|MC) business unit, Upchurch provides specialized operations and maintenance services focused on uptime, reliability, and lifecycle performance of data center infrastructure.
This role supports colocation, hyperscale, enterprise, and edge data centers by executing disciplined preventive, corrective, and condition-based maintenance on mission-critical cooling and mechanical systems.
Position SummaryThe Lead Mission Critical Services Technician is responsible for oversight of assigned team that is maintaining, troubleshooting, pre-commissioning, and servicing mechanical and HVAC systems that directly support data center uptime and reliability. Unlike traditional comfort-cooling roles, this position operates in high-availability environments where procedural compliance, redundancy awareness, and precision execution are mandatory.
Lead Technicians schedule and support the preventive maintenance (PM), corrective maintenance (CM), and emergency response activities on mission-critical cooling based on SLAs of 2-8 hours and mechanical systems while adhering to strict Method of Procedure (MOP), safety, and change-management standards.
Key ResponsibilitiesFamiliarization of working in a data center mission critical environment.
Understanding the cooling and power infrastructure systems in data centers.
Aggressive approach in safety practices, human performance, procedural compliance, and must be detail-oriented.
Familiar with preventive and corrective maintenance on data center mechanical or electrical systems (specialized in one discipline), including but not limited to:
CRAH / CRAC units
Chilled water systems
Pumps, valves, strainers, and heat exchangers
Cooling towers, adiabatic systems, and fluid loops
DX, split, and supplemental cooling systems
Switchgear (Low Voltage and Medium Voltage)
Distribution (Switchgear, Power Distribution Units, Automatic Transfer Switch, Remote Power Panels)
Battery Systems
Rectifiers, Inverters
UPS Systems
General building mechanical and electrical
Familiar with preventive and corrective maintenance on data center mechanical or electrical systems (specialized in one discipline), including but not limited to:
Execute work through our field management system using approved MOPs, SOPs, and change-management processes.
Drive team performance, setting clear project and service contract expectations
Conduct regular check-ins to facilitate performance reviews
Maintain system redundancy and awareness of upstream/downstream impacts.
Respond to alarms, degraded performance, and emergency service calls per SLA.
Document all work, readings, inspections, and system conditions accurately.
Follow strict safety protocols (LOTO, PPE, site rules, confined space, etc.).
Participate in on-call rotations and scheduled maintenance windows.
Complete required overall company and data center specific training via Upchurch University LMS DC|MC program.
Level Differentiation & ExpectationsLevel IV – Lead Mission Critical Technician
Primary Focus: System ownership, leadership, reliability
Serves as technical authority for assigned mechanical and/or electrical systems.
Leads execution of complex MOPs, outages, and recovery procedures.
Performs advanced diagnostics and root-cause analysis.
Reviews and improves SOPs, PM scopes, and maintenance strategies.
Mentors Level I, II, and III technicians.
Interfaces directly with client operations and service management.
Supports condition-based and predictive maintenance programs.
Identifies risk, reliability gaps, and lifecycle improvement opportunities.
Typical Experience:
5+ years HVAC/mechanical experience
Strong mission-critical or data center background
Qualifications:
Required:
High school diploma or equivalent; technical/vocational training preferred
People Management experience
EPA Section 608 Certification (Universal or applicable type)
Ability to read:
P&IDs
Mechanical schedules
Electrical one-lines
Electrical panel schedules
OEM documentation
MOPs and SOPs
Valid driver’s license
Ability to work in live critical environments
Willingness to travel to support service region
Physical & Work Environment
Lift up to 50 lbs
Work in raised-floor environments, rooftops, and equipment rooms
Exposure to noise, airflow, and operational equipment
Ability to work nights, weekends, and on-call rotations
Career ProgressionUpchurch intentionally designed this role as a progressive technician pathway, supported by:
Upchurch University mission-critical curriculum
OEM training and certification
Expansion into:
SME Liquid Cooling
Service Manager
Service Director
Integrated Systems Operations roles
Benefits:
Competitive pay based on experience.
Health, dental, and vision insurance.
Paid time off and holiday pay.
Opportunities for professional development and certification assistance.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Upchurch Companies provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.