Senior Mechanical Commissioning Lead – Data Center Projects

Senior Mechanical Commissioning Lead – Data Center Projects

Location: California, San Jose

Salary Banding: $140,000 - $170,000 per annum significant bonus (25-40%)

Note: Compensation is highly competitive and commensurate with experience leading mechanical commissioning on hyperscale or multi-building campus projects.

About the Role:

This is a senior, mechanical-focused leadership role for a Commissioning Lead who eats, sleeps, and breathes HVAC, cooling towers, chillers, CRAHUs, and liquid-to-air heat rejection systems. You will not just manage the schedule—you will lead the technical execution of all mechanical commissioning (Levels 1-5) for multi-million dollar hyperscale data center developments. You will be the senior authority on mechanical system resilience, redundancy, and thermal performance, reporting directly to the overall Cx Program Manager.

Key Responsibilities (Mechanical Focus):

• Lead Mechanical Cx Program: Own the end-to-end mechanical commissioning strategy, including chilled water plants, DX systems, economization modes, and BMS/controls integration from a mechanical perspective.
• Technical Authority for Refrigeration & Airflow: Serve as the single point of accountability for all mechanical FPT (Functional Performance Testing) and IST (Integrated Systems Testing), specifically simulating chiller failures, pump losses, cooling tower outages, and supply/return air pressure differentials.
• Factory & Field Leadership: Direct all Mechanical Level 2 (FWT) activities at OEM facilities (chillers, AHUs, pumps) and lead Level 3/4 construction observation, start-up, and functional testing across the mechanical plant.
• Failure Simulation & Resilience: Design and execute mechanical-specific failover scenarios (N 1, N 2 redundancy) to prove system stability under simulated live IT loads, including sequence validation for automated cutovers.
• Team & Vendor Management: Lead a team of mechanical Cx engineers, agents, and subcontractors. Manage mechanical balancing contractors, TAB (Testing, Adjusting, Balancing) specialists, and controls integrators.
• Safety & Quality Compliance: Enforce rigorous LOTO (Lockout/Tagout), hot work, and pressure testing safety protocols specific to mechanical and plumbing systems.
• Operations Handover: Lead the mechanical training program for client facility operations staff on system sequences, maintenance bypasses, and emergency mechanical interventions.
• Documentation Ownership: Implement and manage mechanical Cx software tools (e.g., BIM 360, CxAlloy) to track all test scripts, deviations, and resolution logs.

Qualifications & Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (or related HVAC-focused discipline).
• 7 years of total experience in mission-critical construction (data centers, hospitals, tier-3 manufacturing), with at least 4 years specifically leading mechanical commissioning for large data centers (>10MW).
• Mandatory – Deep mechanical expertise across Commissioning Levels 1-5:
• Level 1: Submittal reviews (chiller selections, pump curves, valve schedules, pipe stress).
• Level 2: Factory Witness Testing of mechanical plant (chiller performance, vibration analysis, control panel function).
• Level 3: Construction observation (pipe cleanliness, flushing, hydrostatic testing, refrigerant charging).
• Level 4: Functional Performance Testing (FPT) – chilled water reset, free cooling/economizer modes, condenser water loop, VFD control sequences.
• Level 5: Integrated Systems Testing (IST) – chiller plant failure/restart, generator load bank testing with mechanical loads, and BMS alarm response.
• Hands-on experience with: Centrifugal chillers, dry coolers, adiabatic/economizer systems, CRAHUs/EC fans, variable primary/secondary pumping, and BMS points validation (Niagara, Tridium, or similar).
• Proven ability to read and redline: Mechanical P&IDs, control diagrams, and sequence of operations.

Highly Desirable:

• Certified Commissioning Professional (CCP) or ACG Commissioning Authority (CxA) – Mechanical focus.
• OSHA 30 or equivalent safety certification.
• Experience with liquid cooling (direct-to-chip, rear-door heat exchangers) for high-density AI/ML racks.
• Working knowledge of electrical Cx (to enable integrated testing with mechanical loads).

Benefits & Perks:

• Highly competitive package: Base Bonus (25-40%) LTIP/Equity.
• Full executive benefits: Premium health, life, and disability insurance for entire family.
• Company truck or generous monthly allowance (field travel required).
• Discretionary annual leave with executive travel perks.
• Membership to ASHRAE, BCxA, and sponsorship for LEED/PE licensure.
• Strategic technical leadership role with direct impact on PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) and client uptime.