Critical Facilities Lead

Critical Facilities Lead

We're looking for an experienced Critical Facilities Lead to run the day-to-day operation of the critical power and cooling infrastructure at a Houston data center. You'll lead the shift teams that keep the site running, from utility feeds through to the rack, making sure systems are maintained to standard, changes are executed safely, and incidents are handled calmly and decisively. In a facility where uptime is everything, you'll be the person on site who makes sure the infrastructure is operated right and ready for whatever comes next.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations of critical infrastructure, including utility feeds, medium and low voltage distribution, switchgear, generators, transfer switches, UPS and batteries, PDUs, chillers, CRAH/CRAC units, and BMS/EPMS platforms
• Manage, schedule, and develop a 24/7 team of critical facilities engineers and technicians, including coaching, performance reviews, and training plans
• Own preventive and predictive maintenance programs, ensuring work is completed on time, to standard, and fully documented in the CMMS
• Act as incident commander during outages, near misses, and critical alarms, and lead root cause analysis and corrective actions through to closure
• Develop, review, and enforce Methods of Procedure (MOPs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) for work on live critical systems
• Oversee change management, permit to work, and Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) to protect both people and uptime
• Support Level 1-5 commissioning for new builds and expansions, including load bank testing, integrated systems testing (IST), and equipment witness testing
• Monitor power, cooling, and capacity trends through EPMS/BMS, and use the data to forecast capacity and prevent failures
• Manage vendors and contractors, including scope, safety compliance, technical oversight, and quality of workmanship
• Coach and mentor technicians and junior engineers, building a culture of safety, discipline, and continuous improvement

Essential

• 4 years of experience in a data center, critical facility, or similar mission-critical environment, with at least 1 year in a lead or supervisory role
• Strong working knowledge of UPS systems, generators, switchgear, ATS/STS, medium voltage distribution, and chilled water or DX cooling systems
• Proven experience leading incident response in a 24/7 Tier III/IV-style environment
• Experience writing and executing MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs, and managing change in a live environment
• Solid understanding of NEC (NFPA 70), NFPA 70E, and LOTO practices
• Familiarity with BMS, EPMS, DCIM, and CMMS tools
• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills
• Excellent documentation and communication skills, with the ability to brief executives and customers clearly during high-pressure events
• Calm, decisive, and professional under pressure

Desirable

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, Facilities Management, or equivalent military or trade experience
• Journeyman or Master Electrician license (Texas), or equivalent trade background
• Certifications such as CDCP, CDFOM, CDCS, CFM, Uptime Institute ATS/AOS, or OSHA 30
• Experience with hyperscale or colocation customer environments
• Experience with high-density and liquid-cooled deployments, and their power and cooling implications
• Background in power generation, utilities, oil and gas, or the military (including nuclear or submarine operations)