Senior Controls Architect for Hyperscale Data Centres

Zerra DC; Western Downs Regional; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Zerra is delivering hyperscale data centre campuses across Australia, with Western Downs Digital Park in regional Queensland. The Senior Controls Specialist will lead mechanical and electrical controls, SCADA and OT security across design, commissioning and handover, coordinating with consultants, vendors and operations to ensure reliable, energy-efficient campus operations.

The role requires a decade of hands-on experience in controls systems for data centres or industrial settings, proven

Qualifications

• Degree in Electrical/Controls/Automation or closely related field.
• 10+ years of experience in controls, automation or SCADA design/delivery in data centres, mission-critical facilities or major industrial environments.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical/electrical controls, BMS, EPMS, PLC and SCADA architectures and their integration.
• Experience developing sequences of operation, points lists, controls narratives, cause-and-effect matrices, network architecture and system interface requirements.
• Experience managing controls systems through design, vendor selection, software development, testing, commissioning, handover.
• Working knowledge of common industrial/building-controls communication protocols and resilient OT networks.
• Awareness of OT cybersecurity, access control, network segregation, configuration management and change-control requirements.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills coordinating consultants, contractors, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability with disciplined technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the controls philosophy, architecture, design criteria and technical standards for mechanical, electrical and SCADA systems across WDDP.
• Develop and review controls schematics, network architecture, points lists, sequences of operation, cause-and-effect matrices, alarm strategies and interface schedules.
• Coordinate integration across building management systems, electrical power monitoring systems, plant controls and SCADA.
• Ensure controls designs meet availability, resilience, redundancy, maintainability, energy performance and operational visibility.
• Lead technical interface management between controls systems and electrical, mechanical, fire, security and OT systems.
• Review consultant and vendor submissions for Zerra requirements and approved project design.
• Support procurement through technical specifications, bid evaluations and vendor selection.
• Identify and resolve design risks, interface gaps and data-quality issues affecting programme and handover.
• Coordinate OT cybersecurity requirements with stakeholders and ensure proper network segregation and governance.
• Define testing and commissioning requirements including factory, site acceptance, functional and integrated testing.
• Support construction, commissioning and handover teams with issue resolution, training and documentation.
• Drive standardisation, lessons learned and continuous improvement across controls design and vendor solutions.

Skills

Controls engineering

SCADA systems

BMS/EPMS

Systems integration

Technical documentation

Stakeholder coordination

OT cybersecurity awareness

Education

Electrical Engineering degree

Controls/Automation engineering degree

Job description

Zerra is delivering hyperscale data centre campuses across Australia, with Western Downs Digital Park in regional Queensland. The Senior Controls Specialist will lead mechanical and electrical controls, SCADA and OT security across design, commissioning and handover, coordinating with consultants, vendors and operations to ensure reliable, energy-efficient campus operations.

The role requires a decade of hands-on experience in controls systems for data centres or industrial settings, proven