Commissioning Engineer — Southeast

Ziggurat Automation Inc.; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ziggurat Automation Inc. is seeking an experienced Commissioning & Field Execution engineer to own L1–L5 commissioning on multi‑vendor protection systems across Southeast data center projects. You will design, verify, and execute FAT/SAT tasks, coordinate with prime contractors, and produce turnover packages.

Expect travel 40–60% regionally, hands-on testing, and close collaboration with a regional team. Relocation to the Southeast is preferred for ongoing field work.

Qualifications

• 5+ years commissioning experience on medium‑voltage critical power systems (data centers, substations, industrial)
• FAT/SAT procedure development and execution for protection relays and generator controllers
• Secondary injection testing with Omicron or Doble test sets
• Transfer testing experience: ATS open/closed transition, generator paralleling, load bank testing
• NFPA 70E compliance: arc‑flash PPE, approach boundaries, LOTO procedures on energized equipment
• Punch‑list management and turnover documentation experience

Responsibilities

• FAT/SAT/IST test procedures for protection relays, generator controllers, ATS, and SCADA systems
• Functional performance testing: protection scheme verification, trip coordination, interlock validation
• Staged commissioning planning: board‑by‑board or zone‑by‑zone cutover with deterministic rollback
• Transfer testing: open‑transition and closed‑transition sequences, retransfer with time delay
• Punch‑list management through closeout and owner acceptance
• Turnover packages: commissioning records, as‑built documentation, O&M manuals
• Travel 40–60% during commissioning with regional Southeast focus

Skills

Field commissioning

Protection relays

Testing procedures

Medium-voltage power systems

Education

NETA Level III/IV certification

SEL QuickSet/751/700G

Woodward easYgen/LS-6

Experience with AE/MEP/EPC primes

Willing to relocate to the Southeast

Tools

Omicron test sets

Doble test equipment

AcSELerator QuickSet

AcSELerator RTAC

Job description

Commissioning & Field Execution

• Charlotte, NC (Field)

Hiring ENG III

• ZA-33008
• Charlotte, NC (Field)
• Field
• Compensation discussed during final conversation

Why This Role Exists

The Southeast data center corridor — Virginia through Georgia — has the highest concentration of active hyperscale construction in the country. This role exists because commissioning delays on these projects carry real LD exposure, and flying engineers cross-country creates gaps between site visits that compound punch lists. You own L1–L5 commissioning on multi‑vendor protection systems — design-through-acceptance, regionally anchored where the project density demands consistent presence.

What You Own

• FAT/SAT/IST test procedures for protection relays, generator controllers, ATS, and SCADA systems
• Functional performance testing: protection scheme verification, trip coordination, interlock validation
• Staged commissioning planning: board‑by‑board or zone‑by‑zone cutover with deterministic rollback
• Transfer testing: open‑transition and closed‑transition sequences, retransfer with time delay
• Punch‑list management through closeout and owner acceptance
• Turnover packages: commissioning records, as‑built documentation, O&M manuals

Systems You’ll Touch

Vendor Platforms

SEL Woodward CAT (Caterpillar) Omicron Doble

Software Tools

AcSELerator QuickSet AcSELerator RTAC

Standards

NFPA 70E IEEE 1584

Test Phases

Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) Site Acceptance Test (SAT) Secondary injection testing Functional performance testing Witness testing Staged commissioning / cutover

Site Activities

Automatic mode transitions ATS control (open/closed transition)

What Success Looks Like

First 90 Days

• Completed commissioning or witness testing on at least one Southeast data center project
• Developed FAT or SAT test procedures for a protection relay or controller scope
• Established working relationships with at least one prime contractor commissioning team in the region

First 180 Days

• Leading commissioning execution on Southeast corridor projects — owning the full commissioning scope
• Independently conducting witness testing with owner representatives present
• Known contact for prime contractors in the Southeast region for P&C commissioning needs

Required Background

• 5+ years commissioning experience on medium‑voltage critical power systems (data centers, substations, industrial)
• FAT/SAT procedure development and execution for protection relays and generator controllers
• Secondary injection testing with Omicron or Doble test sets
• Transfer testing experience: ATS open/closed transition, generator paralleling, load bank testing
• NFPA 70E compliance: arc‑flash PPE, approach boundaries, LOTO procedures on energized equipment
• Punch‑list management and turnover documentation experience

Preferred Background

• NETA Level III or IV certification
• SEL relay commissioning (QuickSet, 751/700G families)
• Woodward generator controller commissioning (easYgen 3400, LS‑6)
• Experience working with AE/MEP/EPC prime contractors on data center projects
• Based in or willing to relocate to the Southeast (NC, VA, GA, TN, FL)

What to Expect in the Field

Travel 40–60% during commissioning phases. Regional focus — Southeast corridor (VA, NC, GA, TN, FL).

Site Hours Site hours during commissioning: early starts, occasional weekends. More predictable schedule with regional focus vs. nationwide travel.

Customer‑Facing Direct interface with prime contractor commissioning leads and owner representatives. Regional relationships built over time.

Documentation Heavy — test procedures, commissioning records, punch lists, turnover packages

Field Safety NFPA 70E compliance mandatory — arc‑flash PPE, approach boundaries, daily safety briefings

Why Ziggurat

• Regional focus means you build relationships with the primes building in the Southeast, not just pass through projects
• Commission what we designed — relay settings, automation logic, and coordination curves come from the same team
• Your field feedback improves the next design — direct loop between site reality and the engineering office
• Growing into the densest hyperscale construction corridor in the country

Hiring Process

1. Screen

   Background review against role requirements — vendor platform experience, relevant certifications, project types, and standards familiarity. Quick assessment of baseline alignment before investing either party's time.

   Resume review + 15‑min intro call

2. Technical Review

   Deeper evaluation of technical depth. We review sample work — relay settings files, protection study reports, commissioning test procedures, or SCADA configuration packages — depending on the role. If samples aren't shareable, we discuss specific project scenarios in detail.

   Async work‑sample review or 45‑min technical call

3. Interview

   Scenario‑based conversation with the principal engineer. Real project situations: how you'd approach a coordination study for a complex switchgear lineup, sequence a commissioning plan across multiple vendor platforms, or troubleshoot a protection scheme failure during site acceptance testing.

   60‑min video call with founder

4. Exercise / Artifact Review

   A practical evaluation matched to the role. Engineering roles receive a take‑home exercise — review and mark up a set of relay settings, identify gaps in a protection study, or develop a test procedure for a specific scheme. Field‑focused roles walk through a commissioning package or test report they've delivered, explaining their methodology and decisions.

   Take‑home exercise (2–4 hrs) or artifact walkthrough (60 min)

5. Final Conversation

   Role scope, current project pipeline, working arrangements, and compensation. This is a two‑way conversation — we want to confirm the role fits your goals, not just the other way around.

   30‑min call

This role supports our testing commissioning and end to end service scopes.

Questions about this role? Email us at [e-mail]