Commissioning Manager

Ellaway Blues Consulting; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading clean energy firm is seeking a Commissioning Manager in San Diego. This role involves leading commissioning activities for biogas and wastewater projects, ensuring safe and efficient plant startups. The ideal candidate will have over 5 years of experience in commissioning within industrial environments, a solid understanding of controls and engineering principles, and drive to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Join a respected team that values your contribution to sustainable energy solutions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in commissioning leadership within industrial plant environments.
• Direct experience with biogas, RNG, anaerobic digestion, wastewater treatment.
• Strong site-based experience coordinating contractors and vendors.

Responsibilities

• Lead commissioning activities across multiple projects ensuring safety and efficiency.
• Validate correct integration and testing of plant systems.
• Deliver updates to senior stakeholders on progress and risks.

Skills

Commissioning leadership

Control systems knowledge

Site coordination

Technical understanding of industrial plants

Education

Engineering degree or technical diploma

Tools

PLC

SCADA environments

Job description

Recruitment Manager - Alternative Fuels & Environmental Services

Job Title: Commissioning Manager – Biogas/ Wastewater

About the Opportunity: We are recruiting on behalf of a global clean infrastructure and resource recovery business that delivers complex industrial facilities converting waste streams into renewable energy, clean water, and valuable by-products. Their projects span biogas, renewable natural gas (RNG), wastewater treatment, and solid waste processing, supporting municipal and industrial clients in reducing emissions, lowering operating costs, and improving environmental outcomes. The business operates internationally with a strong and growing project pipeline. As part of continued expansion, they are seeking experienced commissioning leadership to bring complex plants safely and efficiently from construction into full operation.

The Role: We are seeking an experienced Commissioning Manager with a strong background in biogas, wastewater, solid waste, RNG, or related industrial energy facilities. This role is responsible for leading commissioning activities across multiple concurrent projects, ensuring plants are safely started up, fully tested, documented, and handed over to operations in line with schedule, budget, and performance expectations. This is a senior, hands‑on leadership role suited to someone who has spent time on site, understands how complex process plants behave in the real world, and can coordinate engineers, contractors, and vendors through the most critical phase of a project lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and technical direction to commissioning teams operating across multiple active sites
• Take ownership of commissioning strategy, sequencing, and manpower planning in collaboration with project delivery leadership
• Establish and refine commissioning approaches that balance schedule, cost control, and plant performance expectations
• Act as the central coordination point between construction teams, contractors, equipment suppliers, and end‑user operations during start‑up
• Validate that all plant systems are correctly integrated, tested, and brought online in line with defined acceptance criteria
• Champion safe execution during start‑up activities, embedding best‑practice HSE standards throughout commissioning operations
• Lead system validation, performance verification, acceptance testing, and close‑out of outstanding issues through structured punch‑list management
• Maintain robust commissioning records and ensure accurate transfer of documentation to operations, including final drawings and test records
• Assess commissioning methodologies and task‑specific work plans to ensure risks are understood and controlled
• Proactively surface technical, schedule, or operational risks and implement practical corrective actions
• Coordinate training and readiness activities to ensure operations teams are fully prepared for handover
• Deliver clear, concise updates to senior stakeholders covering progress, constraints, and forward‑looking risks

Candidate Profile:

• This role is best suited to a commissioning professional who comes from the industrial energy, waste, or water sectors and understands the realities of bringing complex plants online
• Engineering degree, technical diploma, or equivalent experience in mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, or process engineering
• 5+ years’ experience in commissioning leadership within industrial plant environments • Direct experience with biogas, RNG, anaerobic digestion, wastewater treatment, solid waste, power generation, or similar process facilities
• Working knowledge of control systems, PLCs, and SCADA environments (Siemens, Allen‑Bradley or similar)
• A broad technical understanding across mechanical, electrical, controls, instrumentation, and process systems
• Strong site‑based experience coordinating contractors, vendors, and internal teams • A practical, safety‑first mindset with experience leading commissioning under live site conditions
• The ability to manage multiple workstreams, priorities, and stakeholders without losing attention to detail

Why Join:

This is an opportunity to work closely with a highly experienced and respected leadership team within a business that is scaling rapidly across the biogas, wastewater, and renewable energy space. You will join a growing organization at an exciting stage of its journey, where commissioning excellence is valued, decision‑making is pragmatic, and your contribution will have a visible impact on the successful delivery of complex, sustainable infrastructure projects.

Seniority level

• Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Engineering and Management
• Services for Renewable Energy