Data Center Electrical & Instrumentation Manager (over multiple sites)

KODIAK Construction Recruiting & Staffing; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 195,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

KODIAK Construction Recruiting & Staffing seeks a Data Center Electrical & Instrumentation Program Manager to own the safe, profitable delivery of mission-critical E&I projects across multiple sites in Texas. This role requires direct data center experience and the ability to control schedule, risk, quality, and commercial performance in fast-track environments.

You will lead preconstruction through turnover, manage schedule, budget, procurement, and commissioning, and collaborate with owners,

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of direct data center construction experience with progressive responsibility for electrical, controls, commissioning, or mission-critical project delivery.
• Leadership of multiple project teams with accountability for safety, schedule, cost, quality, and turnover.
• Knowledge of mission-critical electrical infrastructure (medium- and low-voltage, switchgear, transformers, UPS, grounding).
• Understanding energization planning, LOTO, testing, commissioning, and turnover documentation.

Responsibilities

• Direct multiple concurrent data center projects with governance, controls, reporting, and escalation standards.
• Convert milestones into execution plans, staffing strategies, and procurement priorities.
• Lead project teams and commissioning partners through installation, energization, testing, turnover, and closeout.
• Coordinate owners, contractors, design teams, trade partners, commissioning agents, vendors, and executives around system-level acceptance criteria.

Skills

Leadership

Project controls

Executive communication

Risk management

Safety leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, business, or related discipline

Tools

Primavera P6

MS Project

Job description

Data Center Electrical & Instrumentation Manager (over multiple sites)

$195,000 - $220,000

Houston or Odessa, Texas

5-7 years direct data center experience

The Data Center Electrical & Instrumentation Program Manager owns the safe, profitable, and predictable delivery of mission-critical E&I projects. This leader directs teams from preconstruction and long-lead procurement through installation, energization, commissioning, integrated systems testing, and turnover. The role requires direct data center experience and the ability to control schedule, risk, quality, and commercial performance in fast-track environments.

• Own portfolio safety, quality, schedule, cost, cash flow, margin, commissioning readiness, and client satisfaction.
• Convert campus, building, and system milestones into execution plans, staffing strategies, and procurement priorities.
• Lead project teams and commissioning partners through installation, energization, testing, turnover, and closeout.
• Serve as senior accountability for owners, contractors, design teams, trade partners, commissioning authorities, vendors, and executives.
• Build disciplined planning, clear system ownership, rapid issue resolution, and reliable mission-critical delivery.

Required Qualifications

• 5-7 years of direct data center construction experience with progressive responsibility for electrical, controls, commissioning, or mission-critical project delivery.
• Demonstrated leadership of multiple project teams, a major campus, or complex electrical work packages with accountability for safety, schedule, cost, quality, and turnover.
• Working knowledge of mission-critical electrical infrastructure, including medium- and low-voltage distribution, switchgear, transformers, generators, UPS systems, grounding, busway, and controls.
• Hands-on understanding of energization planning, LOTO, switching, testing, commissioning, integrated systems testing, system ownership, and turnover documentation.
• Strong command of project controls, including CPM schedules, look-ahead planning, labor forecasting, installed quantities, productivity, cost-to-complete, and change management.
• Ability to interpret contracts, drawings, specifications, one-lines, submittals, RFIs, sequences of operation, test scripts, schedules, and performance dashboards.
• Strong executive communication, client management, negotiation, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work from Houston or Odessa, Texas, and travel regularly to active project sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, business, or a related discipline; equivalent field leadership experience will be considered.
• Experience with hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, cloud, or AI/HPC data center construction programs.
• Experience in self-perform electrical construction, EPC delivery, design-assist, fast-track procurement, and phased turnover environments.
• PMP, electrical license, OSHA 30, NFPA 70E training, commissioning credential, or other relevant technical or safety qualifications.
• Working knowledge of P6 or comparable scheduling platforms, cost-control systems, document control, field productivity tools, and commissioning management platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Campus Execution

• Direct multiple concurrent data center projects or work packages and apply consistent governance, project controls, reporting, and escalation standards.
• Establish program objectives, system boundaries, turnover sequencing, decision rights, and milestone ownership before mobilization.
• Manage dependencies among base building, electrical distribution, mechanical systems, controls, network infrastructure, commissioning, and owner operations.
• Review project health weekly; identify schedule, labor, procurement, design, testing, or access constraints and drive corrective action to closure.
• Lead recovery planning when system release, energization, commissioning, or ready-for-service milestones are at risk.

Mission-Critical Systems & Commissioning

• Provide leadership oversight for medium- and low-voltage distribution, substations, switchgear, transformers, generators, UPS systems, busway, grounding, lighting, controls, EPMS, and related critical infrastructure.
• Ensure energization, LOTO, switching, MOP/SOP/EOP, test plans, startup, commissioning, and integrated systems testing activities are fully coordinated and executed under approved procedures.
• Drive system completion, punch-list reduction, documentation, redlines, test records, deficiency closure, training, and turnover package readiness.
• Coordinate OEMs, commissioning agents, engineers, controls integrators, testing firms, and trade partners around system-level acceptance criteria.

Financial, Schedule & Supply Chain Control

• Maintain accountability for revenue, gross margin, cost-to-complete, cash flow, billing, forecast accuracy, productivity, and change management.
• Review estimates, budgets, schedules of values, buyout plans, labor curves, commissioning budgets, contingency, and commercial risk before project authorization.
• Manage long-lead equipment strategy and material status for switchgear, transformers, generators, UPS equipment, controls, busway, and other schedule-critical components.
• Enforce timely identification, documentation, pricing, negotiation, and collection of scope changes, acceleration costs, impacts, and back charges.
• Set uncompromising expectations for electrical safety, energized work controls, LOTO, housekeeping, quality inspections, testing documentation, and corrective-action closure.
• Lead owner and executive reviews with accurate data, clear risk disclosure, defined decisions, and accountable action owners.
• Select, develop, coach, and hold accountable project managers, superintendents, project controls staff, and system owners.
• Support pursuit strategy, technical interviews, constructability reviews, proposal development, and account growth within the data center market.

Required Qualifications

• 5-7 years of direct data center construction experience with progressive responsibility for electrical, controls, commissioning, or mission-critical project delivery.
• Demonstrated leadership of multiple project teams, a major campus, or complex electrical work packages with accountability for safety, schedule, cost, quality, and turnover.
• Working knowledge of mission-critical electrical infrastructure, including medium- and low-voltage distribution, switchgear, transformers, generators, UPS systems, grounding, busway, and controls.
• Hands-on understanding of energization planning, LOTO, switching, testing, commissioning, integrated systems testing, system ownership, and turnover documentation.
• Strong command of project controls, including CPM schedules, look-ahead planning, labor forecasting, installed quantities, productivity, cost-to-complete, and change management.
• Ability to interpret contracts, drawings, specifications, one-lines, submittals, RFIs, sequences of operation, test scripts, schedules, and performance dashboards.
• Strong executive communication, client management, negotiation, conflict resolution, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work from Houston or Odessa, Texas, and travel regularly to active project sites.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, business, or a related discipline; equivalent field leadership experience will be considered.
• Experience with hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, cloud, or AI/HPC data center construction programs.
• Experience in self-perform electrical construction, EPC delivery, design-assist, fast-track procurement, and phased turnover environments.
• PMP, electrical license, OSHA 30, NFPA 70E training, commissioning credential, or other relevant technical or safety qualifications.
• Working knowledge of P6 or comparable scheduling platforms, cost-control systems, document control, field productivity tools, and commissioning management platforms.