Director, Commissioning

Walbridge; United States; On-site; USD 160,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

L5 Mission Critical is seeking a Director of Commissioning to lead a cross-functional team responsible for safe, efficient commissioning across a portfolio of data center projects in North America. You will oversee talent acquisition, commissioning execution, quality, safety, budget, and client satisfaction, reporting to the VP of Commissioning.

You will mentor Commissioning Project Managers and Engineers, establish internal standards, and drive financial performance while interfacing with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or related field; equivalent technical experience.
• 10+ years of continuous experience in mission critical / data center commissioning in US/Canada; 5+ years leading multi-site teams.
• Strong knowledge of commissioning guidelines and principles; ASHRAE Guideline 0.
• Experience leading commissioning in data center projects >25MW with liquid cooling is desired.
• Strong financial acumen including budgeting, labor planning and cost control.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with clients and executives.

Responsibilities

• Own commissioning group performance across a portfolio of clients and projects, including execution, budget, schedule, safety and KPIs.
• Lead commissioning services proposal development in response to RFPs and qualifications.
• Lead hiring, onboarding and training programs for the commissioning group.
• Lead and manage Commissioning Project Managers and Engineers; mentor teams.
• Develop internal commissioning program standards, processes, and templates.
• Monitor and report financial performance; provide health updates to leadership.
• Interface with client leadership and foster strong relationships.
• Support business development through conferences, publications, and industry presence.
• Travel to sites 25–30% as needed to interface with teams and stakeholders.

Skills

ASHRAE Guideline 0

Leadership across sites

Budget management

Communication skills

Cx platforms

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

PE or PMP is a plus

Tools

Cx Alloy

BIM360

Facility Grid

Job description

Overview

This high impact position is accountable for safe and efficient commissioning of the facilities L5 provides services for its clients. This role owns commissioning group performance across a portfolio of projects and clients, including talent acquisition, commissioning execution, quality, safety, budget and client satisfaction. The Director, Commissioning leads and manages a team of Commissioning Project Managers and Commissioning Engineers and sets the standards that govern how L5 delivers commissioning services for our clients. This is a highly cross-functional role reporting directly to the VP, Commissioning, while partnering closely with L5's project delivery, training, safety, human resources, finance, and executive leadership team to deliver consistent results across a fast-growing national platform.

Responsibilities

Planning and Execution

• Own commissioning group performance across our portfolio of clients and projects, including execution, budget, schedule, safety and client-defined key performance indicators.

• Lead commissioning services proposal development in response to client RFPs and requests for qualifications / pricing.

• Lead the hiring, onboarding and training programs for the L5 commissioning group.

• Lead and manage Commissioning Project Managers, including mentoring and professional development, and provide direction as required for successful project delivery.

• Provide overall group direction for the effective and efficient commissioning of data center power, cooling, and building systems, typically including electrical distribution, UPS and battery systems, generators, chillers, air & liquid cooling infrastructure, and monitoring & controls.

• Lead the development of L5 internal commissioning program standards, processes, procedures and technical library (e.g. template scripts, plans, procedures).

• Continually monitor, assess and drive financial performance of projects, and provide regular project health updates to the VP, Commissioning and L5 Executive Team.

• Interface directly with client leadership teams and develop and foster strong working relationships with client counterparts.

• Support business development efforts, including participation in industry conferences and trade shows, submission of knowledge articles to industry publications, and ongoing development of your industry presence.

• Periodically, and as needed, travel to sites to interface directly with internal team members and project stakeholders, assess first-hand project status, and implement corrective actions as may be required.

Safety, Compliance & Risk

• Drive a zero-incident safety culture, including electrical safety, lockout/tagout, work permitting, and site access protocols.

• Ensure team members have received all required safety training in accordance with L5, project, client and AHJ regulations and requirements.

Client & Financial Management

• Serve as L5 senior commissioning team contact for clients, building trusted relationships through transparent reporting, regular performance reviews, and proactive communication.

• Manage commissioning budgets, staffing plans, sub-contractor / vendor performance, and deliver project and group portfolio financial targets in partnership with finance.

• Manage any subcontractors and service providers in partnership with vendor management & procurement, holding them accountable to performance and safety standards.

• Support business development with operating plans, staffing models, transition plans, and risk review for new projects and pursuits.

People & Process

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable commissioning team members, building a strong bench for growth.

• Partner with talent acquisition and training departments to staff projects ahead of mobilization and to qualify personnel before they work on critical systems.

• Establish scalable commissioning delivery standards, playbooks, processes and procedures suited to a fast-growing platform business.

• Track and report commissioning group performance, trends, and lessons learned to support continuous improvement.

• Serve as a key advisor to L5 executive leadership on commissioning services risks, resourcing, and growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or related field, or equivalent technical experience.

• Possess a strong working knowledge of the commissioning guidelines and principles contained in ASHRAE Guideline 0.

• 10+ years of continuous experience in mission critical / data center commissioning in US and/or Canada, including 5+ years leading multi-site or large-scale commissioning teams.

• Deep working knowledge of critical power and cooling infrastructure design and operation, and the methods and procedures used to test and commission same.

• Experience leading commissioning teams on data center projects >25MW in capacity utilizing liquid cooling infrastructure is strongly desired.

• Strong experience managing critical issue response, root cause analysis, and corrective action.

• Strong financial acumen, including estimating, budget management, labor planning, and cost control.

• Strong understanding of safety and compliance standards for electrical and mechanical work, such as ANSI, NFPA 70E, and OSHA requirements.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with technicians, engineers, clients, and executives.

• Strong proficiency with commissioning management platforms (e.g. Cx Alloy, BIM360, ACC, Facility Grid).

• Proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams across multiple projects and sites.

• Willingness to travel regularly to client sites across North America, 25-30% travel estimated.

• Experience in a high-growth or outsourced services environment preferred.

• Experience mobilizing commissioning teams to new sites and transitioning commissioned facilities to operations.

• Experience working as a third-party consultant for hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data center clients preferred.

• PE and / or PMP certifications are an asset for this role but not specifically required.

• Hold US or Canadian citizenship.

EEO/AA Employer M/F/D/V

L5 Mission Critical is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.