Senior Data Center Commissioning Program Lead

Prime Data Centers; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Prime Data Centers is seeking a Commissioning Program Engineer (CxE) to oversee the commissioning lifecycle across a regional portfolio. As an owner’s representative, you will enforce standards, coordinate with design/construction teams, manage third-party CxA vendors, and drive on-time, defect-free turnovers to Operations.

The role demands leadership, budgeting input, and cross-team collaboration across multiple campuses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, or related engineering discipline or equivalent mission critical/data center experience in lieu of degree.
• 8+ years in commissioning, MEP engineering, or mission-critical construction, including 5+ years successfully delivering data center projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent projects and/or leading commissioning teams.
• Working knowledge of the full L0-L5 mission critical commissioning lifecycle.
• Strong command of/subject matter expertise in mission-critical MEP systems — power distribution, UPSs, generators, switchgear/ATSs, chilled-water and air/liquid cooling systems, controls (BMS/EPMS), and fire/life safety, etc.
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, specifications, sequences of operations, and contracts.
• Familiarity with applicable standards, codes, and best practices (e.g., ASHRAE, NEC/NFPA, etc.).
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to lead triage calls, present status to leadership, and hold vendors accountable.
• Comfort executing responsibilities in a professional leadership role while acting as a representative of Prime
• Willing and able to travel to project sites (domestic; international as the portfolio requires).

Responsibilities

• Enforce commissioning standards, templates, and processes — including commissioning plans, installation and pre-functional checklists, functional performance tests, IST scripts, and issues/closeout logs.
• Coordinate closely with leadership to refine corporate standards and processes.
• Own and oversee the L2-L5 commissioning lifecycle framework for the campus.
• Be an expert on project specifics and requirements, ensuring each project is scoped and executed properly.
• Develop and execute contracts for Cx services, from RFP development, budgeting, scheduling through completion and turnover. Analyze and approve change orders and equipment costs.
• Integrate with Prime’s Quality department to support assurance and consistency.
• Support other CxEs and projects, occasional travel to other campuses and to the Denver Office.
• Establish and track program-level KPIs (schedule adherence, issue resolution rates, turnover quality, etc.) and perform regular reporting to leadership.
• Monitor and support the project through its entire lifecycle from a commissioning perspective: contractor and vendor selection, drawing package development, equipment selection and procurement, etc.
• Provide oversight and technical direction to project teams, contractors, and third-party CxA vendors across multiple simultaneous projects.
• Integrate the commissioning schedule with design, procurement, and construction milestones; identify and mitigate schedule risks before they affect commissioning or turnover.
• Oversee pre-functional and functional testing of MEP systems and lead/govern integrated systems testing (IST), including failure-mode and load-bank scenarios, utility-loss simulations, UPS/generator/ATS switchovers, cooling-plant sequencing, and BMS/EPMS responses, etc.
• Drive issues identification, triage, and resolution to closure; ensure root-cause tracking rather than symptomatic fixes. Contribute to and maintain Lessons Learned documentation, with frequent revisiting and presentations to leadership and other project teams.
• Scope, select, onboard, and manage third-party CxA providers in coordination with leadership; track, review, and approve deliverables, schedules, testing scripts, and reports. Direct and course-correct as necessary to adhere to schedule, budget, and quality expectations.
• Serve as the commissioning point of contact for construction/development teams, design engineers, contractors, equipment vendors, and customers, as applicable.
• Coordinate with the site Operations teams to ensure a clean handover, training, and operational readiness.
• Ensure complete, auditable commissioning documentation and final Cx reports for each project.
• Own closeout and turnover packages; confirm operations training and as-built/record documentation are in place before handover.
• Support commissioning budgeting, forecasting, and cost controls across the program.
• Contribute to strategic planning to build, mentor, and scale the commissioning team as the company grows.

Skills

MEP systems

Project management

Reading drawings

Commissioning lifecycle

Leadership

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

BMS/EPMS

Job description

Prime Data Centers is seeking a Commissioning Program Engineer (CxE) to oversee the commissioning lifecycle across a regional portfolio. As an owner’s representative, you will enforce standards, coordinate with design/construction teams, manage third-party CxA vendors, and drive on-time, defect-free turnovers to Operations.

The role demands leadership, budgeting input, and cross-team collaboration across multiple campuses.