Senior Data Center Project Manager

Socket.dev; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 101,000 - 161,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, life and disability benefits

401(k) with company contributions

Paid holidays and time off

Job summary

ABB is seeking a senior project lead to manage commissioning of electrical power systems for data centers in the United States. You will drive start-up, IST, and handover, owning the project plan, schedule, and budget while coordinating with clients, EPCs, and engineers.

You will ensure compliance with NFPA/IEEE/IEC standards, review test scripts, and push for issue resolution. Travel 10–20% is required; strong communication and leadership are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of managing complex technical projects, with 3+ years in start-up and commissioning.
• Direct data center/critical facility or heavy industrial power distribution experience.
• Strong understanding of MV/LV power systems, protection, and critical power architecture.
• Experience with commissioning processes and IST; EPMS/BMS/SCADA familiarity is a plus.
• Willingness to travel 10–20% to project sites; authorized to work in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end start-up and commissioning projects for electrical power systems in data centers.
• Develop and own commissioning project plan including scope, schedule, budget, and risk.
• Serve as single point of contact for commissioning activities with teams, customers, and contractors.
• Coordinate commissioning for MV/LV switchgear, transformers, busway, protection relays, and metering.
• Ensure execution per owner requirements and industry standards (NFPA, IEEE, IEC, ASHRAE, Uptime).
• Review scripts and procedures; document, track, and close deficiencies; drive root-cause actions.
• Run regular progress meetings and technical reviews with clients, EPCs, OEMs, and teams.
• Mentor engineers and support staff; contribute to standard commissioning procedures.

Skills

Project management

Electrical power systems

Data center experience

Stakeholder management

Travel willingness

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Eng

Tools

MS Project

Primavera

MS Office

EPMS/BMS/SCADA familiarity

Job description

At ABB, we help industries run leaner and cleaner—and every person here makes that happen. You’ll be empowered to lead, supported to grow, and proud of the impact we create together. Join us and help run what runs the world.

This position reports to:

Director, Data Center Services Center of Excellence

The work model for the role is: Remote

This role is contributing to the Electrification Service Data Center Services COE in the United States.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Leadership & Ownership

• Lead end-to-end start-up and commissioning projects for electrical power systems within data centers—from pre-functional checks through Integrated Systems Testing (IST) and handover.
• Develop and own the commissioning project plan, including scope, schedule, budget, risk register, and resource plan.
• Serve as the single point of contact for all commissioning-related activities with internal teams, customers, and contractors.

Technical & Commissioning Execution

• Coordinate and oversee commissioning activities for:
• Medium and low voltage switchgear / switchboards
  • Transformers
  • Busway / bus duct
  • Protection relays and metering
• Ensure commissioning is executed in accordance with owner’s project requirements, design basis, specifications, and industry standards (e.g., NFPA, IEEE, IEC, ASHRAE, Uptime).
• Review and approve commissioning scripts, test procedures, and method statements, and ensure that deficiencies are documented, tracked, and closed out.
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions for issues uncovered during L2-L4 commissioning and IST.

Stakeholder & Customer Management

• Act as the key liaison between clients (including hyperscale cloud, enterprise, and colo customers), EPCs, OEMs, Cx agents, and internal engineering/service teams.
• Run regular progress meetings and technical reviews, clearly communicating status, risks, and recovery plans.
• Build strong working relationships on-site and represent the company with professionalism and confidence.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Champion a "zero harm" safety culture on all commissioning sites, ensuring compliance with company and customer safety policies and procedures.
• Enforce quality standards and ensure all work is executed to the highest levels of craftsmanship and reliability.
• Ensure all required documentation, test reports, as-builts, redlines, and turnover packages are complete, accurate, and delivered on time.

Planning, Controls & Reporting

• Develop and maintain detailed commissioning schedules aligned with construction milestones and data center go-live dates.
• Track costs, change orders, and earned value for commissioning scope; proactively manage variances and opportunities.
• Provide regular project reporting to leadership and customers, including KPIs, risk/issue logs, punch lists, and lessons learned.

Team Collaboration & Leadership

• Coordinate and direct multidisciplinary site teams (field engineers, technicians, subcontractors, and third-party Cx agents).
• Mentor less-experienced engineers and support staff on commissioning best practices, documentation, and customer communication.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of standard commissioning procedures, templates, and tools.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Power Systems, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field; or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

• 7+ years managing complex technical projects, with at least 3+ years focused on start-up and commissioning of power or MEP systems.
• Direct experience in data centers, critical facilities, or heavy industrial power distribution environments.
• Strong understanding of electrical power systems (MV/LV), short circuit/coordination concepts, protective relays, and critical power architecture (N, N+1, 2N).
• Demonstrated experience with commissioning processes (levels 1–5), electrical acceptance testing, and integrated systems testing.
• Familiarity with EPMS/BMS, SCADA, and controls integration is a plus.
• Proven track record managing scope, schedule, cost, risk, and stakeholders on multi-million-dollar projects.
• Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Primavera, or equivalent) and the MS Office suite.
• Willingness and ability to travel to project sites (10-20% travel).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, comfortable presenting to both technical and executive audiences.
• Authorized to work in the United States

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading commissioning for hyperscale or large colocation data centers.
• Hands‑on background as an electrical field engineer, commissioning engineer, or Cx agent before moving into project management.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, PE, CxA, CPQ, or equivalent.
• Experience with major OEM low and medium voltage equipment and protective relay platforms.
• Familiarity with NFPA 70/70E, IEEE, IEC, and data center‑specific standards/owner specifications.
• Demonstrated experience building and scaling processes for repeatable commissioning across multiple sites or regions.

What's in it for you

We empower you to take initiative, challenge ideas, and lead with confidence. You’ll grow through meaningful work, continuous learning, and support that’s tailored to your goals. Every idea you share and every action you take contributes to something bigger.

ABB is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affimative Action employer for protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities at ABB.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their- sex (gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation), marital status, citizenship, age, race and ethnicity, inclusive of traits historically associated with race or ethnicity, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles, color, religious creed, national origin, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetic information, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal and state law.

For more information regarding your (EEO) rights as an applicant, please visit the following websites:

As an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affimative Action Employer for Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities, applicants may request to review the plan of a particular ABB facility between the hours of 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. EST Monday through Friday by contacting an ABB HR Representative at 1-888-694-7762.

Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities may request reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access ABB's career site as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by calling an ABB HR Representative at 1-888-694-7762 or by sending an email to . Resumes and applications will not be accepted in this manner.

While base salary is determined by things such as the successful applicant’s qualifications and experience, this position is expected to pay between $100,500 and $160,800 annually and is eligible for a short-term incentive plan/annual bonus.

ABB Benefit Summary for eligible US employees

[excludes ABB E-mobility, Athens union, Puerto Rico]

Health, Life & Disability

• Choice between two medical plan options: A PPO plan called the Copay Plan OR a High Deductible Health Plan (with a Health Savings Account) called the High Deductible Plan.
• Choice between two dental plan options: Core and Core Plus
• Vision benefit
• Company paid life insurance (2X base pay)
• Company paid AD&D (1X base pay)
• Voluntary life and AD&D – 100% employee paid up to maximums
• Short Term Disability – up to 26 weeks – Company paid
• Long Term Disability – 60% of pay – Company paid. Ability to "buy-up" to 66 2/3% of pay.
• Supplemental benefits – 100% employee paid (Accident insurance, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance
• Parental Leave – up to 6 weeks
• Employee Assistance Program
• Health Advocate support resources for mental/behavioral health, general health navigation and virtual health, and infertility/adoption
• Employee discount program

Retirement

• 401k Savings Plan with Company Contributions
• Employee Stock Acquisition Plan (ESAP)

Time off

• ABB provides 11 paid holidays.
• Salaried exempt positions are provided vacation under a permissive time away policy.

Building a cleaner, smarter future takes all kinds of minds: the curious, the courageous, and the creative. That's why we welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences.