At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?
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Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.
We are looking for an experienced Electrical Commissioning Lead to take ownership of electrical commissioning activities on a data center project.
This role is suited to someone who has hands-on experience writing and leading commissioning documentation and testing, including L2, L3, L4 and L5 Integrated Systems Testing. The successful candidate will be the main electrical commissioning contact for the client and project team and will be responsible for ensuring that electrical systems are safe, tested, integrated and ready for operation. This is not a purely coordination or reporting role. We are looking for someone who has personally written scripts, led functional testing, managed high-risk testing activities and taken responsibility for commissioning outcomes on mission-critical projects.
Overall Responsibilities
- Lead all electrical commissioning activities on one or more data centre projects.
- Act as the main electrical commissioning contact for the client, project team, contractors and vendors.
- Manage commissioning engineers and coordinate vendor and specialist testing activities.
- Plan commissioning activities around real site conditions, construction progress and project requirements.
- Take control during high-risk testing, switching activities and failure simulations, including stopping work where unsafe or technically unsound.
- Review electrical designs with commissioning, maintainability and operations in mind.
- Identify single points of failure, testing constraints, maintainability issues and operational risks early in the project lifecycle.
- Challenge designs, contractors or vendors where required to protect commissioning quality and operational reliability.
Commissioning Documentation
- Own the production of commissioning documentation across L2, L3, L4 and L5.
- Produce pre-functional and functional checklists, define acceptance criteria and review contractor test documentation.
- Write and lead Level 4 functional test scripts covering logic, interlocks, protections, alarms and sequences.
- Write and lead Level 5 Integrated Systems Testing scripts, including failure scenarios, recovery paths, success criteria and sign-off.
Construction and Testing
- Lead electrical commissioning activities on site and confirm systems are ready before progressing into L4 and L5 testing.
- Attend and lead FATs for MV/LV switchgear, UPS systems, diesel generators, ATS, STS and protection systems.
- Coordinate with construction, QA/QC, vendors, contractors and client representatives.
- Identify defects, readiness gaps and commissioning blockers, ensuring test results are technically sound and properly recorded.
Integrated Systems Testing
- Plan and run Level 5 Integrated Systems Testing.
- Execute normal operation tests, failure and recovery scenarios, maintenance mode and degraded mode testing.
- Coordinate testing interfaces with mechanical systems, BMS/EPMS, load banks and IT load or simulated IT load.
- Confirm system resilience, recovery behaviour and operational performance.
Handover
- Ensure commissioning records are complete, accurate and usable.
- Review test results, red-line drawings and O&M documentation.
- Support training, handover, final closeout and client acceptance.
- Confirm systems are ready for live load.
Required Qualifications
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Minimum 10 years’ experience working with electrical systems on data centre or other mission-critical projects.
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At least 5 years’ experience specifically in commissioning.
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Minimum 3 years in a lead commissioning role, such as Lead CxA, Electrical Commissioning Lead, Electrical Cx Lead or similar.
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Direct experience delivering L4 testing and L5 Integrated Systems Testing on live or pre-live facilities.
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Proven experience writing commissioning scripts and leading testing activities personally.
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Strong technical knowledge of:
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MV and LV distribution.
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UPS systems, static or rotary.
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Diesel generators.
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Protection systems.
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Electrical controls and monitoring.
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ATS, STS and related switching systems.
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Experience leading high-risk testing, switching activities and failure simulations.
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Ability to make decisions during testing and take ownership of outcomes.
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Strong understanding of how data centres operate after construction and handover.
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Ability to work with clients, consultants, contractors, vendors and operations teams.
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Strong communication, documentation and leadership skills.
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Willingness to challenge designs, contractors or vendors where required.
Preferred Qualifications
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Electrical engineering degree or equivalent practical experience.
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Commissioning certifications such as CCP, ACP or similar.
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HV switching authorisation, depending on project requirements.
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Experience working on hyperscale, colocation or large-scale mission-critical data centre projects.
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Experience with live environment commissioning or phased handover projects.
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Strong knowledge of commissioning standards, IST planning and operational readiness processes.
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Previous experience managing commissioning engineers or multidisciplinary commissioning teams.
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Experience working internationally or on European data centre projects.
What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.
Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.
Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees. #LI-MW4
