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?
Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story'
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.
HDR is seeking an experienced Project Director Commissioning to lead the successful delivery of commissioning services across large-scale data centre and mission-critical projects throughout Europe.
This role combines technical leadership, client relationship management, project oversight, and commercial responsibility. You will act as the primary point of contact for clients and project stakeholders, providing strategic direction for commissioning programmes from design review through integrated systems testing and final operational handover.
This position is ideal for a senior commissioning professional with a proven track record leading multidisciplinary commissioning teams, managing complex stakeholder environments, and delivering successful outcomes on high-value mission-critical developments.
Strategic Project Leadership-
Lead the overall commissioning strategy and delivery for major data centre and mission-critical projects.
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Serve as the senior commissioning representative for clients, developers, operators, and project partners.
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Provide strategic oversight across all commissioning phases, from design reviews to operational readiness and handover.
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Ensure projects are delivered safely, on schedule, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
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Lead multidisciplinary commissioning teams across mechanical, electrical, controls, and integrated systems disciplines.
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Provide leadership during critical testing activities, issue resolution, and risk management processes.
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Support business development activities, client presentations, and pursuit opportunities.
Client & Stakeholder Management-
Build and maintain trusted relationships with clients, contractors, design consultants, vendors, and operational teams.
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Act as the executive point of escalation for commissioning-related risks, issues, or programme challenges.
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Facilitate project governance meetings, progress reviews, and executive stakeholder reporting.
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Provide strategic advice regarding system resilience, operational readiness, commissioning methodology, and industry best practices.
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Support clients in developing commissioning roadmaps, operational strategies, and testing requirements.
Commissioning Programme Management-
Direct the development and execution of commissioning plans, schedules, testing strategies, and resource allocations.
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Ensure commissioning activities are fully integrated with construction, operations, and project delivery programmes.
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Oversee Levels 2 through 5 commissioning activities, including Functional Performance Testing and Integrated Systems Testing (IST).
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Review commissioning documentation, test procedures, and reporting for technical accuracy and compliance.
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Ensure proper governance, traceability, risk management, and quality assurance throughout the commissioning lifecycle.
Technical Leadership-
Provide expert technical guidance on mission-critical systems including:
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Chilled water systems
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Air-cooled and water-cooled plant
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Liquid cooling environments
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CRAH and CRAC systems
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Controls and BMS integration
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Redundancy and resilience strategies
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Lead reviews of Owner's Project Requirements (OPR), Basis of Design (BoD), and operational concepts.
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Identify risks, single points of failure, maintainability concerns, and operational constraints at early project stages.
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Challenge designs, construction methodologies, and testing approaches where required to ensure project success.
Integrated Systems Testing & Operational Readiness-
Provide executive leadership for Level 5 Integrated Systems Testing programmes.
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Oversee testing of normal operation, degraded modes, failure scenarios, recovery procedures, and operational resilience.
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Ensure mechanical, electrical, controls, and operational systems function together as intended.
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Manage stakeholder coordination during critical testing events and final acceptance activities.
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Ensure facilities achieve performance, availability, reliability, and resilience objectives before handover.
Commercial & Team Leadership-
Support commissioning project financial performance, resource planning, and utilisation management.
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Mentor and develop commissioning managers, engineers, and technical specialists.
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Contribute to team growth, recruitment, succession planning, and capability development.
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Promote a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
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Support regional and global commissioning practice initiatives.
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Minimum 12+ years' experience within commissioning, building services, mission-critical, or data centre environments.
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Proven experience leading commissioning programmes on large-scale data centre or mission-critical projects.
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Demonstrated success managing multidisciplinary teams and complex stakeholder environments.
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Strong understanding of commissioning processes from design through handover, including Levels 2-5 testing.
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Experience leading Integrated Systems Testing (IST) for mission-critical facilities.
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Strong knowledge of mechanical building services systems and their interaction with electrical and controls infrastructure.
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Experience managing client relationships at senior and executive levels.
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Commercial awareness with experience managing project budgets, resources, and contractual deliverables.
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Excellent communication, leadership, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
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Ability to make critical decisions under pressure while maintaining focus on safety, risk management, and operational integrity.
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Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline.
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Commissioning certifications such as CCP, ACP, CxA, or equivalent.
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Experience in hyperscale data centre environments.
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Background in commissioning consultancy, mission-critical operations, or engineering project management.
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Familiarity with European and international commissioning standards and best practices.
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Experience supporting business development, key account management, or team leadership at a senior level.
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
