Job Title: Commissioning Engineer
Location: Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
Department: Commissioning
Reports To: Director of Mission Critical Operations
Job Type: Full-Time, W-2 Salaried, Exempt
Compensation: $130,000 - $160,000 annual base salary, dependent on experience and location
Job Summary
The Commissioning Engineer leads commissioning activities on mission critical data center construction projects, coordinating planning, staffing, scheduling, quality, safety, and testing throughout the commissioning phase. Reporting to the Manager, Commissioning, this role ensures all work is performed in conformance with approved procedures and that equipment performance complies with design requirements.
Working hand in hand with internal team members, consultants, general contractors, equipment manufacturers, and commissioning agents, the Commissioning Engineer plans, schedules, and executes Level 1 through Level 5 commissioning and supports a smooth transition to facility operations teams. The role calls for a strong command of MEP systems, schedule and risk analysis, and documentation discipline through project closeout.
Key Responsibilities
Commissioning Planning & Execution
- Manage end-to-end commissioning processes and delivery on construction projects to satisfy Owner requirements and support a smooth transition to facility operations teams.
- Manage site-specific Level 1 through Level 5 (L1–L5) commissioning processes for all new and expansion projects.
- Lead a multidisciplinary, project-specific commissioning plan, including review and verification of system design, installation, functional performance, and reliability.
- Review project submittals, including all startup and commissioning procedures supplied by vendors and consultants.
- Enforce Owner practices within the project commissioning team, including subcontractors and equipment vendors, to ensure commitment to safety and performance on site.
Schedule, Risk & Performance Management
- Collaborate with the General Contractor (GC), equipment manufacturers, Commissioning Agent, and internal team members to create, iterate, and integrate startup and commissioning schedules into overall project schedules.
- Analyze project schedules and provide monthly reporting that identifies potential delays, critical path impacts, and opportunities for optimization.
- Develop risk assessment models and identify key risk factors that may impact project budgets and schedules.
- Monitor project performance against schedule targets with project managers, contractors, and the broader project team to identify opportunities for improvement.
Stakeholder Coordination & Procurement
- Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with architects, engineers, trade partners, and facility operations teams to streamline project delivery and ensure fully compliant projects.
- Manage the RFP process for all commissioning projects, from RFP creation through award.
- Participate in or facilitate commissioning-related onboarding of new trade partners, vendors, and consultants.
Design & Construction Oversight
- Review design documents and specifications to ensure Owner standards and requirements are met.
- Participate in design and construction reviews of project documents and provide technical input on the most cost-effective and schedule-efficient construction methods.
- Monitor electrical, mechanical, fire alarm (FA), fire protection (FP), and controls subcontractors for schedule management and conformance to contract documents.
Documentation, Deficiency Management & Closeout
- Manage commissioning documentation and record-keeping procedures for all equipment and materials on construction projects.
- Facilitate weekly meetings with vendors, trade partners, and commissioning agents to review punch list and open items through resolution.
- Establish and manage a punch list prevention plan and track related commissioning deficiencies with the project team.
- Oversee development and population of project closeout documentation.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
Experience
- 5+ years of experience leading commissioning on mission critical facilities.
- Experience developing, implementing, and overseeing commissioning plans, scripts, and procedures.
- Thorough knowledge of mission critical construction technology, equipment, materials, and methods.
- Well-rounded knowledge of MEP systems and construction processes across all trades, including means and methods, installation procedures, and tolerances.
- Experience with Building Management Systems (BMS), including environmental controls and Electrical Power Management Systems (EPMS).
- Experience with access control and CCTV systems.
- Experience in construction cost forecasting, accrual reporting, pay applications, and construction scheduling and planning.
- Deep understanding of project management principles and best practices.
- Knowledge of NETA guidelines and standards.
Skills
- Ability to interpret contract documents, Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR), drawings, specifications, system schematics, sequences of operation, MEP scopes of work, and project schedules.
- Proficiency with scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project or Primavera P6 and schedule assessment methods such as the DCMA 14-Point Assessment.
- Proficiency with web-based project management systems and the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook).
- Strong performance management, ensuring tasks are completed in a timely and efficient manner.
- Excellent time management and the ability to juggle multiple tasks and deadlines.
- Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to explain complex analytical concepts to clients, team members, and non-technical stakeholders.
- Growth mindset and commitment to continuous learning.
Working Conditions
- Travel up to 100% to data center project sites, for the duration of assignments as required.
- Ability to support night shift and weekend testing events. Energization events, load bank tests, and Integrated Systems Testing (IST) often occur on nights and weekends to avoid impacting construction activities.
- Extended hours expected during critical project phases, particularly around energization, IST, turnover, and project close-out.
- Essential physical functions of this position. All work is performed on site at active data center construction projects.
- Work in construction and industrial environments, including outdoor and unconditioned interior exposure to extreme heat and cold, high winds, dust, vibration, and high noise levels, and work near energized electrical systems and rotating machinery.
- Remain on foot and mobile for the majority of the day, walking extended distances across large construction sites, including uneven and unfinished terrain.
- Climb ladders, permanent and temporary stairs, and fixed access points; ride construction personnel hoists; access roofs, mezzanines, catwalks, and elevated equipment platforms; work from lifts and scaffolding with fall protection.
- Enter and work in confined and restricted spaces, including electrical rooms, equipment enclosures, pits, and mechanical chases, and self-extract from a confined space in an emergency.
- Stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, bend, twist, and reach overhead to inspect equipment interiors, terminations, and below-equipment connections.
- Lift and carry up to 50 pounds occasionally and up to 25 pounds frequently and carry inspection equipment and documentation throughout the shift.
- Maintain vision, hearing, and situational awareness sufficient to read drawings and instrument displays, receive radio and verbal communication and audible alarms in high-noise conditions, and respond rapidly to changing site conditions and emergencies.
Compensation & Benefits
- $130,000 - $160,000 annual base salary, dependent on experience and location
- Health Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, LTD/STD, Life-AD&D
- Retirement: 401(k), discretionary Pension & Profit sharing, subject to Plan documents
- 15 days paid time off (prorated based on start date) and 8 holidays
- Company credit card for qualified travel expenses
- NFPA 70E Arc Flash training provided
- Professional development and certification reimbursement opportunities
Pre-Employment Requirements
- Successful completion of a background check.
- Successful completion of drug testing.
- Active US driver's license (this position requires regular driving as an essential job function)
- Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer, on an ongoing basis, without employer sponsorship. We do not sponsor, transfer, or extend employment visas, and we do not participate in training-plan or work-authorization programs that require employer certification, now or in the future.
About Vertex
Vertex Innovations has supported mission-critical and data center deployments nationwide for more than two decades. Our teams provide construction oversight, QA/QC, commissioning support, and technical program management for hyperscale, enterprise, and telecom clients. We deliver quality, reliability, and trusted partnership on every project.
Vertex Core Values
- Integrity – To move through the world with honesty and truth empowering our employees, clients and communities through our words and actions.
- Accountability – To take full ownership and responsibility in our roles as we serve our company, clients and communities.
- Commitment – To stand behind our word and our promises
- Respect – To embrace and honor the individuals, clients, and companies in their contribution to the work that we create together through our interactions, conversations and our way of being.
- Performance – To allow ourselves to be measured by our commitments and be accountable for every action to our employees, clients, and communities.
- Urgency - We understand that acting quickly to our clients and employees’ needs is our competitive advantage. It builds trust and serves our community.
VERTEX Innovations, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.