Principal Data Center Controls Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Manage portfolio control schemas and reference architectures for Building Management Systems (BMS), electrical SCADA, and Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) across both greenfield and brownfield projects.

• Define and oversee master points lists, tagging and semantic data models, naming conventions, engineering units, alarm philosophy, trending, and data retention standards.

• Create a fleet-wide telemetry hierarchy and normalization for data that is machine-readable and ready for analytics.

• Establish sequences of operation, interlocks, setpoint strategies, and critical alarm pathways for mechanical and electrical systems.

• Define the customer data exposure model, encompassing exposed points, granularity, latency, and update frequency.

• Specify northbound interfaces and contracts for customer data visibility.

• Collaborate with the Principal Network Engineer on segmentation, DMZ/broker placement, firewall policies, and role-based access control.

• Translate lease and SLA commitments into verifiable telemetry deliverables and assist in customer technical reviews.

• Manage relationships with OEMs, packaged equipment vendors, and external controls development partners for equipment points.

• Oversee third-party controller integrations and enforce Montera schema and tagging standards.

• Drive factory witness testing and points verification prior to site delivery.

• Establish a data foundation for AI/ML optimization, condition-based maintenance, anomaly detection, and autonomous cooling/energy optimization.

• Define safe AI control handoff models, guardrails, setpoint limits, human-in-the-loop processes, and fallback behaviors.

• Collaborate with the Network Engineer on secure data pipelines and connectivity options, whether edge, on-premises, or cloud-based.

• Utilize operational and model feedback to enhance Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), reliability, and fleet-wide standards.

• Define controls acceptance criteria and Integrated System Testing (IST) plans; lead controls scope through Level 4/5 commissioning and issue resolution.

• Validate failover, alarms, control behaviors, customer data feeds, and AI control integrations before project turnover.

• Develop operational runbooks, as-built controls documentation, and standards for code handover.

• Lead the selection and technical governance of controls integrators and platform vendors.

• Manage technical change control for the controls schema and data model.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Controls, Electrical, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering, or a related field.

• Over 10 years of experience in delivering BMS, electrical SCADA, and/or DCIM solutions for hyperscale or mission-critical facilities.

• Ideally experienced in high-density AI/inference environments.

• Profound knowledge of controls data modeling and semantic tagging, including Brick, Project Haystack, or similar frameworks.

• Familiarity with northbound integration protocols such as BACnet/IP, Modbus, OPC UA, MQTT/Sparkplug, and REST.

• Demonstrated experience in defining data exposure and demarcation models for external consumers in secure Operational Technology (OT) environments.

• Proven track record of integrating third-party/OEM equipment controllers and conducting verification of factory/site points.

• Strong hands-on experience with AI/ML optimization platforms like Phaidra or equivalent analytics is highly preferred.

• Solid understanding of sequences of operation, alarm management, commissioning/IST, and multi-vendor integration.

• Established collaboration with network and cybersecurity teams to implement secure OT architectures.

🏝️ Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage; the employer covers 90% of health premiums for employees and their dependents.

• Up to 8 weeks of paid time off annually, which includes holidays, PTO, and sick time.

• Up to 8 weeks of paid parental leave following 6 months of employment.

• 401(k) plan with immediate eligibility.

• No vesting requirement.

• Employer 401(k) matching contributions up to 6%.

• Up to $3,500 reimbursed each year for approved courses, certifications, conferences, and professional development opportunities.

• Remote work stipend available.

• Flexible, remote-first work arrangement.

• Competitive total compensation package.