Principal Operations Engineer – Controls, Data Center Operations

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

📋 Description

• Act as the primary operational technical authority for BMS, EPMS, PLC, and equipment-level control systems throughout the fleet.

• Take ownership of all significant BMS modifications and enhancements across the fleet, ensuring a coordinated global controls strategy; maintain standardization where necessary and enforce change control rigorously.

• Lead technical and operational audits at active and pre-activation sites, focusing on operational sequences, alarming, trending, integration health, and cybersecurity practices; generate operational health assessments with prioritized findings and manage the remediation roadmap until completion.

• Oversee operational readiness for new sites being activated — evaluate team capabilities, confirm sequences, and personally approve the operational transition from commissioning to steady-state operations.

• Evaluate operational designs for control scopes on new constructions and retrofits — including operational sequences, points lists, and network architecture — and advocate for the operational perspective in design discussions.

• Provide structured operational insights back to the design and manufacturing teams as we transition towards standardized, productized data center builds; reinforce successful patterns and eliminate those that have proven ineffective in operations.

• Troubleshoot and lead the repair of intricate control system issues across various platforms and protocols; conduct PID tuning and trend analysis on underperforming systems.

• Draft and approve high-risk MOPs, EOPs, and AOPs for controls work; serve as the final technical decision-maker for significant controls changes across the fleet.

• Conduct root cause analyses for major controls-related incidents; ensure corrective actions are implemented and learnings are shared across all sites.

• Collaborate with QA/QC during construction to provide an operational perspective on integrator programming, point-to-point verification, and the quality of controls installation.

• Develop and deliver technical training for Field Engineers and operational teams; take ownership of the technical curriculum related to controls in the campus rotation and training model.

• Mentor Field Engineers and emerging operational leaders; serve as the senior technical representative in operational, incident, and design reviews.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 10 years of practical experience in building automation, industrial controls, or instrumentation, with a minimum of 5 years serving as the senior technical authority on a site, campus, or fleet.

• Experience in data center operations is highly preferred; experience in central plants, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, or other complex industrial control environments is also considered.

• Extensive, platform-independent understanding of modern BMS/BAS environments (such as Ignition, Niagara, Metasys, or EcoStruxure) and the capability to operate, troubleshoot, and standardize across these systems — acquired through practical experience rather than theoretical knowledge.

• Proficiency in major control system communication protocols (BACnet, Modbus, SNMP, and their equivalents).

• Experience in PLC programming on at least one major platform (for example, Allen-Bradley or Siemens).

• Strong understanding of the mechanical, electrical, and fire and life safety systems that controls coordinate.

• Proven ability to author, approve, and execute high-risk controls MOPs and change records in live critical environments.

• A history of leading root cause analyses on significant controls-driven incidents and driving corrective actions to completion.

• A record of ensuring accountability among integrators, OEMs, and service vendors — skilled at enforcing programming and documentation standards while maintaining positive relationships.

• Excellent written communication skills: operational health assessments, sequences, RCAs, procedure evaluations, and design review feedback are second nature.

• Comfortable operating as the senior technical authority across operations, design, construction, hardware, and EHS.

• Willingness to travel extensively throughout the fleet.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive total compensation package (salary + equity).

• Retirement or pension plan, aligned with local standards.

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.

• Generous PTO policy, consistent with local practices.