Principal Data Center Commissioning Lead - Abilene, Tx

Oracle Oracle · Enterprise · Abilene, TX +1

This role leads the commissioning, startup, testing, and turnover of AI data center infrastructure to ensure operational readiness. It involves coordinating with various teams, validating system readiness, managing issues, and ensuring documentation accuracy for assigned data center campuses or buildings.

What you'd actually do

  1. Lead commissioning, startup, testing, and turnover activities for assigned scopes.
  2. Coordinate startup sequencing with construction, vendors, controls, safety, commissioning, and operations teams.
  3. Support energization readiness, functional testing, and integrated systems testing.
  4. Validate system readiness before testing, turnover, and operational acceptance.
  5. Lead readiness reviews, commissioning coordination meetings, and startup planning sessions.

Skills

Required

  • 10+ years of experience in data center commissioning, mission critical startup, construction turnover, or complex infrastructure delivery.
  • Experience leading commissioning, testing, startup, or operational readiness activities.
  • Strong understanding of data center electrical, mechanical, controls, life safety, and integrated systems.
  • Ability to identify commissioning risks, system readiness gaps, and turnover issues in the field.
  • Experience with functional testing, integrated systems testing, energization readiness, and operational handoff.
  • Strong coordination skills across construction, vendors, commissioning, controls, safety, and operations.
  • Ability to manage issue logs, readiness trackers, test documentation, and turnover deliverables.
  • Strong field leadership presence and ability to influence without direct authority.
  • Ability to coach and develop commissioning personnel.
  • Strong communication, escalation, and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced, schedule-driven environment.
  • Willingness to maintain significant onsite presence, especially during turnover and startup phases.

Nice to have

  • Hyperscale, cloud, colocation, or mission critical data center experience.
  • Experience on large campus or multi-building data center delivery programs.
  • Background in commissioning leadership, startup management, systems integration, or operational readiness.
  • Experience with major electrical systems, mechanical systems, BMS/EPMS, controls, and life safety systems.
  • Familiarity with energization planning, LOTO, commissioning safety practices, and MOP review.
  • Experience improving commissioning plans, readiness gates, turnover processes, and testing sequences.
  • Strong understanding of first pass testing success, retest reduction, and issue closure discipline.
  • Experience leading recovery efforts for delayed startups, failed tests, or incomplete turnovers.
  • Experience working with general contractors, trade partners, OEM vendors, commissioning agents, and operations teams.
  • Certified Commissioning Profession (CCP)
  • Certified Commissioning Authority (CxA)
  • Uptime Institute ATD or AOS
  • OSHA 30
  • NFPA 70E electrical safety training
  • PMP
  • ASQ quality -related certifications

What the JD emphasized

  • AI Data Center Infrastructure
  • AI readiness