The Director, Commissioning is responsible for leading the commissioning function across CyrusOne's global data center development portfolio, including new construction, campus expansions, acquisitions, and strategic infrastructure initiatives. This role provides leadership for commissioning strategy, operational readiness, quality standards, staffing, and program execution while ensuring projects progress from construction completion through testing, turnover, and operational handoff.
Acting as the owner's representative, the Director oversees commissioning program performance, establishes scalable processes and standards, manages internal commissioning resources, and partners with engineering, construction, operations, procurement, project management, vendors, and third-party commissioning providers to ensure successful project delivery. The Director is accountable for driving consistency, reducing project risk, improving operational readiness, and supporting the continued growth of the commissioning organization.
Commissioning Leadership & Program Management- Lead the commissioning function across new data center construction, campus expansions, acquisitions, and major infrastructure projects.
- Establish and execute commissioning strategy, resource planning, staffing models, organizational growth plans, and project coverage requirements.
- Manage the commissioning team and support future organizational expansion through the addition of Commissioning Managers and other specialized roles.
- Provide leadership oversight for all phases of commissioning activities, including testing, integrated systems testing, substantial completion, turnover, and operational readiness.
- Ensure commissioning activities align with project schedules, design intent, owner requirements, construction milestones, testing objectives, and operations expectations.
- Review project readiness, resource allocation, schedule impacts, risk factors, testing progress, issue resolution efforts, and turnover activities.
- Escalate significant project risks, staffing concerns, quality issues, schedule impacts, or operational readiness concerns to executive leadership and project stakeholders.
- Establish consistent expectations for project execution, documentation, communication, issue management, reporting, and turnover activities across the commissioning portfolio.
- Monitor department performance and implement metrics, reporting, and best practices to support successful project delivery.
Owner Representative Oversight- Serve as the owner representative for commissioning activities throughout the project lifecycle.
- Ensure clear accountability between CyrusOne, third-party commissioning providers, contractors, equipment vendors, consultants, and project teams.
- Reinforce and maintain the distinction between CyrusOne's oversight function and the execution responsibilities of third-party Commissioning Agents.
- Review commissioning plans, testing procedures, issue logs, test results, reports, and turnover documentation to ensure compliance with project objectives and quality standards.
- Hold commissioning partners accountable to scope, schedule, documentation requirements, testing quality, issue resolution, and project closeout commitments.
- Drive alignment and resolution when commissioning concerns impact project schedules, quality outcomes, closeout activities, or operational readiness.
Process Improvement & Organizational Development- Develop and continuously improve commissioning standards, templates, testing protocols, checklists, lessons learned, workflows, trackers, and governance processes.
- Promote consistency, repeatability, and scalability across the commissioning function.
- Lead department planning initiatives to support future business growth and increasing project volume.
- Support hiring, onboarding, workforce planning, mentoring, performance development, succession planning, and retention efforts within the commissioning organization.
- Foster a culture of accountability, technical excellence, field engagement, communication, and continuous improvement.
Project Closeout & Operational Readiness- Own overall commissioning closeout expectations across the project portfolio.
- Ensure project teams maintain accountability for collection, review, organization, and delivery of commissioning documentation and turnover materials.
- Partner with operations teams to facilitate effective turnover and operational readiness activities.
- Establish and maintain standards for document control, file management, record retention, naming conventions, and project closeout workflows.
- Drive timely completion of commissioning deliverables, issue resolution, turnover documentation, and final closeout packages.
- Support development of scalable tools and processes to accommodate increasing project complexity and document volume.
Qualifications- 15+ years of relevant experience in commissioning, engineering, construction management, operations, project delivery, mission-critical facilities, or related technical disciplines.
- Demonstrated experience leading commissioning programs, technical teams, or project delivery organizations in a complex, multi-site environment.
- Strong understanding of data center infrastructure, including electrical systems, mechanical systems, controls, construction sequencing, commissioning processes, testing methodologies, turnover activities, and operational readiness practices.
- Experience managing large-scale capital projects, campus developments, mission-critical facilities, or similar technical construction programs.
- Proven success building teams, developing talent, managing workloads, and supporting organizational growth.
- Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder management, conflict resolution, escalation management, and executive presentation skills.
- Ability to coordinate effectively across engineering, construction, operations, procurement, project management, vendors, contractors, and third-party partners.
- Experience developing standards, governance processes, documentation frameworks, templates, metrics, lessons learned programs, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Experience managing competing priorities, project risks, staffing challenges, and changing business needs.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and project management, documentation, issue tracking, and commissioning software platforms.
- Experience with Bluebeam, Procore, CxAlloy, SharePoint, or similar platforms preferred.
- Ability to travel as required to support project execution, operational readiness reviews, team development, and critical project milestones.
Education & Certifications- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Operations, Business, or a related field preferred.
- Equivalent combination of education and relevant industry experience may be considered.
- Commissioning certifications such as CxA, QCxP, CCP, or equivalent credentials are preferred.
Work Environment- Combination of office and field-based work environments.
- Regular interaction with active construction sites, commissioning activities, and operational facilities.
- Ability to travel to project locations as needed.
- Ability to walk construction sites for extended periods and navigate stairs, ladders, and other job-site conditions where permitted and required.
Minimum Requirements:- 8-10 years' experience in commissioning experience with technical MEP system design and operation, instrumentation and controls experience, trade experience with associated contractor fields, and experience with new buildings operation
- Prior Supervisory experience
- Ability to assess and delegate resolution of issues.
- Encourage constructive feedback on performance so lessons can be learned as part of a continuous improvement culture.
- Proficiency with MEP systems
- Ability to work well under pressure and multiple concurrent priorities
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills coupled with strong business acumen
- Ability to read and understand construction drawings, contracts (i.e. AIA), leases & work letters
- Able to prepare & understand project financial models & cost analysis
Education: - Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent work experience
- Master's degree preferred
Certification/Licenses: Physical and mental requirements: - While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to, stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone and keyboard.
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work
- Light to moderate lifting is required
- Ability to uphold the stress of traveling
- Regular, predictable attendance is required; including quarter-driven hours as business demands dictate.
Work environment: - Moderate noise (i.e. business office with computers, phone, and printers, light traffic).
- Ability to work in a confined area.
- Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time
