Electrical Commissioning Project Manager
Mission-Critical Data Center Construction | Owner's Representative & Construction Management
LOCATION
Abernathy, and Colorado City, TX (US) + Travel
TRAVEL
100% to active sites
EXPERIENCE
7+ years, mission-critical Cx
Position Summary
Vertex Innovations is seeking an Electrical Commissioning Project Manager to lead the electrical commissioning effort on large-scale, mission-critical data center construction projects. In this role you will serve as the senior commissioning authority for electrical systems, coordinating the full commissioning lifecycle-from design review and factory witness testing through integrated systems testing (IST) and turnover-on behalf of our clients in an Owner's Representative and Construction Management capacity.
You will be the single point of accountability for electrical commissioning quality, schedule, and documentation, working closely with general contractors, commissioning agents, equipment vendors, and the owner's operations team to verify that critical power systems perform reliably and meet the basis of design before energization and occupancy.
Key Responsibilities
Commissioning Leadership & Process
- Lead and own the electrical commissioning program across all levels (Level 1 factory testing through Level 5 integrated systems testing) in accordance with the project commissioning plan, owner's project requirements (OPR), and basis of design (BOD).
- Develop, maintain, and enforce commissioning schedules that align with the overall construction sequence, ensuring commissioning milestones are integrated into the master project schedule.
- Author and review commissioning documentation including pre-functional checklists, functional performance test scripts, IST scripts, issues logs, and final commissioning reports.
- Chair commissioning meetings and provide regular status reporting to the owner, design team, and Vertex project leadership, escalating risks and deviations promptly.
Electrical Systems & Testing
- Oversee commissioning of critical electrical infrastructure including medium- and low-voltage switchgear, standby diesel generators and paralleling switchgear, UPS systems (static and rotary), automatic transfer switches (ATS), PDUs, RPPs, busway, and downstream distribution.
- Direct integrated power systems testing such as load bank testing, generator load acceptance, utility-to-generator transfer, "pull-the-plug" / black-building tests, and failure-mode and recovery scenarios across redundancy configurations (N+1, 2N, 2N+1).
- Verify electrical protection, grounding, and coordination including relay settings, arc-flash mitigation, ground-fault systems, and selective coordination against the approved studies.
- Validate EPMS and BMS integration confirming monitoring, alarming, metering, and controls perform correctly during normal, maintenance, and failure scenarios.
- Witness and document factory acceptance testing (FAT) at vendor facilities and reconcile findings with site acceptance testing (SAT).
Quality, Safety & Coordination
- Enforce QA/QC standards for electrical installation and testing, performing installation verification and ensuring nonconformances are tracked to closure.
- Champion electrical safety during energized work and testing, including lockout/tagout, NFPA 70E compliance, and energization procedures and permitting.
- Coordinate cross-discipline dependencies with mechanical commissioning, controls, and the general contractor to sequence energization and integrated testing without schedule conflict.
- Manage commissioning data in Procore (or the project's designated platform), maintaining a complete, auditable record of checklists, test results, deficiencies, and turnover packages.
- Support turnover and closeout by assembling commissioning documentation, verifying training and as-built completion, and confirming operational readiness for the owner's facilities team.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field-or equivalent combination of education and hands-on commissioning experience.
- Minimum of 7 years of experience in electrical commissioning, electrical construction, or mission-critical facilities, with at least 3 years in a project management or commissioning lead role.
- Demonstrated experience commissioning data centers or comparable mission-critical environments (e.g., hospitals, semiconductor, financial trading facilities).
- Thorough working knowledge of the Levels 1-5 commissioning process and integrated systems testing (IST) methodology.
- Strong command of critical power systems: switchgear, generators, UPS, ATS, PDUs, and associated protection and distribution.
- Working knowledge of applicable codes and standards, including the NEC (NFPA 70), NFPA 70E, NETA acceptance testing specifications, and ASHRAE/industry commissioning guidelines.
- Proficiency with construction management and commissioning software, particularly Procore, and with the Microsoft 365 suite.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to lead meetings and produce clear, client-ready documentation.
- Willingness to travel up to 75% to active project sites and the ability to work on-site at active construction environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- Recognized commissioning credential (e.g., BCxP, CxA, ACG/AABC CxA, or NEBB certification).
- Professional Engineer (PE) license in one or more U.S. states.
- Prior experience in an Owner's Representative or third-party commissioning capacity.
- Familiarity with hyperscale and colocation data center delivery standards and Uptime Institute Tier topologies.
- Experience with EPMS/BMS platforms and large-scale load bank and IST campaigns.
Working Conditions & Physical Requirements
- Work is performed primarily on active data center construction sites, with exposure to typical construction conditions and energized electrical testing environments.
- Must be able to traverse construction sites, climb ladders and stairs, and access equipment rooms; capable of lifting up to 25 pounds occasionally.
- Required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and comply with all site and electrical safety protocols.
- Extended hours, including occasional nights and weekends, may be required to support critical testing milestones.
