How to become a Commissioning Engineer
Commissioning (adjacent line)
Proves that new and changed plant works before it carries load: functional tests, integrated systems tests and handover to the operators.
There’s a page for this role in , with its licences and local details.
What the role does
Proves new and changed plant: functional tests, integrated systems testing and handover. On its own line, regional or with construction; site roles take part in its tests, and the Chief Engineer accepts the plant.
What a shift looks like
Project hours, on construction sites or across a region. Test scripts, witnessing tests with contractors and vendors, recording results, and handing over to the site.
What employers call it
- Manager, Facilities Operations Commissioning (colocation and wholesale)
- Electrical Commissioning Lead (cloud and AI compute)
- Mechanical Commissioning Lead (cloud and AI compute)
- Commissioning Project Lead (cloud and AI compute)
- Commissioning Engineer II (colocation and wholesale)
- Staff Commissioning Engineer, Electrical (colocation and wholesale)
- Electrical Commissioning Technician (hyperscale)
- Mechanical Commissioning Technician (hyperscale)
- Data Centre Commissioning Lead – Mechanical (colocation and wholesale)
Skills
The level the role needs in each, on FacilityVR’s five levels from Aware to Authority.
Safe isolation
- Authorise isolations Independent
Commissioning
- Accept capacity in phases Authority
- Check operational readiness at handover Leads others
- Commissioning levels Leads others
- Manage punch lists and defects Leads others
- Run functional performance tests Leads others
- Take part in integrated systems testing Leads others
- Work in a site that is part live and part under construction Leads others
Procedures and documents
- Write and review a MOP Leads others
LV distribution
- Trace the power path and its redundancy Leads others
MV switching
- Read MV systems and their protection Independent
Cooling plant
- Psychrometrics and the thermal envelope Independent
Leadership
- Supervise contractors and vendors Independent
Liquid cooling
- Fill, flush and vent a TCS loop Leads others
- Pressure-test a loop and verify its materials Leads others
Emergency response
- Recognise and report a suspected cyber incident Independent
Licences and credentials
Licences depend on the country you work in, and sometimes the state. The role’s page for Australia lists them there.
Ways in and ways on
From another data centre role
Where it leads
- Facilities Assurance Lead (a sideways move)
Jobs open now
None right now. See every open job.
Questions about data centre careers? Ask about data centre careers
Sources and licences
Occupation codes: 2149 Engineering professionals not elsewhere classified.
- Critical Facilities reference framework © Facility Labs. (CC BY 4.0)
- ISCO-08, International Labour Organization, as published in ESCO v1.2.1. This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission. (Commission Decision 2011/833/EU on the reuse of Commission documents)