How to become a Senior Technician, Controls and BMS in Australia
Controls and BMS
The site’s controls specialist: the building management system, fire and suppression systems, and the alarms that come from them.
What the role does
The site’s controls specialist: the BMS, fire and suppression systems, and the alarms that come from them. Often entered directly from industrial automation, building controls or IT.
What a shift looks like
Shifts or days with call-out. Alarm tuning and fault-finding on the building management system, changes to control logic under change control, and tests of fire and suppression systems with their vendors.
What employers call it
- Critical Facilities Engineer (Controls) (colocation and wholesale)
- DCS/BMS Service Engineer (colocation and wholesale)
Skills
The level the role needs in each, on FacilityVR’s five levels from Aware to Authority.
Safe isolation
- Isolate and lock out a single energy source Independent
BMS and fire
- Fire system cause and effect Leads others
- Operate the BMS Leads others
- Respond to a fire alarm Leads others
- Inhibit and restore gas suppression Independent
- Monitor and control liquid-cooling systems Independent
- Respond to early smoke detection Independent
- Use and reset the emergency power off Independent
Monitoring and response
- Read trends and capacity Leads others
- Triage DCIM and BMS alarms Leads others
Cooling plant
- Operate air handlers and respond to their faults Independent
- Psychrometrics and the thermal envelope Independent
Physical access and security
- Monitor CCTV Assisted, desirable
Procedures and documents
- Write and review a MOP Independent
Leadership
- Coach and assess others Independent
Cyber and OT security
- Control vendor remote access Independent
- Report an OT anomaly Independent
- Patch OT through vendors Assisted
Network deployment and operations
- IP addressing and subnetting Assisted
LV distribution
- AI load swings and how they are smoothed Independent
Emergency response
- Recognise and report a suspected cyber incident Assisted
Licences and credentials
-
Provide First Aid (HLTAID011)
Usually asked for · A registered training organisation
Not legal advice: check with the regulator for your state.
Ways in and ways on
From outside the industry
- From industrial automation or building controls to Senior Technician, Controls and BMS in Australia
- From IT support to Senior Technician, Controls and BMS in Australia
From another data centre role
Where it leads
- Shift Lead, typically 2 years
- Chief Engineer, typically 3 years
- OT Controls Engineer, typically 3 years
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: 313932 Electronic Engineering Technician.
- Critical Facilities reference framework © Facility Labs. (CC BY 4.0)
- Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, OSCA – Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0, and its correspondence to ISCO-08. CC BY 4.0. (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International)