How to become a Senior Technician, Controls and BMS
Controls and BMS
The site’s controls specialist: the building management system, fire and suppression systems, and the alarms that come from them.
There’s a page for this role in , with its licences and local details.
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
- Data Center Facilities Technician, Controls (hyperscale)
- Automation & Controls Technician (colocation and wholesale)
- Building Engineer – BMS/EPMS (FM and service contractor)
- Controls Technician (any employer)
- Controls Technician (Physical Infrastructure) (hyperscale)
- 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
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 outside the industry
- From industrial automation or building controls to Senior Technician, Controls and BMS
- From IT support to Senior Technician, Controls and BMS
From another data centre role
Where it leads
- Lead Critical Facilities Technician, 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: 7421 Electronics mechanics and servicers.
- 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)