Commissioning Engineer

Job Description

The Southeast data center corridor - Virginia through Georgia - has the highest concentration of active hyperscale construction in the country. This role exists because commissioning delays on these projects carry real LD exposure, and flying engineers cross-country creates gaps between site visits that compound punch lists. You own L1-L5 commissioning on multi-vendor protection systems - design-through-acceptance, regionally anchored where the project density demands consistent presence.

What You Own

• FAT/SAT/IST test procedures for protection relays, generator controllers, ATS, and SCADA systems
• Functional performance testing: protection scheme verification, trip coordination, interlock validation
• Staged commissioning planning: board-by-board or zone-by-zone cutover with deterministic rollback
• Transfer testing: open-transition and closed-transition sequences, retransfer with time delay
• Punch-list management through closeout and owner acceptance
• Turnover packages: commissioning records, as-built documentation, O&M manuals

Systems You'll Touch

Vendor Platforms

• SEL
• Woodward
• CAT (Caterpillar)
• Omicron
• Doble

Software Tools

• AcSELerator QuickSet
• AcSELerator RTAC

Standards

• NFPA 70E
• IEEE 1584

Test Phases

• Factory Acceptance Test (FAT)
• Site Acceptance Test (SAT)
• Secondary injection testing
• Functional performance testing
• Witness testing
• Staged commissioning / cutover

Site Activities

• Automatic mode transitions ATS control (open/closed transition)

What Success Looks Like

First 90 Days

• Completed commissioning or witness testing on at least one Southeast data center project
• Developed FAT or SAT test procedures for a protection relay or controller scope
• Established working relationships with at least one prime contractor commissioning team in the region

First 180 Days

• Leading commissioning execution on Southeast corridor projects - owning the full commissioning scope
• Independently conducting witness testing with owner representatives present
• Known contact for prime contractors in the Southeast region for P&C commissioning needs

Required Background

• 5+ years commissioning experience on medium-voltage critical power systems (data centers, substations, industrial)
• FAT/SAT procedure development and execution for protection relays and generator controllers
• Secondary injection testing with Omicron or Doble test sets
• Transfer testing experience: ATS open/closed transition, generator paralleling, load bank testing
• NFPA 70E compliance: arc-flash PPE, approach boundaries, LOTO procedures on energized equipment
• Punch-list management and turnover documentation experience

Preferred Background

• NETA Level III or IV certification
• SEL relay commissioning (QuickSet, 751/700G families)
• Woodward generator controller commissioning (easYgen 3400, LS-6)
• Experience working with AE/MEP/EPC prime contractors on data center projects
• Based in or willing to relocate to the Southeast (NC, VA, GA, TN, FL)

What to Expect in the Field

• Travel 40-60% during commissioning phases. Regional focus - Southeast corridor (VA, NC, GA, TN, FL).
• Site hours during commissioning: early starts, occasional weekends. More predictable schedule with regional focus vs. nationwide travel.
• Customer-Facing Direct interface with prime contractor commissioning leads and owner representatives. Regional relationships built over time.
• Documentation Heavy - test procedures, commissioning records, punch lists, turnover packages
• Field Safety NFPA 70E compliance mandatory - arc-flash PPE, approach boundaries, daily safety briefings

Why Ziggurat

• Regional focus means you build relationships with the primes building in the Southeast, not just pass through projects
• Commission what we designed - relay settings, automation logic, and coordination curves come from the same team
• Your field feedback improves the next design - direct loop between site reality and the engineering office
• Growing into the densest hyperscale construction corridor in the country

Hiring Process

1. Screen
   Background review against role requirements - vendor platform experience, relevant certifications, project types, and standards familiarity. Quick assessment of baseline alignment before investing either party's time.
   Resume review + 15-min intro call
2. Technical Review
   Deeper evaluation of technical depth. We review sample work - relay settings files, protection study reports, commissioning test procedures, or SCADA configuration packages - depending on the role. If samples aren't shareable, we discuss specific project scenarios in detail.
   Async work-sample review or 45-min technical call
3. Interview
   Scenario-based conversation with the principal engineer. Real project situations: how you'd approach a coordination study for a complex switchgear lineup, sequence a commissioning plan across multiple vendor platforms, or troubleshoot a protection scheme failure during site acceptance testing.
   60-min video call with founder
4. Exercise / Artifact Review
   A practical evaluation matched to the role. Engineering roles receive a take-home exercise - review and mark up a set of relay settings, identify gaps in a protection study, or develop a test procedure for a specific scheme. Field-focused roles walk through a commissioning package or test report they've delivered, explaining their methodology and decisions.
   Take-home exercise (2-4 hrs) or artifact walkthrough (60 min)
5. Final Conversation
   Role scope, current project pipeline, working arrangements, and compensation. This is a two-way conversation - we want to confirm the role fits your goals, not just the other way around.
   30-min call

This role supports our testing commissioning and end to end service scopes.

Questions about this role? Email us at [email protected]