Controls Director - Data Center

Industry: Data Centers / Mission Critical Infrastructure

Employment Type: Full-time

Working Model: Office-based

The Opportunity

We are working with a global leader in mission-critical infrastructure to appoint a Director of Data Center Controls to lead its rapidly growing US controls engineering operation.

This is a senior leadership position with responsibility for a team currently consisting of approximately 40 engineering, technical and management professionals, with significant growth planned over the next 12–18 months.

The division delivers integrated controls solutions across the complete data-center environment, spanning critical power, EPMS, BMS, critical cooling, PLC/SCADA, software integration, testing and commissioning.

The successful candidate will take ownership of an established operation while leading the next phase of its growth across the US.

The Role

You will be responsible for the leadership, development and continued growth of the US Controls Engineering organisation.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading a large and growing multidisciplinary controls engineering team
• Scaling the US engineering organisation over the next 12–18 months
• Providing leadership across BMS, EPMS, PLC/SCADA and controls integration
• Supporting controls across MV/LV, UPS, substations and switch gear
• Overseeing integration with critical cooling and thermal systems
• Supporting testing, commissioning and project delivery
• Working directly with major data-center customers
• Partnering closely with sales, engineering and project leadership
• Developing engineering processes, standards and organisational capability
• Working as part of a wider global controls leadership team

What We're Looking For

The key requirement is someone who genuinely understands both sides of mission-critical data-center controls:

Power / EPMS

• MV/LV systems
• UPS and substations
• Switchgear
• Power monitoring
• EPMS / Power SCADA

Mechanical / BMS

• Critical cooling
• Thermal management
• BMS / Building Automation
• Mechanical controls
• PLC-based systems

You don't need to be programming PLCs every day, but you must have the technical credibility to lead experienced controls engineers and understand how power and mechanical systems integrate across a data-center environment.

Ideal Experience

We're particularly interested in speaking with people who have:

• Significant controls/automation experience within data centers or mission-critical infrastructure
• Leadership experience across multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Strong understanding of BMS and EPMS
• Experience with PLC/SCADA and systems integration
• Knowledge across both critical power and mechanical/cooling controls
• Experience building or scaling engineering teams
• Strong customer-facing capabilities
• Experience working alongside sales and commercial teams

Experience with platforms such as Schneider PowerSCADA, Eco Struxure or similar mission-critical controls technologies would be beneficial.

Relevant backgrounds could include:

Controls Director | Engineering Director | Head of Controls | Director of Controls Engineering | Director of BMS/EPMS | Senior Director – Controls | Controls Business Unit Leader

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is not a replacement role where you're simply being asked to maintain an existing operation.

The US controls business is continuing to experience significant growth, with plans to substantially increase engineering headcount over the next 12–18 months.

You'll inherit an established team, significant customer demand and a strong project pipeline, while having the opportunity to shape the organisation through its next stage of development.

A substantial handover period is also planned with the existing US leader to ensure a successful transition.

For someone who has built their career within mission-critical controls and wants the opportunity to lead a significant US engineering organisation, this represents a genuinely high-impact position.

Location

This position is based in Greenville, South Carolina and requires regular office presence.

Relocation support may be considered for the right individual.

Interested?

For further information or a confidential discussion, please apply directly or contact Rob Monan at Empiric.