Commissioning Manager

The Commissioning Manager based in a central platform / multi-site support team with responsibility spanning commissioning strategy, standards, governance, assurance, and project delivery support.

The Commissioning Manager is responsible for the technical oversight, planning and delivery of commissioning activities across Pure DC’s data centre design, construction and live operating environments. The role supports projects from early design through to handover, as well as commissioning activities on live assets associated with asset lifecycle works and operational asset improvement, working closely with Construction, Programme and Project Management, site delivery teams, commercial teams, suppliers, external consultants and Site Operations teams to ensure commissioning is planned, executed, evidenced and accepted in line with contract requirements, operational constraints, client expectations and relevant standards.

The role also includes responsibility for leading and coordinating FAT, SAT and IST activities across applicable systems, ensuring commissioning programmes, test documentation, defect close-out and handover requirements are delivered in a controlled, compliant and timely manner. The Commissioning Manager also provides expert support and advice on commissioning readiness, system performance, operational handover and continuous improvement across Pure DC’s live and developing portfolio.

Core Responsibilities & Deliverables

Strategy, Governance & Standards

• Own the commissioning strategy, standards and governance across projects, ensuring alignment to ASHRAE, NETA ATS, applicable codes, and client/contract requirements.
• Ensure quality, safety and compliance throughout commissioning activities, including adherence to project H&S requirements and change control.
• Drive continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned, standardising best practice, and improving commissioning processes, templates and tools.

Programme Leadership & Delivery

• Manage the integrated commissioning programme (design review through handover), including milestones, resourcing, dependencies and interfaces with construction and project controls.
• Deliver IST planning and execution oversight, ensuring integrated systems performance meets required outcomes and resilience objectives.
• Own stakeholder reporting and governance rhythms (weekly/monthly), providing clear status, risks, mitigations and decisions required.

Pre-Construction & Design Assurance

• Lead commissioning input into bid and pre-construction planning, owning scope, assumptions, risks and deliverables for each opportunity.
• Own commissioning design reviews and readiness, ensuring systems are commissionable, maintainable and aligned to operational requirements.

Contractor, Vendor & CxA Management

• Support management and coordination of contractor and vendor commissioning teams, holding them accountable for method statements, ITPs, test documentation, safe systems of work and schedule adherence.
• Manage and coordinate CxA, holding them accountable for all deliverables as defined in the Cx Playbook.

Testing, Validation & Acceptance

• Deliver the commissioning test framework and documentation set, including L1-L5 test scripts, L6 checklists, test records, and commissioning dossiers for client acceptance.
• Lead and witness FAT and SAT activities, manage defects/punch lists, and drive closure to achieve acceptance criteria.

Handover & Operational Readiness

• Manage engagement with Operations to ensure handover readiness, including training needs, O&M documentation completeness, and smooth transition to live operations.

Operational & Technical Leadership

• Lead and/or support operational programmes, platforms, and workstreams as directed by Senior Management.
• Provide technical input to initiatives aimed at improving system resilience, availability, and fault tolerance.

Team management responsibilities & key relationships

Owns and manages key relationships across Development, Construction, Project Management, Design, Commercial, Vendors/Contractors, CxA and Operations.

May line-manage and/or provide functional leadership to commissioning engineers and specialist commissioning resources (internal and external) depending on project scale

SKILLS, qualifications AND EXPERIENCE (Required = R, Desirable = D)

Skills

Communication: Own and demonstrate the capability to engage and communicate effectively (spoken and written) across diverse stakeholder groups. (R)

Collaboration: Lead collaborative ways of working to deliver outcomes and create and/or contribute to wider team empowerment and value. (R)

Innovation: Drive problem solving to identify opportunities to responsibly improve ways of working and/or outcomes within your scope of influence. (R)

Continuous Improvement: Own the continuous development of your skills, experience and output, and actively develop others to build personal and wider business value. (R)

Leadership: Lead by example; own your impact and accountability and bring others with you on the journey. (R)

Knowledge and Skills

• Significant technical experience in Data Centres with a Mechanical/Electrical building services background
• Excellent technical knowledge of international design codes and standards in particular ASHRAE
• A desire to set the sustainability agenda through design engineering
• A thorough understanding of the construction process from pre-construction/tender stages through to handover
• The ability to challenge the status quo
• Good interpersonal and team building skills
• Excellent verbal, written and presentational skills
• Working knowledge of building management systems and controls
• Excellent IT skills (MS Office, MS Project, a good understanding of CAD (AutoCAD, AutoDESK, REVIT and other 3D modelling software) would be an advantage but not essential.

Qualifications and Experience

• Ideally a master’s degree in mechanical/electrical engineering or several years equivalent experience.
• Experience of systems commissioning
• Experience in Data centres from Colo to Hyperscale.
• Experience of reviewing the design from a commissionable perspective for datacentres, pharmaceutical facilities, hospitals and large distribution centres/warehouses or other similar projects - Desirable
• Reviewing Factory tests method statements, attending and controlling Factory tests.
• Professional membership of an appropriate professional body - Highly desirable
• Remote working/working from home
• Experience of working within a matrix organisation.
• Driving licence
• Occasional international travel

Note: The successful candidate will be required to complete pre-employment screening to BS7858:2019, or national equivalent. (Covers: Confirmation of identity, legal right to work, financial probity, criminal history and associations with proscribed organisations). It is the policy of Pure DC that all individuals have a responsibility for the security and protection of company’s Information and IT Resources over which they have control, according to their role.