{"id":101936,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vantage-data-centers-principal-automation-systems-engineer-na","title":"Principal Automation Systems Engineer, NA","company":{"id":8762,"name":"Vantage Data Centers","domain":"vantagedc.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vantagedc","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":80,"open_postings":25,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.76,"repost_share":0.04,"time_to_fill_p50_days":31,"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"}},"role":"DevOps","role_family":"DevOps","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Denver, United States","Atlanta, United States","Albany, United States","Washington, United States","San Antonio, United States","United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":155000,"max":165000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":165000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Microsoft Office","optional":false},{"name":"SharePoint","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-16T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-03","last_verified_at":"2026-11-01T23:07:57Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":109,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":109},"description":"About Vantage\nVantage powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world’s well-known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands.\nAutomation SystemsGroup\nTheAutomation SystemsGroupis responsible forthe design, construction and support ofcutting-edgedata center automation and control infrastructure. The department collaborates with Operations, Sales, Engineering, Information Technologyand Management to ensure the system continues to fulfill Vantage customer requirements.Automation Systemsworks closely with partner contractors tocome up withthe best design and helps manage these partners to success by providingaccuraterequirements, goals, and timelines. In addition to design and construction, we are also responsible for the technical requirements of the Operations department involving troubleshooting,calibrating,and repairing mission critical control systems throughout all Vantage locations.\nPosition Overview\nThis role can be based at any of our US Locations with a flexible work arrangement: 3 days on-site and 2 days remote.\nVantage is looking for an experienced, highly technical, and hands-on Principal Automation Systems Engineer to serve as a leading technical authority for SCADA (Ignition) and PLC (Rockwell) software development supporting new construction, sustaining operations, and live mission-critical data center infrastructure. This role functions as a principal individual contributor within the Automation Development team with expectations for portfolio-level technical ownership, architecture direction, standardization leadership, and cross-functional influence.\nYou will define and guide automation architecture, development standards, reusable frameworks, and technical practices across the North America portfolio. This role is expected to solve high-complexity automation challenges, provide direction for critical design decisions, mentorengineersand integration partners, and strengthen the quality, reliability, maintainability, and scalability of automation solutions used across both new builds and production environments.\nEssential Job Functions\nOwn and advance portfolio-level automation architecture, including Ignition gateway strategies, PLC design patterns, reusable UDT frameworks, alarm philosophy, data models, and standards for scalable automation delivery.\n\nLead development and governance of automation standards, architecture guidelines, SOPs, technical documentation, and reusable engineering practices supporting regional and portfolio-wide needs.\n\nProvide principal-level technical direction for SCADA, PLC, graphics, UDT, alarming, telemetry, and data integrity solutions across new construction and sustaining operations.\n\nServe as a technical decision-maker for complex design, commissioning, production support, and continuous improvement initiativesimpactingmission-critical systems.\n\nGuide and influence internal Automation Engineering stakeholders, project teams, integration partners, contractors, and cross-functional groups to ensure alignment with company goals, quality expectations, and operating standards.\n\nReview and approve significant automation design decisions, code approaches, release strategies, and change management practices for production environments.\n\nLead technical reviews of drawings, models, sequences of operation, submittals, factory acceptance testing, commissioning plans, and validation results to ensure automation solutions meet operational and customer requirements.\n\nProvide escalation support and technicalexpertisefor high-impact troubleshooting, commissioning, validation, and production issue resolution in live, mission-critical environments.\n\nMentor senior engineers, integration team members, and staff augmentation resources, strengthening engineering judgment, development quality, and technical consistency across the team.\n\nCollaborate with Design, Engineering, Construction, Reliability Engineering, Site Operations, Information Technology, and Automation Engineering peers to deliver and sustain reliable automation solutions.\n\nEstablish technical direction for automation logic, visualization applications, gateway architecture, PLC standards, system interfaces, and reusable development frameworks.\n\nTranslate project documentation, including drawings, sequences of operation, bills of material, instrumentation diagrams, equipment specifications, and network diagrams, into scalable automation solutions and engineering deliverables.\n\nEvaluate automation design options and make sound technical recommendations that balance operational reliability, maintainability, deployment risk, cybersecurity, project schedule, and long-term support needs.\n\nPromote abstraction, reuse, consistency, and standardization of automation logic across the portfolio while allowing for responsible site-specific variation where business needsrequireit.\n\nLead root cause analysis and technical remediation planning for complex or recurring automation issuesimpactingcommissioning, customer reporting, alarming, telemetry, or live operations.\n\nIdentifygaps in standards, tools, quality controls, and work processes, thenleadpractical improvements that raise delivery consistency and reduce operational risk.\n\nProvide technical leadership and coaching to engineers and integration partners without direct people management responsibility.\n\nRepresent Automation Engineering in cross-functional technical discussions, design reviews, project coordination meetings, and customer or stakeholder-facing technical conversations when needed.\n\nJob Requirements\nExpert-level knowledge of the Ignition (Inductive Automation) SCADA platform or Rockwell Automation PLCs isrequired, with strong working knowledge of both preferred.\n\nTen or more years of experience in industrial SCADA orPLCbasedcontrolssystem developmentrequired, with data center or other mission-critical infrastructure experience strongly preferred.\n\nDeep understanding of automation systems including control loops, field I/O, alarming, telemetry, data integrity, control narratives, and mission-critical control system behavior.\n\nDemonstrated experience designing, governing, and improving scalable automation architectures, reusable logic libraries, UDT frameworks, visualization standards, and PLC or SCADA development practices.\n\nAdvanced experience with industrial PLC platforms, including but not limited to Rockwell Automation and Carel systems.\n\nDemonstrated ability to interpret and challenge Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), control narratives, control panel drawings, network architecture diagrams, equipment specifications, instrumentation lists, and sequence of operations.\n\nStrong knowledge of software development tools and disciplined engineering practices such as version control, structured code reviews, release management, technical documentation, and controlled deployment into production environments.\n\nWorking knowledge of startup and commissioning procedures for industrial automation and control systems, including system verification, functional testing, issue resolution, and production readiness validation.\n\nExperience supportinglive, mission-critical environments where change control, clear communication, and risk management arerequired.\n\nExcellent analytical, problem-solving, and troubleshooting skills with the ability toidentify, diagnose, and resolve complex technical issues across systems, vendors, and functional teams.\n\nProventrack recordof leading complex control system projects, technical standards, or architecture initiatives from concept through delivery while coordinating cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and project deliverables.\n\nStrong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical topics clearly to engineers, operations teams, contractors, clients, and leadership stakeholders.\n\nDemonstrated ability to take portfolio-level technical ownership, influence without direct authority, mentor other engineers, and make sound engineering decisions under pressure.\n\nProficiencywith Microsoft Office and SharePoint.\n\nTravel required up to approximately 25 percent, with potential variation based on business needs\n\nPhysical Demands and Special Requirements\nThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.\nWhile performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to handle, or feel objects; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop or kneel; talk and hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.\nAdditional Details\nSalary Range: $155,000- $165,000 + Bonus (this range is based on Colorado market data and may vary in other locations)\n\nThis position is eligible for company benefits including but not limited to medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and AD&D, short and long-term disability coverage, paid time off, employee assistance, participation in a 401k program that includes company match, and many other additional voluntary benefits.\n\nCompensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including your qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience and may fall outside of the range shown.\n\n#LI-HYBRID #LI-AO2\nWe operate with No Ego and No Arrogance. We work to build each other up and support one another, appreciating each other’s strengths and respecting each other’s weaknesses. We find joy in our work and each other, actively seeking opportunities to inject fun into what we do. Our hard and efficient work is rewarded with an above market total compensation package. We offer a comprehensive suite of health and welfare, retirement, and paid leave benefits exceeding local expectations.\nThroughout the year, the advantage of being part of the Vantage team is evident with an array of benefits, recognition, training and development, and the knowledge that your contribution adds value to the company and our community.\nDon't meet all the requirements? Please still apply if you think you are the right person for the position. We are always keen to speak to people who connect with our mission and values.\nVantage is an Equal Opportunity Employer.\nVantage does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm agencies. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of Vantage.\nWe’ll be accepting applications for at least one week from the date this role is posted. If you're interested, we encourage you to apply soon-we’re excited to find the right person and will keep the role open until we do!","description_format":"text","description_chars":11117,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["401k plan","Flexible schedule"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Data Centers & Colocation"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-07-16T00:00:00Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":8,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.294,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":109,"expected_fill_days":31,"reasons":["conf:7","stale_co","velocity","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":165000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vantage-data-centers-principal-automation-systems-engineer-na","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vantage-data-centers-principal-automation-systems-engineer-na.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-02T07:11:11Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":10113,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":8762},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=8762"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvantage-data-centers-principal-automation-systems-engineer-na"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvantage-data-centers-principal-automation-systems-engineer-na"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvantage-data-centers-principal-automation-systems-engineer-na"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/vantage-data-centers-principal-automation-systems-engineer-na\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvantage-data-centers-principal-automation-systems-engineer-na"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":101936}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"vantagedc.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":101936},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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