Lead Data Centre Commissioning Engineer & Project Manager — Toronto, ON

The Position

Mission Critical Engineers is seeking a technically strong Lead Data Centre Commissioning Engineer & Project Manager to lead commissioning activities on complex data centre and mission-critical projects.

This role requires deep knowledge of critical electrical and mechanical systems, redundancy, availability, resilience, maintainability, and failure modes, combined with the ability to manage technical delivery, change control, schedules, and interfaces across clients, contractors, OEMs, design engineers, and operations teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical delivery of commissioning programs for data centres and high-availability facilities.
• Serve as the primary MCE project interface with the client, owner’s team, general contractor, trade contractors, OEMs, design engineers, controls providers, authorities having jurisdiction, and facility operations personnel.
• Lead, coordinate, and actively participate in L1–L5 commissioning activities, including factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, installation verification, pre-functional testing, functional performance testing, and integrated systems testing.
• Maintain a strong field presence during equipment startup, test preparation, functional testing, integrated systems testing, failure-mode testing, and system turnover.
• Review electrical, mechanical, controls, and life-safety designs to assess redundancy, availability, maintainability, resilience, constructability, and commissionability.
• Identify single points of failure, common-mode failures, control-system dependencies, maintainability constraints, and gaps between design intent and demonstrated performance.
• Assess critical infrastructure topology, including N, N+1, 2N, distributed redundancy, block redundancy, and configurations designed to be maintained without interrupting the critical load.
• Develop, review, and execute commissioning plans, test plans, test scripts, failure-mode scenarios, test matrices, sequences of operation, readiness criteria, and acceptance criteria.
• Lead testing of critical electrical systems, including utility service, medium- and low-voltage distribution, switchgear, transformers, generators, ATS/STS, UPS systems, battery systems, PDUs, grounding, protection, and EPMS.
• Lead testing of critical mechanical systems, including chillers, cooling towers, pumps, CRAH/CRAC units, air‑handling systems, CDUs, liquid cooling infrastructure, hydronic systems, BMS, controls, and associated alarms and interlocks.
• Direct the use of test instrumentation, including load banks, power‑quality analysers, infrared thermography, and flow and temperature data loggers, and analyse the recorded data against acceptance criteria.
• Verify the performance of controls, monitoring, alarms, interlocks, automatic sequences, system failover, and recovery following abnormal operating conditions.
• Manage the commissioning change‑control process; assess proposed design changes, substitutions, RFIs, field changes, equipment changes, control‑sequence revisions, and construction deviations for their impact on design intent, redundancy, operability, maintainability, testing, schedule, and turnover.
• Maintain a clear record of change decisions, technical risks, required re‑testing, stakeholder approvals, and resulting updates to commissioning documentation.
• Review construction submittals, RFIs, equipment selections, change requests, sequences of operation, and test procedures for technical and commissioning impact.
• Lead commissioning, test‑readiness, change‑control, and technical coordination meetings; communicate requirements, decisions, risks, deficiencies, dependencies, and accountabilities clearly.
• Develop and maintain commissioning plans, integrated schedules, test matrices, resource plans, readiness criteria, risk registers, change logs, deficiency logs, and reporting deliverables.
• Manage interfaces and dependencies among construction completion, energization, OEM startup, controls integration, temporary works, safety requirements, test equipment, and operations readiness.
• Ensure systems are installed, tested, and documented in accordance with the Owner’s Project Requirements, Basis of Design, specifications, contract documents, approved changes, and intended operating strategy.
• Manage test readiness, including safety controls, site access, equipment availability, temporary loads, OEM attendance, system status, required documentation, and test‑day logistics.
• Drive the resolution and verification of deficiencies, test exceptions, control issues, and open items, including confirmation of required re‑testing.
• Prepare clear, technically rigorous reports covering project status, testing outcomes, system performance, changes, risks, deficiencies, recommendations, and closeout requirements.
• Support owner training, operational turnover, warranty documentation, and transition to the facility operations team.
• Mentor commissioning staff and contribute to the development of MCE technical standards, test procedures, and quality practices.
• Travel to client and project sites across Canada, as required.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned from time to time by the Principals or senior management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Minimum of five years of experience in data centre, mission‑critical, industrial, healthcare, utility, or similarly complex infrastructure environments.
• Demonstrated hands‑on field experience leading and performing commissioning activities for critical electrical and mechanical systems.
• Strong L1–L5 commissioning experience, including functional performance testing, integrated systems testing, failure‑mode testing, and operational readiness.
• Deep technical knowledge of critical electrical infrastructure, mechanical cooling systems, controls, and system interdependencies.
• Hands‑on experience with electrical and mechanical test instrumentation, including power‑quality analysers, load banks, insulation‑resistance testers, infrared thermography, ultrasonic flow meters, and data loggers, and the judgement to interpret the results.
• Demonstrated understanding of redundancy, availability, resilience, maintenance without interruption to the critical load, and continued operation through, and recovery from, equipment or system failures.
• Ability to read and critically review single‑line diagrams, mechanical drawings, P&IDs, control diagrams, sequences of operation, specifications, submittals, and test procedures.
• Experience managing technical change control, including assessing the commissioning impact of RFIs, substitutions, design changes, field changes, and revised control sequences.
• Demonstrated project‑management experience leading complex commissioning, construction, engineering, or mission‑critical infrastructure projects from planning through testing, handover, and closeout.
• Strong project‑management skills, including integrated scheduling, resource coordination, test planning, interface management, stakeholder communication, change control, risk management, reporting, project financial awareness, and closeout.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical matters clearly to clients, contractors, OEMs, design engineers, and operations personnel.
• Collaborative, dependable, and professional approach; able to lead independently while working effectively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and project‑scheduling tools such as Microsoft Project, Primavera P6, or equivalent.
• Valid driver’s licence and ability to travel 30–50% as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• P.Eng. designation or eligibility for registration with Professional Engineers Ontario.
• PMP, PMI‑SP, CxA, BCxP, CCP, LEED AP, or comparable credential.
• Experience acting as an independent Commissioning Authority or owner’s representative.
• Experience with high‑density, AI‑ready, hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data centres.
• Experience with liquid cooling systems, dynamic load testing, factory acceptance testing, and critical‑facility failure‑mode testing.

Working Conditions

• Regular site work on active construction sites and in operating facilities, including electrical rooms, mechanical plants, generator yards, and rooftops.
• Walking and standing actively on site for up to 8 hours a day, including climbing stairs and ladders.
• Lifting and carrying test equipment and materials weighing up to 50 lb (23 kg).
• Wearing arc‑rated clothing and other personal protective equipment as required by MCE and site safety rules.
• Occasional evening, overnight, or weekend work when systems can be tested only outside normal operating hours.
• Work in noisy equipment areas and outdoors in all seasons.

What We Offer

• Leadership of commissioning on complex data centre projects, with extensive hands‑on experience from factory testing through integrated systems testing and handover.
• Direct mentorship from the CxA Principal.
• Clear opportunities for career advancement.
• Performance bonus.
• A potential opportunity for an ownership share in the company, offered at the company’s discretion.
• Group health and dental benefits.

About Mission Critical Engineers

Mission Critical Engineers is an independent engineering and Commissioning Authority firm specializing in data centres, high‑availability infrastructure, and forensic engineering.

We support clients through design review, construction verification, commissioning, reliability assessment, failure analysis, and operational handover. Our work covers critical electrical and mechanical infrastructure, including power distribution, standby generation, UPS and battery systems, air and liquid cooling, controls, fire suppression, and life‑safety systems.

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada at the time of application.

Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Mission Critical Engineers is an equal‑opportunity employer. We are committed to an inclusive and accessible workplace. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process in accordance with applicable law.