Commissioning Engineer — Southeast
Commissioning & Field Execution · Charlotte, NC (Field)
Why This Role Exists
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
Software Tools
Standards
Test Phases
Site Activities
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
- 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
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
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
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
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)
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 careers@zigguratautomation.com
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Let's Talk Engineering
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First step: a 15-minute call with the principal engineer.