Data center commissioning executive search

Retained search across data center commissioning, from Level 1 through Level 5, covering commissioning management, agents and the engineering behind them. Vice president to C‑suite.

Key roles we place ↓

Overview

What we do in commissioning

Metric DCX places senior and executive leaders across commissioning, covering commissioning management and agency work, integrated systems testing, and the electrical and mechanical engineering that supports it. Searches are retained and run from vice president through C-suite.

Commissioning is where a building stops being a construction project and becomes something a client will trust with their load. The people who run it carry more risk than their titles suggest, and clients increasingly want to know who specifically will be on their site before they award the work.

Roles

The roles we place in commissioning

VP Commissioning Commissioning leadership across a portfolio of projects.
Commissioning Manager Level 1 through Level 5 delivery on a campus or building.
Senior Commissioning Agent Owner side commissioning authority and script ownership.
Director of Integrated Systems Testing Level 5 planning, execution and issue resolution.
Electrical Commissioning Lead Switchgear, UPS and generator testing leadership.
Mechanical Commissioning Lead Cooling, controls and water system testing leadership.
Head of Quality & Documentation Scripts, records and turnover package discipline.
Chief Operating Officer Operational leadership across a commissioning business.
Controls & BMS Commissioning Lead Controls, BMS and sequence of operations testing.

+ many others

Within this sector

What commissioning covers

Commissioning Management

Owner side and contractor side commissioning leadership.

Integrated Systems Testing

Level 5 planning and execution across the full facility.

Electrical Commissioning

Switchgear, UPS, generators and the power train.

Mechanical & Controls

Cooling, water systems, controls and building management.

Market

Hiring in commissioning right now

Commissioning has gone from a line item to a named requirement. Clients now ask which agents will be assigned and check their record, which means a commissioning business grows exactly as fast as it can hire credible people and no faster.

Liquid cooling has widened the gap. Commissioning a high density or liquid cooled hall is different enough that experience on air cooled facilities does not fully transfer, and the group who have done the newer work at scale is very small.

Because the work is project based and travel heavy, retention in commissioning is worse than the rest of the sector. Firms that solve the travel question, through rotation or regional staffing, hire more easily than firms offering more money, which is not what most of them expect.

Common questions

Commissioning hiring questions

The questions clients ask most often before briefing a commissioning search.

How long does a commissioning leadership search take?

We work to seven days to a shortlist on most briefs. How long the search takes after that depends on the role and on notice periods, so we set out a realistic timeline with you at the start.

Do you work retained or contingent?

Retained. Our commissioning consultants have spent years building relationships in this market, so most shortlists start from people we already know, and talent mapping, backed by our marketing reach, covers the rest of the market so nobody credible gets missed. Retained is what lets us give that kind of time to one brief.

Do you place below vice president?

Yes. Most briefs sit at vice president and above, but we regularly run director and senior manager searches where the role carries a campus or a testing program. A commissioning manager on a live campus, or an electrical commissioning lead through a Level 5 would be typical. What matters is whether it is a hire you cannot afford to get wrong.

Can you find people experienced in liquid cooled commissioning?

Yes, though there are very few of them. The group who have taken a high density or liquid cooled facility through integrated systems testing is small enough to be counted. Most of our clients end up hiring a strong conventional commissioning leader and bringing the newer capability in alongside, which is slower but far more reliable than waiting.