Controls Engineering Lead - Data Centres

🎛️ Controls Engineering Lead – Data Centres

📍 Dublin

🌍 Extensive International Travel

I’m working on a senior opportunity within the data centre sector, looking for an experienced Controls Engineering Lead to join a major organisation delivering complex mission-critical projects across Europe and internationally.

This is a client-side/PMC role, so I’m looking for someone who can operate at technical-authority level rather than simply delivering a standalone BMS or controls package.

You’ll be working across General Contractors, specialist controls contractors, vendors, commissioning teams, designers and client stakeholders, helping to define how the electrical, mechanical, cooling and operational systems across a data centre come together and operate as one integrated facility.

The role will have a strong focus on:

• BMS, EPMS and SCADA systems

• PLC and RTU systems

• Operational Technology architecture

• Controls networks and communications

• Sequences of Operation

• Cause & Effect strategies

• Control narratives and alarm philosophies

• Systems integration

• DCIM and digital infrastructure

• Functional Performance Testing

• Integrated Systems Testing

• Commissioning and operational readiness

• Root cause analysis and troubleshooting

• Controls standardisation and technical governance

A big part of the role will be defining and governing standard controls architectures across large-scale data centre environments, including BMS, EPMS, SCADA, PLCs, controls networks, field devices and supervisory systems.

You’ll also own the wider systems integration strategy, helping define how electrical, mechanical, cooling, liquid cooling, communications and customer operational systems interface with each other.

That includes everything from substations, generators and UPS systems through to cooling plants, CDUs, white-space infrastructure and wider digital platforms.

This is not a role for someone who only knows one controls platform.

I’m looking for somebody who understands the whole controls and operational technology ecosystem and can physically design system architecture, challenge technical solutions and help establish how the facility should behave during normal operation, maintenance, failure conditions and recovery scenarios.

From a technical perspective, strong experience across areas such as the following will be important:

• Open and closed loop control systems

• Loop tuning and system stabilisation

• PLC systems and programming

• HMI and SCADA systems

• Control panels and controllers

• Head-end servers

• Modbus, Profibus, Ethernet and Fieldbus

• Device commissioning

• Points lists, alarms, setpoints and delays

• Loop checking and point-to-point testing

• QA/QC and punch-list management

• Equipment start-up and system validation

The specification is particularly strong around system integration, programming ability, device commissioning and detailed knowledge of controls deliverables rather than high-level coordination alone.

I’m particularly interested in speaking with Controls Engineers who have worked within hyperscale, colocation, AI or other mission-critical data centre environments, or within other technically complex sectors where controls, integration and operational reliability are critical.

You’ll need to be comfortable operating at both concept and delivery level — supporting technical strategy and architecture early in the project lifecycle, then remaining close enough to commissioning and operational readiness to make sure the intended solution actually works.

The role is based in Dublin and candidates need to already be located in Dublin or be able to base themselves there.

There will also be extensive international travel, so flexibility to spend significant time on projects across Europe and potentially further afield will be essential.

A degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Instrumentation Engineering or Mechatronic Engineering would be relevant, with Chartered or equivalent professional accreditation preferred.

If you have a strong background in data centre controls, BMS/EPMS/SCADA, systems integration and operational technology, and are interested in working in a client-side / PMC environment, drop me a message for a confidential conversation.

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