Principal Building Automation Engineer (IC5) – Data Center Operations

Location: Abilene, TX

• Develop and own enterprise-wide BAS/BMS standards, architectures, and control philosophies for hyperscale data centers.
• Create scalable templates, sequences of operations, and naming conventions to support rapid deployment across NNN sites.
• Drive standardization of control system integration across mechanical, electrical, and critical systems (HVAC, chilled water plants, power monitoring, etc.).

• Partner with Design Engineering and Construction teams to ensure automation requirements are embedded early in project lifecycles.
• Review and approve control submittals, sequences of operations, and network architectures.
• Provide technical oversight for controls vendors and system integrators.

• Collaborate with site operations teams to ensure systems are designed for operability, maintainability, and fault tolerance.
• Lead development of alarm rationalization, trending strategies, and analytics frameworks.
• Drive improvements in system reliability, response time, and energy efficiency (PUE optimization).

• Support and validate controls commissioning (Cx) processes and IST activities.
• Ensure handoff quality by validating system performance, documentation, and training for operations teams.
• Develop repeatable commissioning standards and checklists.

• Act as the technical subject matter expert (SME) for building automation across internal stakeholders.
• Influence and align across Operations, Engineering, and external partners.
• Translate business and operational needs into technical control strategies.

• Identify and implement automation innovations, including advanced analytics, predictive maintenance, and AI-driven optimization.
• Evaluate and integrate new technologies and platforms to enhance automation capabilities.
• Drive lessons learned into future designs and standards (BOD updates).

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of experience in building automation / controls systems, preferably in mission-critical or hyperscale environments.
• Deep expertise in BAS/BMS platforms (e.g., Siemens, Schneider Electric, Johnson Controls, Tridium Niagara).
• Strong understanding of HVAC systems, chilled water plants, and critical power infrastructure.
• Experience with control sequences, system integration, and networked control architectures.

• Experience in hyperscale data center environments.
• Strong knowledge of commissioning practices and controls validation.
• Familiarity with power monitoring systems (EPMS) and integration with BAS.
• Experience working in triple-net (NNN) or colocation environments.
• Knowledge of ASHRAE guidelines, energy optimization strategies, and PUE metrics.
• Experience with data analytics, scripting, or visualization tools.

• Acts as a technical leader and standard setter across the organization.
• Drives alignment across multiple teams without direct authority (influence-based leadership).
• Owns large-scale, ambiguous problems and delivers scalable solutions.
• Mentors engineers and contributes to organizational capability building.
• Operates with a strong focus on customer impact, reliability, and operational excellence.

• Adoption rate of standardized automation templates and designs.
• Reduction in commissioning defects and post-turnover issues.
• Improvements in system uptime, alarm quality, and response efficiency.
• Measurable gains in energy efficiency (PUE) and operational performance.
• Stakeholder satisfaction and cross-functional alignment.