Commissioning Manager

GAI Consultants•Homestead, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

GAI Consultants is seeking an experienced Commissioning Manager (Owner’s Representative). The Commissioning Manager serves as the Owner’s senior on-site representative for commissioning on mission-critical data center projects, providing independent, objective oversight of the entire commissioning process; the design team, the general contractor and its startup activities, and the third-party Commissioning Authority (CxA) verifying that systems are delivered in conformance with the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR), the design, and program standards across the full L0–L6 lifecycle. This is an authority-and-oversight role, not a delivery- or people-management role. The Commissioning Manager does not execute the contractor’s or CxA’s scope; the Commissioning Manager reviews, witnesses, challenges, and approves it on the Owner’s behalf. The position requires the technical depth to read a functional test script and judge its adequacy, to witness and interpret L4 functional performance testing and L5 integrated systems testing, and to hold the project team accountable to a rigorous, well-documented commissioning process through turnover and operational readiness.

Requirements

12+ years of relevant experience
Qualifying experience: project management, construction management, outage management, maintenance management, reliability engineering, or commissioning in critical infrastructure, power generation, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, healthcare, or comparable industries.
Military technical backgrounds qualify.
Some direct commissioning experience is required.
Adjacent high-consequence backgrounds; power generation, petrochemical/process, pharmaceutical validation, healthcare facilities, or U.S. military technical and nuclear programs — are valuable for the underlying systems and consequence-management foundation.
B.S. Engineering, Construction Management or other technical degree or vocational/trade certification in relevant field or equivalent hands-on experience will be considered and may substitute for formal education requirements
Commissioning certification — ACG CxA, BCxP, or CCP — preferred (this role carries independent technical authority on the Owner’s behalf).
NFPA 70E and OSHA 30 (required or ability to complete; provided through GAI internal training during onboarding for candidates who do not hold them at hire).
PMP and Uptime Institute ATD/ATF preferred.
Valid driver’s license required.
Hands-on command of electrical systems (MV switchgear, UPS, generators, ATS/STS, PDU/RPP) and mechanical systems (chilled-water plants, CRAH/CRAC, BMS/BAS), fire/life-safety, and EPMS/BMS sufficient to independently judge test adequacy.
Fluency in ASHRAE Guideline 0 and 1.7, NFPA 70E and 110, Uptime Tier classification, and the L0–L6 testing hierarchy, applied to enforce Owner and hyperscaler standards.
Independent and objective; comfortable challenging contractors, the CxA, and the design team while maintaining productive working relationships.
Deep hands-on commissioning and testing judgment — can read a script, witness an IST, and know whether it is right.
Owner-advocacy mindset; protects uptime, quality, schedule, and the Owner’s long-term operational interests.

Nice To Haves

Commissioning certification — ACG CxA, BCxP, or CCP
PMP and Uptime Institute ATD/ATF

Responsibilities

Act as the Owner’s single point of authority for commissioning on the project, providing independent, objective oversight of the design team, general contractor, startup contractors, and third-party CxA.
Enforce the Owner’s commissioning standards, OPR, and program requirements; embed Owner expectations into the project’s commissioning process from design through turnover.
Identify gaps early in the process and offer creative solutions to maintain milestone schedules.
Review and approve the commissioning plan, testing plans, test scripts (IVC, FPT, IST), schedules, and turnover documentation produced by the CxA and contractors before execution and before Owner acceptance.
Participate in design and submittal reviews (L0–L1) to confirm commissioning feasibility and that Owner requirements are reflected in the design.
Witness and independently verify installation verification (L2), energization and startup (L3), functional performance testing (L4), and integrated systems testing (L5); validate results against acceptance criteria.
Personally evaluate the technical adequacy of testing; sequence of operations, failure-mode scenarios, system interactions, and reject incomplete or non-conforming work.
Track commissioning progress, deficiencies, and risk against project milestones; escalate issues to Owner leadership and drive resolution and re-test verification.
Represent the Owner’s commissioning interests in project meetings, protecting uptime, quality, and schedule across the owner–contractor–engineer dynamic.
Verify deficiency closeout, as-commissioned documentation, systems manuals, and operator training before recommending Owner acceptance and turnover to operations (L6).
Verify field commissioning is conducted in compliance with NFPA 70E electrical safe work practices, lockout/tagout, and job-hazard-analysis discipline.
Track commissioning scope, schedule, and phase-gate progression on the Owner’s behalf; integrate Cx milestones with construction and turnover.
Identify schedule and technical risk early and drive mitigation through the project team.
Exercises functional authority over the project’s commissioning process on the Owner’s behalf; directing, reviewing, and approving the work of the CxA, GC startup, and contractor Cx teams without holding their employment.
Accountable to Owner leadership for commissioning outcomes, documentation quality, and operational readiness at turnover.
Communicates commissioning status, deficiencies, and risk clearly and promptly to Owner leadership, contractors, the CxA, and the design team through written reports and live briefings.
Credible and persuasive across technical and executive audiences; able to deliver difficult findings and hold the line on Owner requirements.