Lease Commissioning Director

Microsoft•,

7d•$142,800 - $304,200•Remote

About The Position

Microsoft Cloud Operations and Innovation (CO+I) delivers the datacenter infrastructure supporting Microsoft’s cloud business. The Lease Commissioning Director leads the strategy, program management, and execution of commissioning across the Americas leased-datacenter portfolio. This role manages Lease Commissioning Managers and ensures leased capacity is commissioned, validated, operationally ready, and delivered in alignment with Microsoft standards, contractual requirements, commissioning objectives, and business schedules. The director partners with Lease Delivery, lease providers, Global Commissioning, Data Center Operations, Networking, Engineering, Finance, Security, and other stakeholders. The position establishes commissioning strategy, standards, processes, governance, and execution frameworks; oversees commissioning from design reviews through Integrated Systems Testing (IST), operational turnover, and Ready for Service (RFS); and drives readiness, risk management, consistency, and continuous improvement across multiple metros and providers. This role is eligible for remote work and requires travel to lease provider facilities and Microsoft project locations throughout the Americas. Applicants must meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including the Microsoft Cloud Background Check at hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.

Requirements

Doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Reliability Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field and 5+ years of technical engineering experience; or a master's degree in one of these fields and 7+ years of technical engineering experience; or a bachelor's degree in one of these fields and 8+ years of technical engineering experience; or relevant experience.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements, including the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire or transfer and every two years thereafter.
Willingness to travel as required to support lease projects across the Americas.
Personnel and budget management experience or capability.
Data center commissioning knowledge.
Construction QA/QC knowledge.
Project management experience or capability.
Understanding of UPS systems, switchgear, generators, and critical HVAC and mechanical systems.
Ability to develop and write detailed commissioning test scripts.
Issue identification and resolution management skills.
Proficiency with MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), MS Visio, and MS Project.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience leading commissioning, mission-critical operations, operational readiness, or data center delivery organizations.
Demonstrated understanding of critical electrical and mechanical infrastructure systems, data center operations, and Integrated Systems Testing.
Experience managing large-scale portfolios, programs, and cross-functional teams.
Executive communication, stakeholder management, and organizational leadership skills.
Experience managing external partners, service providers, contractors, and lease providers.
Ability to influence across organizations and align diverse stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, coach, and develop Lease Commissioning Managers; drive accountability, capability development, succession planning, and performance management.
Conduct regular one-on-one meetings, talent reviews, and employee development discussions; recruit, onboard, and develop commissioning talent.
Promote a culture of safety, inclusion, operational excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Own the Americas Lease Commissioning program, including governance, readiness strategy, execution standards, metrics, and performance reporting.
Establish processes to ensure leased facilities meet Microsoft commissioning requirements and operational readiness expectations.
Oversee commissioning from design reviews through Integrated Systems Testing, operational turnover, and Ready for Service milestones.
Ensure consistent commissioning execution across lease providers, geographies, metros, and delivery models.
Manage commissioning scope, schedules, risks, milestones, dependencies, and complex technical, schedule, operational, and contractual issues.
Ensure commissioning validates reliability, maintainability, resiliency, and operational performance of critical infrastructure systems.
Lead readiness reviews and go/no-go decisions for IST completion, operational turnover, and Ready for Service milestones.
Identify portfolio risks to capacity delivery and develop mitigation strategies.
Establish executive relationships with lease providers and commissioning partners; hold providers accountable to Microsoft expectations and contractual obligations.
Work with lease providers to improve commissioning quality, schedule performance, reporting, governance, and readiness outcomes.
Support lease provider metrics, scorecards, and continuous improvement initiatives; lead escalation and resolution of significant readiness issues.
Develop and maintain commissioning standards, procedures, governance frameworks, and best practices.
Align lease and build commissioning programs with Global Commissioning and regional stakeholders; standardize deliverables, readiness reviews, testing, reporting, and turnover requirements.
Apply lessons learned, performance data, and metrics to improve predictability, efficiency, and commissioning outcomes.
Provide executive reporting on commissioning health, readiness, risks, project status, and capacity milestones; lead reviews with senior leaders, providers, and partners.
Coordinate work across Lease Delivery, Engineering, Data Center Operations, Networking, Security, Global Commissioning, and Finance; clearly communicate risks, decisions, priorities, and mitigations.
Influence leaders and business partners to align on project priorities and delivery objectives.
Develop and execute the long-term vision for Americas lease commissioning in alignment with Microsoft’s capacity delivery roadmap.
Identify improvements to readiness, risk, delivery speed, and lease provider performance; advance commissioning tools, processes, reporting, and readiness assessments.
Contribute to global commissioning practices and standards.
Be accountable for commissioning and readiness program execution, portfolio health, risks, quality, schedule performance, and delivery of validated, operationally ready capacity.
Ensure projects are executed safely and in compliance with Microsoft standards and requirements; work independently while supporting broader CO+I objectives.