Senior Commissioning Manager - HV (substation)

Equinix•Ashburn, VA

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Senior Commissioning Manager – Substation & Utility Systems provides senior commissioning leadership for high‑ and medium‑voltage power infrastructure supporting large‑scale data center campuses. This role serves as the commissioning authority for utility interconnections, substations, and off‑site power generation (OSPG) systems, ensuring that power assets are safely installed, tested, integrated, and transitioned to operations in alignment with enterprise standards. While the primary focus is on HV/MV utility and generation infrastructure, this role also maintains secondary accountability for data center electrical, mechanical, and multi‑vendor packaged (MVP) systems, ensuring end‑to‑end integration between upstream power sources and mission‑critical facility loads.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent technical discipline.
12+ years of commissioning experience in high‑voltage power systems, substations, utility infrastructure, or generation assets.
Demonstrated leadership on complex, schedule‑critical programs supporting mission‑critical or industrial facilities.
Substations, utility interconnections, HV/MV equipment, grounding systems, and protection & control.
Working knowledge of data center electrical and mechanical systems and their interaction with upstream power infrastructure.
Strong technical judgment, leadership, and stakeholder communication.
Ability to operate as a senior authority while managing execution through external partners.
Ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

Act as the accountable commissioning lead for high and medium voltage systems, including substations, utility interfaces, and off site power generation assets.
Define and enforce commissioning scope boundaries from utility interconnection through substations and upstream of data center main MV/LV gear, while ensuring downstream readiness.
Lead commissioning strategy, sequencing, and governance for HV/MV systems, delegating execution to EPCs, OEMs, and specialized commissioning agents.
Review and approve commissioning documentation, including: Energization and switching plans, Protection, control, and relay testing strategies, Integrated commissioning and phased turnover plans.
Provide technical oversight during construction, commissioning, and energization, including issue resolution, change coordination, and safety leadership.
Ensure commissioning activities comply with utility requirements, regulatory expectations, safety standards, and operational readiness criteria.
Maintain secondary oversight of data center MEP and MVP commissioning, ensuring seamless integration with substation and utility power delivery.
Support Integrated Systems Testing (IST), readiness milestones, and operational handover by validating upstream power availability and system performance.
Serve as the senior escalation point for complex, cross discipline commissioning challenges involving electrical, mechanical, and controls systems.
Direct and manage third party commissioning agents, OEM field service teams, EPCs, and specialized test firms supporting HV/MV and OSG scope.
Provide technical input into vendor selection and engagement strategies for: Substation and switchgear OEMs, Protection and control vendors, OSPG providers, Commissioning and testing specialists.
Establish clear commissioning roles, responsibilities, acceptance criteria, and escalation paths across all external partners.
Identify risks related to vendor execution, sequencing, or technical interfaces and drive mitigation strategies.