Senior Director, Commissioning and Startup

Nscale • Houston, TX

7d • $160,000 - $290,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Nscale is building the infrastructure for the AI revolution, developing cutting-edge, sovereign generative AI solutions powered by high-performance, sustainable data centers and GPUs. This role owns the transition of Nscale's power generation assets from mechanical completion to commercial operation. The Power & Energy group develops and delivers multi-gigawatt generation colocated with data center campuses, including reciprocating engines, fuel cells, battery energy storage systems, high-voltage switchgear and substations, and supporting infrastructure. This position requires early engagement in pre-construction to influence designs for commissionability and startability, bringing an operations perspective to ensure decisions are sound for long-term operation. The role reports to the SVP, Technology (Power) and collaborates across the asset lifecycle with engineering, operations, EPC partners, consultants, and OEMs. The Senior Director will own the overall delivery of complex commissioning sequences for critical equipment and will build Nscale's power generation commissioning and startup function, standards, and team, while personally driving execution on active projects.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in commissioning, startup, and operations of power generation or comparable heavy process facilities, with senior leadership of at least one major greenfield startup from mechanical completion through commercial operation.
• Deep, hands-on technical knowledge across mechanical, electrical, and controls systems, including engine or turbine generation, medium- and high-voltage switchgear and protection, BESS, fuel gas systems, and plant control systems.
• Direct experience with energization planning, first fire, performance testing, and reliability demonstrations, ideally including island-mode or behind-the-meter generation.
• Strong process safety grounding: PSSR, permit-to-work, MOC, and safe energization practices as working disciplines, not paperwork.
• Proven ability to direct EPC contractors and OEM commissioning teams, and to resolve technical disputes on the basis of data and engineering judgment.
• Experience engaging in design development and design reviews from an operations and startup perspective.
• Track record of building teams, standards, and processes in a fast-scaling environment, and comfort operating with ambiguity while doing so.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Chemical Engineering or a related field.
• Willing and able to travel to project sites regularly (up to 50% during active startup campaigns).

Nice To Haves

• PE license or equivalent professional credential is an advantage.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end commissioning and startup strategy, planning, and execution for Nscale's power generation assets, from mechanical completion through performance testing to commercial operation.
• Define the systemization, turnover, and energization philosophy for each project: system and subsystem boundaries, MC and turnover package definitions, energization sequencing, first fire, tuning, performance testing, and reliability run requirements.
• Develop and approve commissioning plans, schedules, procedures, test scripts, and integrated systems testing protocols across mechanical, electrical, controls, and protection scopes.
• Drive punch list discipline, walkdown standards, and completion tracking so that turnover to startup is clean, sequenced, and predictable.
• Own the demonstration of commercial operation: performance guarantee testing, capacity and reliability demonstrations, and the evidence package that supports COD under commercial agreements.
• Engage in pre-construction design development to optimize plants for commissioning, startup, and operation: startup and shutdown paths, temporary utilities and commissioning provisions, isolation and tie-in philosophy, instrumentation needed for testing, and access for construction completion verification.
• Bring operational insight into design reviews, model reviews, HAZOPs, and operability and maintainability reviews, representing the people who will start up and run these plants.
• Feed lessons learned from startup and early operations back into Nscale's engineering standards and reference designs.
• Own commissioning-phase safety: pre-startup safety review (PSSR), permit-to-work during commissioning, energization safety, LOTO and isolation management, and management of change during startup.
• Uphold Nscale's process safety discipline in power generation, applying rigor to fuel gas, rotating equipment, high-energy electrical, and battery systems.
• Champion a stop-work culture through the highest-risk phase of any project's life.
• Direct EPC commissioning teams and hold them accountable for scope, quality, schedule, and documentation.
• Manage OEM technical advisors and factory commissioning teams for generator sets, BESS, switchgear, transformers, and plant control systems, including FAT witnessing, site support planning, and warranty preservation through startup.
• Work with permitting consultants to plan startup within permit constraints: commissioning-phase emissions, startup and shutdown provisions, and performance testing under permit conditions.
• Coordinate with data center delivery and operations teams so that power availability, load bank strategy, and load ramp sequencing align with campus energization needs.
• Build Nscale's commissioning and startup organization: standards, procedures, digital commissioning management tooling, and the team of commissioning managers and startup engineers who will execute across the portfolio.
• Establish turnover-to-operations requirements: training, operating procedures, spare parts readiness, and documentation handoff, so operations inherits assets they can run from day one.
• Report commissioning progress, risk, and readiness to project and executive leadership with clear metrics and honest forecasts.

Benefits

• Highly competitive US compensation package (base + bonus + equity), with performance reviews every 12 months
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Generous PTO plus US federal holidays
• A career-defining opportunity to be an early leader in one of the fastest growing AI infrastructure companies in the world
• A human-first approach: we treat you as humans first. Our flexible workplace trusts Nscalers to deliver, giving you the autonomy needed to get the job done.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior