VP, Commissioning & Validation

Nscale

6d•$260,000 - $450,000

About The Position

Nscale is hiring a VP, Commissioning & Validation to own commissioning as a global discipline across data center campuses in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. The role sets the standard for determining when critical infrastructure is ready for service and has authority over readiness, acceptance, and schedule. The VP will build and lead a small central team that authors, owns, and validates commissioning scripts used by campuses, while field execution is carried out by engineering, construction and vendor crews, local commissioning teams, and operations. The VP will align those groups to one standard and work closely with controls engineering to test equipment and automation together as an integrated system. The role focuses on proving equipment at the vendor’s factory and repeating the validated scripts on site with the same acceptance criteria. It maintains a traceable record for each serial number from factory testing through final site acceptance. Commissioning certificates issued by the office carry contractual Service Commencement consequences. The VP will publish and control a global script library covering L1–L5 and integrated systems testing, with regional UL/NEC and IEC variants; define FAT protocols and acceptance criteria; manage a global FAT program; and hold green-tag authority over critical equipment shipments. The role also holds commissioning and acceptance authority for facilities and leased space, including third-party and colocation capacity, and owns acceptance procedures for the central test and integration facility. Within the first 90 days, the VP is expected to hire the core team, publish v1.0 of the critical-equipment script library, align FAT planning with equipment in procurement, add FAT and witness terms to the next purchase-order cycle, and establish an escape-rate baseline. The VP will hire and lead a day-one team of four, comprising Commissioning Program Managers for the Americas and EMEA/APAC and Electrical and Mechanical Subject Matter Experts. Local site commissioning teams, integration crews, and third-party commissioning authorities carry out work without reporting directly to the VP. Nscale describes itself as a GPU cloud provider for AI start-ups and enterprise customers, with a culture emphasizing innovation, ownership, accountability, openness, and transparency. The company offers a collaborative and flexible workplace, and the role may include base salary, bonus, equity, and/or commission programs.

Requirements

12+ years commissioning critical facilities at hyperscale.
Deep expertise across the electrical chain from medium-voltage systems through UPS and busway, including NETA practice, protection verification, and relay coordination.
Strong fluency in liquid-cooled mechanical plants, including chillers, CDUs, dry coolers, and fan walls.
Experience running FAT programs inside OEM factories.
Hands-on experience with both UL/NEC and IEC standards across multi-region programs.
Proven ability to lead small expert teams that direct large delegated-execution networks.
Credibility with lenders’ independent engineers and customer acceptance teams.
Willingness to stop a shipment, fail an acceptance gate, and document the decision without exception.

Nice To Haves

CxA and/or PE credentials.

Responsibilities

Own the global commissioning standard across data center campuses in the Americas, EMEA, and APAC.
Publish and version-control a global commissioning script library covering L1–L5 and integrated systems testing, including controlled regional UL/NEC and IEC variants.
Define Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) protocols, pass/fail criteria, and witness requirements for every critical equipment class.
Co-own controls testing with controls engineering, incorporating sequence-of-operation, BMS/EPMS point-to-point, and alarm tests into master scripts.
Incorporate field findings into the script library within one release cycle and own deferred and seasonal test registers.
Run a global FAT calendar with major OEMs, aligning script releases to procurement milestones and assigning witnesses for each test.
Require witnessed FAT for critical equipment and apply sample-based witnessing with full data submission to other equipment.
Exercise green-tag authority so critical equipment cannot ship without passing its approved script.
Work with Supply Chain to include FAT requirements, witness rights, script authority, and data deliverables in purchase orders and owner-furnished equipment contracts.
Reconcile OEM start-up procedures with Nscale scripts before mobilization.
Issue commissioning certificates required before accepting any phase, building, or leased space, including third-party and colocation capacity.
Decide script content, pass/fail criteria, witness requirements, and certificate issuance; approve script deviations, acceptance with open critical items, and reductions in test scope.
Chair test-standard disputes with vendors and suppliers and defend documented, signed scripts as contractual standards.
Own acceptance procedures for the central test and integration facility and advise on equipment testability and contractual SLA test mechanics.
Hire and lead a day-one team of four, including regional Commissioning Program Managers and Electrical and Mechanical Subject Matter Experts.
Direct local site commissioning teams, integration crews, and third-party commissioning authorities that perform field work without reporting directly to the role.
Within the first 90 days, hire the core team, publish v1.0 of the critical-equipment script library, align the FAT calendar with equipment already in procurement, add FAT and witness terms to the next purchase-order cycle, and set the first-year escape-rate baseline.
Track performance against KPIs for escape rate, FAT coverage, first-pass yield at site acceptance gates, integration events, and ready-for-service milestones.