Lead Data Center Controls Engineer

Harbor Compute builds and operates data centers for frontier AI. The Lead Data Center Controls Engineer will establish and own portfolio-wide controls standards and lead controls design, commissioning, and operational improvement across its campuses.

Responsibilities:

• Lead controls design for new campuses and expansions, including BMS, EPMS, PLC/SCADA and branch circuit monitoring
• Own the controls basis of design, standards, points lists, naming conventions and reference architectures for the portfolio
• Write and review sequences of operation for chilled water plants, air handling, economizers and liquid cooling (CDUs, facility water loops) for high-density AI/GPU deployments
• Define controls redundancy, network architecture and protocols (BACnet, Modbus TCP, SNMP, OPC UA), and OT cybersecurity requirements aligned with IEC 62443
• Direct engineers of record, controls integrators and vendors from drawings and submittals through PLC/DDC code and graphics, and lead platform selection and factory acceptance testing
• Lead the controls scope of construction and integrated commissioning (L1–L5), including point-to-point verification, sequence validation and failover testing
• Serve as the controls technical authority as campuses come online: lead root cause analysis, use trend data to improve PUE and WUE, and mentor junior engineers

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in electrical, mechanical, controls or computer engineering
• 10+ years of controls engineering experience, including 5+ years in mission-critical or data center environments on multi-MW hyperscale, colocation or large enterprise projects
• Hands-on experience designing, programming and commissioning BMS, EPMS and PLC/SCADA systems on major platforms (e.g. Siemens, Schneider Electric, Rockwell, Johnson Controls, Honeywell)
• Deep knowledge of how data center mechanical and electrical systems are controlled (chilled water, air handling, UPS, switchgear, generators) and of OT networking and protocols (BACnet, Modbus, SNMP, TCP/IP, VLANs)
• A track record of writing sequences of operation, points lists and commissioning scripts, and resolving controls issues in live facilities
• Experience managing consultants, integrators and vendors, and explaining trade-offs clearly to executives
• Professional Engineer (PE) license
• Experience with liquid cooling controls (CDUs, direct-to-chip) or DCIM platforms
• Familiarity with OT cybersecurity standards (IEC 62443, NIST SP 800-82) and SCADA platforms such as Ignition
• Background in both design consulting or systems integration and owner/operator roles