Director, Commissioning

Overview

This high impact position is accountable for safe and efficient commissioning of the facilities L5 provides services for its clients. This role owns commissioning group performance across a portfolio of projects and clients, including talent acquisition, commissioning execution, quality, safety, budget and client satisfaction. The Director, Commissioning leads and manages a team of Commissioning Project Managers and Commissioning Engineers and sets the standards that govern how L5 delivers commissioning services for our clients. This is a highly cross-functional role reporting directly to the VP, Commissioning, while partnering closely with L5's project delivery, training, safety, human resources, finance, and executive leadership team to deliver consistent results across a fast-growing national platform.

Responsibilities

Planning and Execution

• Own commissioning group performance across our portfolio of clients and projects, including execution, budget, schedule, safety and client-defined key performance indicators.
• Lead commissioning services proposal development in response to client RFPs and requests for qualifications / pricing.
• Lead the hiring, onboarding and training programs for the L5 commissioning group.
• Lead and manage Commissioning Project Managers, including mentoring and professional development, and provide direction as required for successful project delivery.
• Provide overall group direction for the effective and efficient commissioning of data center power, cooling, and building systems, typically including electrical distribution, UPS and battery systems, generators, chillers, air & liquid cooling infrastructure, and monitoring & controls.
• Lead the development of L5 internal commissioning program standards, processes, procedures and technical library (e.g. template scripts, plans, procedures).
• Continually monitor, assess and drive financial performance of projects, and provide regular project health updates to the VP, Commissioning and L5 Executive Team.
• Interface directly with client leadership teams and develop and foster strong working relationships with client counterparts.
• Support business development efforts, including participation in industry conferences and trade shows, submission of knowledge articles to industry publications, and ongoing development of your industry presence.
• Periodically, and as needed, travel to sites to interface directly with internal team members and project stakeholders, assess first-hand project status, and implement corrective actions as may be required.

Safety, Compliance & Risk

• Drive a zero-incident safety culture, including electrical safety, lockout/tagout, work permitting, and site access protocols.
• Ensure team members have received all required safety training in accordance with L5, project, client and AHJ regulations and requirements.

Client & Financial Management

• Serve as L5 senior commissioning team contact for clients, building trusted relationships through transparent reporting, regular performance reviews, and proactive communication.
• Manage commissioning budgets, staffing plans, sub-contractor / vendor performance, and deliver project and group portfolio financial targets in partnership with finance.
• Manage any subcontractors and service providers in partnership with vendor management & procurement, holding them accountable to performance and safety standards.
• Support business development with operating plans, staffing models, transition plans, and risk review for new projects and pursuits.

People & Process

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable commissioning team members, building a strong bench for growth.
• Partner with talent acquisition and training departments to staff projects ahead of mobilization and to qualify personnel before they work on critical systems.
• Establish scalable commissioning delivery standards, playbooks, processes and procedures suited to a fast-growing platform business.
• Track and report commissioning group performance, trends, and lessons learned to support continuous improvement.
• Serve as a key advisor to L5 executive leadership on commissioning services risks, resourcing, and growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or related field, or equivalent technical experience.
• Possess a strong working knowledge of the commissioning guidelines and principles contained in ASHRAE Guideline 0.
• 10+ years of continuous experience in mission critical / data center commissioning in US and/or Canada, including 5+ years leading multi-site or large-scale commissioning teams.
• Deep working knowledge of critical power and cooling infrastructure design and operation, and the methods and procedures used to test and commission same.
• Experience leading commissioning teams on data center projects >25MW in capacity utilizing liquid cooling infrastructure is strongly desired.
• Strong experience managing critical issue response, root cause analysis, and corrective action.
• Strong financial acumen, including estimating, budget management, labor planning, and cost control.
• Strong understanding of safety and compliance standards for electrical and mechanical work, such as ANSI, NFPA 70E, and OSHA requirements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with technicians, engineers, clients, and executives.
• Strong proficiency with commissioning management platforms (e.g. Cx Alloy, BIM360, ACC, Facility Grid).
• Proven ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams across multiple projects and sites.
• Willingness to travel regularly to client sites across North America, 25-30% travel estimated.
• Experience in a high-growth or outsourced services environment preferred.
• Experience mobilizing commissioning teams to new sites and transitioning commissioned facilities to operations.
• Experience working as a third-party consultant for hyperscale, colocation, or enterprise data center clients preferred.
• PE and / or PMP certifications are an asset for this role but not specifically required.
• Hold US or Canadian citizenship.