Commissioning Engineer — Southeast

Why This Role Exists

The Southeast data center corridor — Virginia through Georgia — has the highest concentration of active hyperscale construction in the country. This role exists because commissioning delays on these projects carry real LD exposure, and flying engineers cross-country creates gaps between site visits that compound punch lists. You own L1–L5 commissioning on multi-vendor protection systems — design-through-acceptance, regionally anchored where the project density demands consistent presence.

What You Own

- FAT/SAT/IST test procedures for protection relays, generator controllers, ATS, and SCADA systems - Functional performance testing: protection scheme verification, trip coordination, interlock validation - Staged commissioning planning: board-by-board or zone-by-zone cutover with deterministic rollback - Transfer testing: open-transition and closed-transition sequences, retransfer with time delay - Punch-list management through closeout and owner acceptance - Turnover packages: commissioning records, as-built documentation, O&M manuals

Systems You'll Touch

Vendor Platforms
Software Tools
Standards
Test Phases
Site Activities

What Success Looks Like

First 90 Days - Completed commissioning or witness testing on at least one Southeast data center project - Developed FAT or SAT test procedures for a protection relay or controller scope - Established working relationships with at least one prime contractor commissioning team in the region First 180 Days - Leading commissioning execution on Southeast corridor projects — owning the full commissioning scope - Independently conducting witness testing with owner representatives present - Known contact for prime contractors in the Southeast region for P&C commissioning needs

Required Background

- 5+ years commissioning experience on medium-voltage critical power systems (data centers, substations, industrial) - FAT/SAT procedure development and execution for protection relays and generator controllers - Secondary injection testing with Omicron or Doble test sets - Transfer testing experience: ATS open/closed transition, generator paralleling, load bank testing - NFPA 70E compliance: arc-flash PPE, approach boundaries, LOTO procedures on energized equipment - Punch-list management and turnover documentation experience

Preferred Background

- NETA Level III or IV certification - SEL relay commissioning (QuickSet, 751/700G families) - Woodward generator controller commissioning (easYgen 3400, LS-6) - Experience working with AE/MEP/EPC prime contractors on data center projects - Based in or willing to relocate to the Southeast (NC, VA, GA, TN, FL)

What to Expect in the Field

- Travel: 40–60% during commissioning phases. Regional focus — Southeast corridor (VA, NC, GA, TN, FL). - Site Hours: Early starts, occasional weekends. More predictable schedule with regional focus vs. nationwide travel. - Customer-Facing: Direct interface with prime contractor commissioning leads and owner representatives. Regional relationships built over time. - Documentation: Heavy — test procedures, commissioning records, punch lists, turnover packages - Field Safety: NFPA 70E compliance mandatory — arc-flash PPE, approach boundaries, daily safety briefings

Why Ziggurat

- Regional focus means you build relationships with the primes building in the Southeast, not just pass through projects - Commission what we designed — relay settings, automation logic, and coordination curves come from the same team - Your field feedback improves the next design — direct loop between site reality and the engineering office - Growing into the densest hyperscale construction corridor in the country

Hiring Process

Screen
Background review against role requirements — vendor platform experience, relevant certifications, project types, and standards familiarity. Quick assessment of baseline alignment before investing either party's time.
Resume review + 15-min intro call
Technical Review
Deeper evaluation of technical depth. We review sample work — relay settings files, protection study reports, commissioning test procedures, or SCADA configuration packages — depending on the role. If samples aren't shareable, we discuss specific project scenarios in detail.
Async work-sample review or 45-min technical call
Interview
A scenario-based conversation with the principal engineer. Real project situations: how you'd approach a coordination study for a complex switchgear lineup, sequence a commissioning plan across multiple vendor platforms, or troubleshoot a protection scheme failure during site acceptance testing.
60-min video call with founder
Exercise / Artifact Review
A practical evaluation matched to the role. Engineering roles receive a take-home exercise — review and mark up a set of relay settings, identify gaps in a protection study, or develop a test procedure for a specific scheme. Field-focused roles walk through a commissioning package or test report they've delivered, explaining their methodology and decisions.
Take-home exercise (2–4 hrs) or artifact walkthrough (60 min)
Final Conversation
A role scope, current project pipeline, working arrangements, and compensation. This is a two-way conversation — we want to confirm the role fits your goals, not just the other way around.
30-min call

This role supports our testing commissioning and end to end service scopes.

Questions about this role? Email us at careers@zigguratautomation.com

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