Critical Facilities Engineer

About the role

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Critical Facilities Engineer to support a global leader in internet infrastructure at their Ashburn, VA data center. This is a hands-on engineering opportunity supporting mission-critical electrical, mechanical, and facility infrastructure within a large-scale production data center. The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in critical facilities engineering, electrical power distribution, mechanical systems, and operational leadership while serving as a technical lead for ongoing infrastructure operations, capacity planning, and continuous improvement initiatives. This role is fully on-site in Ashburn, VA.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead supporting the day-to-day operation of mission-critical electrical, mechanical, and fire/life safety infrastructure within a large-scale production data center.
• Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot critical electrical distribution systems including switchgear, generators, UPS, STS, PDU, RPP, batteries, and cabinet-level power distribution.
• Support mechanical infrastructure including chillers, chilled water systems, CRAC/CRAH units, HVAC equipment, humidification systems, and associated cooling technologies.
• Lead capacity planning initiatives including load balancing, power utilization, infrastructure growth planning, and identification of Single Points of Failure (SPoF) and End-of-Life (EOL) equipment.
• Develop, maintain, and execute Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Method of Procedures (MOPs), and Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs) while ensuring operational excellence and minimizing risk.
• Perform root cause analysis for critical facility incidents and present technical findings and remediation plans to senior leadership.
• Support commissioning activities, preventative maintenance programs, and continuous improvement initiatives to maximize facility reliability and efficiency.
• Review technical drawings, engineering designs, and infrastructure modifications to ensure compliance with industry standards and best practices.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, operations, vendors, and leadership while providing technical guidance and mentoring to other engineers.
• Assist with capital planning, budgeting, forecasting, vendor management, and long-term critical infrastructure roadmaps.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent hands-on critical facilities experience.
• 7+ years of experience supporting mission-critical data center facilities in a hands-on engineering role.
• Extensive experience operating and troubleshooting critical electrical distribution systems including utility power, generators, switchgear, UPS, STS, PDUs, RPPs, batteries, and cabinet-level power distribution.
• Strong understanding of single-phase and three-phase electrical power distribution, load balancing, electrical capacity planning, and power restoration.
• Hands-on experience supporting mechanical infrastructure including chillers, chilled water systems, HVAC, CRAC/CRAH units, air handlers, and humidification systems.
• Experience supporting fire/life safety infrastructure including fire alarms, clean agent suppression systems, pre-action sprinkler systems, and associated detection systems.
• Experience developing, reviewing, and executing SOPs, MOPs, and EOPs within mission-critical facilities.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot complex electrical and mechanical systems, perform root cause analysis, and improve operational efficiency.
• Experience reviewing engineering drawings, commissioning infrastructure, and supporting large-scale data center operations.
• Experience utilizing Building Management Systems (BMS) and Electrical Power Management Systems (EPMS).
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to lead projects, mentor engineers, communicate with executive leadership, and coordinate cross-functional teams.
• Experience supporting capital projects, budgeting, forecasting, and capacity planning.

Desired

• Experience operating enterprise or hyperscale data center environments.
• Existing relationships with critical facilities vendors and service providers.
• Knowledge of data center tier classifications, resiliency standards, and design risk analysis.
• Industry certifications such as NFPA, ATS, ATO, AOS, DCDC, or other relevant critical facilities certifications.

Compensation

Salary Range: $120,000 - $145,000 depending on experience

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision
• 401k Plan
• PTO, Holidays, Sick Leave if required by law