Principal DCIM Design Engineer

About the role

At QTS Data Centers, we are proud to stand at the forefront of today’s dynamic digital transformation. Our world-class data centers empower our customers’ most strategic growth initiatives, positioning us as a global leader in digital infrastructure. As AI and cloud technologies fuel the demand for increased speed, capacity, and innovation, QTS has emerged as the global digital infrastructure leader. We are committed to connecting the globe for good.

The Principal DCIM Design Engineer is responsible for the design, standardization, coordination, and delivery of advanced building management and power monitoring systems (BMS, EPMS, SCADA) across the QTS data center portfolio. This role serves as a design and standards leader, partner integrator, and systems strategist for scalable delivery of Data Center Infrastructure Management platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and refinement of the DCIM design Basis of Design (BOD) and owner requirements.
• Manage, onboard, and lead AEOR Controls teams as well as owner directed Design System Integrator (DSI) to include business review and cadenced calibrations.
• Direct design consultants and partners in defining architecture, instrumentation, alarming and integration requirements for control systems.
• Develop and implement enterprise-wide controls and alarming standards across BMS/EPMS/SCADA platforms.
• Define product and platform requirements across Aveva System Platform, Ignition, and open I/O frameworks.
• Lead internal reviews of sequence of operations, system architecture, and P&ID diagrams.
• Champion point naming conventions, alarming logic, historical data trending structure, and DCIM integration schemas.
• Collaborate with consultants and integrators during software and factory testing, and ensure consistency with QTS expectations.
• Provide QA/QC oversight during design, deployment, and commissioning.
• Drive digital twin and simulation initiatives to de-risk controls logic and optimize system behavior pre-deployment.
• Partner with procurement and project teams to support Scope of Work (SOW) creation, RFP responses, and vendor onboarding.
• Serve as primary design authority and technical escalation point for DCIM partner execution issues.
• Influence control panel layout, I/O wiring diagrams, system interlocks, and cable schedules.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, IT, and construction teams to align controls with project goals.
• Coordinate design change requests, technical RFIs, and updates to DCIM documentation packages.
• Contribute to FMEA-based initiatives for alarm optimization and reduce system noise.
• Mentor regional engineers and partners on QTS standards, expectations, and quality requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Automation, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of experience with control systems in mission-critical environments (specifically data centers and minimum N+1 design requirements).
• Expert-level understanding of EPMS, BMS, and SCADA platforms.
• Experience with Rockwell, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and other PLC platforms.
• Proficiency with BACnet, Modbus, MQTT, TCP/IP, SNMP, and ISO 16484 standards.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and managing partner deliverables.
• Strong understanding of sequences of operations, instrumentation documentation, and alarm hierarchy design.
• Willingness to travel up to 50% and work with remote teams across multiple time zones.

Preferred Qualifications

• Rockwell certification.
• Ignition certification.
• Experience with psychrometrics, thermodynamics, and data center mechanical systems.
• Demonstrated experience executing factory/software acceptance testing.
• Experience with high-fidelity simulation or digital twin platforms.
• Working knowledge of SQL, ServiceNow, and Active Directory environments.
• Strong documentation skills across engineering diagrams, specifications, and control logic.

Skills

• Excellent communication and coordination skills with internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor others.
• Culturally aligned to humility, objectivity, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Strong project management and documentation control skills.
• Able to balance hands-on technical work with strategic leadership responsibilities.

Benefits

• Roth and Traditional 401(k) matching contributions with immediate vesting.
• Every employee is bonus or commission eligible.
• Generous PTO, Paid Volunteer Days, plus Floating Holidays.
• Stock Purchase Plan (SPP).
• 11 paid Holidays Annually/Holiday compensation when worked.
• Pet and Legal Insurance.
• Q-Rest Sabbatical Program.
• Q-Anniversary Service Award Program.
• Parental Leave for primary and secondary caregivers.
• Military Benefits Package.
• QTS Charitable Matching Gift Program.
• QTS Scholarship for Employee Dependents.
• QTS Crisis Fund.
• Wellness Program.
• Tuition Reimbursement Program.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• Flexible spending and HSA accounts.
• Paid holidays and paid time off.
• Paid volunteer days.
• Employee assistance program.
• Parental leave.
• Military leave assistance.