Controls and Automation Engineers
Data Center TALNT connects employers with experienced controls engineers who specialize in data center, mission critical, and construction projects nationwide.
What Do Controls Engineers Do in Data Center Construction?
The controls engineer decides how the building is supposed to behave. Sequence of operations authoring, controls design and submittals, integration architecture across building management, power monitoring and supervisory layers, and the decisions that determine whether a failure mode is handled gracefully or becomes an incident.
On a data center this is high consequence engineering. The sequence is what decides whether a cooling failure sheds load safely or takes a hall down, and it is written long before anybody finds out which.
We place controls engineers into integrators, OEMs, electrical subcontractors carrying controls scope, engineering firms and owner operations groups. We screen on platform depth confirmed against the employer and the project, and on whether the engineer has been through a commissioning cycle on something they authored, which is where design assumptions meet a real building.
Key Responsibilities of Controls Engineers
- Author sequences of operations for mechanical, electrical and life safety systems
- Develop controls design, submittals, points lists and integration architecture
- Specify and coordinate controllers, field devices, network topology and integration protocols
- Own integration between building management, power monitoring, supervisory and infrastructure management layers
- Support functional and integrated testing, and resolve sequence issues found in commissioning
- Review contractor submittals and shop drawings against design intent
- Coordinate with mechanical and electrical engineering so the sequence matches the installed systems
- Support operations turnover including documentation, graphics and training
Required Qualifications & Certifications
What employers look for when hiring controls engineers in the data center and mission critical construction sectors.
Qualifications
- Five or more years in controls engineering with delivered projects rather than design only exposure
- Depth in the platforms in use, across building automation, PLC, power monitoring or supervisory systems
- Sequence of operations authoring experience on mission critical or complex commercial systems
- Understanding of the mechanical and electrical systems being controlled, not only the control layer
- Commissioning cycle experience on systems the engineer authored
- Engineering degree or equivalent demonstrated capability, with PE valued where the client requires stamped work
Certifications
- Professional Engineer license where the client requires stamped design
- Manufacturer platform certifications relevant to the systems in use
- Niagara or Tridium certification for building automation framework work
- NFPA 70E electrical safety training for site work
Industries Hiring Controls Engineers
Controls Engineers are in demand across several infrastructure and construction sectors.
Market Demand for Controls Engineers
Market Demand Trends
Controls engineering demand is rising on both sides of the build: new campuses need design and integration, and the growing operational install base needs engineers who can modify and improve sequences on running facilities. The pool is constrained because the role requires fluency in the controlled systems as well as the control platforms, and most candidates have depth in one and familiarity with the other.
Frequently Asked Questions About Controls Engineers
What does a data center controls engineer actually own?
The behavior of the building. Sequences of operations for mechanical, electrical and life safety systems, controls design and submittals, points lists, network topology and the integration between building management, power monitoring, supervisory and infrastructure management layers. The sequence is what decides whether a cooling failure sheds load gracefully or takes a hall down, which is why this seat carries more consequence than its title suggests.
Do you distinguish controls engineers from project controls?
Yes, and it matters because search engines do not. Project controls is scheduling and cost. Controls engineering is automation and building systems. They share a word and nothing else. When a client says controls we confirm which discipline before sourcing, because presenting a P6 scheduler to a controls integrator wastes everyone's week.
What separates a strong controls engineer in your screen?
Having been through a commissioning cycle on something they authored. Plenty of engineers can write a sequence. The ones worth hiring have watched their own sequence meet a real building, seen where the assumption failed, and changed how they write them since. We ask about that specifically rather than about platform lists.
Related Roles
Explore other specialized positions Data Center TALNT recruits for data center and construction projects.
PLC Technicians
Field installation, checkout and troubleshooting of control systems.
BMS and EPMS Technicians
Building management and power monitoring field work.
MEP Engineers
Mechanical, electrical and plumbing design for critical facilities.
Commissioning Agents
Functional and integrated testing against design intent.
Find the Right Controls Engineers for Your Next Project
Data Center TALNT has the industry network, technical screening expertise, and track record to deliver controls engineers who perform from day one. Let us fill your next critical role.