Mechanical Commissioning Lead - London - 145434

Mechanical Commissioning Lead – Data Centre

Key Skills

• Dry coolers / heat rejection equipment
• Alarm escalation
• Control sequences
• Support testing of scenarios including:
• UPS/EPDU dependencies

Location: London, UK

Sector: Data Centres / Mission Critical

Reporting to: Commissioning Manager / Project Manager

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Mechanical Commissioning Lead to take ownership of the mechanical commissioning delivery on a major Data Centre project in London.

The successful candidate will lead the project through mechanical completion, pre-commissioning, functional testing, integrated commissioning and IST readiness, ensuring all mechanical systems are fully tested, documented and demonstrated in accordance with the project requirements and commissioning programme.

This is a senior site-based role requiring strong technical and practical knowledge of mission‑critical cooling systems, including chilled water/glycol systems, CRAHs/CRACs, AHUs, pumps, pressurisation systems, controls, BMS interfaces and associated mechanical infrastructure.

The Mechanical Commissioning Lead will work closely with the Construction, Electrical, Controls/BMS, QA/QC, Commissioning and Client teams, as well as specialist vendors, to drive systems from construction completion through to final acceptance and handover.

The role requires a delivery‑focused individual capable of identifying commissioning constraints early, coordinating multiple stakeholders and driving the project towards key commissioning and IST milestones.

Key Responsibilities

Commissioning Leadership

• Take overall responsibility for the mechanical commissioning strategy and execution.
• Lead and coordinate Mechanical Commissioning Engineers, subcontractors, vendors and specialist commissioning providers.
• Develop and maintain the mechanical commissioning programme aligned with the overall project master programme.
• Drive mechanical systems through the agreed Level 1–5 commissioning process, where applicable to the project.
• Ensure commissioning activities are planned, sequenced and executed safely and efficiently.
• Establish clear system and area priorities based on energisation, cooling availability and IST requirements.
• Lead daily and weekly commissioning coordination meetings.
• Provide clear reporting on progress, constraints, risks and recovery actions.

Mechanical Systems

• Chilled water systems
• CRAHs / CRACs
• AHUs and ventilation systems
• Pumps and pump skids
• Pressurisation and expansion systems
• Heat exchangers
• Dry coolers / heat rejection equipment
• Mechanical plant rooms
• Control valves and actuators
• Flow, pressure and temperature instrumentation
• Leak detection interfaces
• Water treatment systems
• Drainage systems
• BMS-controlled mechanical equipment
• Packaged mechanical plant and associated controls

Construction to Commissioning Transition

• Work closely with the Mechanical Construction Manager to establish a structured transition from construction completion to commissioning.
• Define and manage mechanical completion requirements at system and subsystem level.
• Ensure installations are inspected and sufficiently complete before commissioning activities commence.
• Review outstanding construction snags and identify items that prevent or impact commissioning.
• Drive completion of commissioning‑critical snags.
• Ensure equipment is correctly installed, labelled, accessible and ready for testing.
• Confirm all required utilities, permanent power, controls and communications are available before testing.

Pre‑Commissioning

• Pipework flushing and cleaning
• Pressure testing
• Chemical cleaning and treatment
• Filling and dosing
• Water quality verification
• System venting
• Pump alignment and rotation checks
• Strainer inspections
• Valve position verification
• Equipment start‐up checks
• Sensor and instrumentation verification
• TAB / air and water balancing
• Flow verification
• Equipment vendor start‑up

Ensure all pre‑commissioning documentation and test records are completed and accepted before progressing to functional testing.

Functional Performance Testing

• Develop, review and execute mechanical Functional Performance Test (FPT) scripts.
• Coordinate testing between Mechanical, Electrical, Controls/BMS and specialist vendors.
• Verify correct operation of mechanical systems under normal and abnormal operating conditions.
• Confirm duty/standby equipment sequencing.
• Test automatic changeover and redundancy arrangements.
• Verify control sequences against approved Sequence of Operations (SOO).
• Confirm alarms, interlocks, permissives and setpoints.
• Verify system response to equipment failures and simulated fault conditions.
• Ensure mechanical systems achieve required design flow rates, temperatures, pressures and cooling capacities.

BMS & Controls Integration

• Point‑to‑point testing
• Sensor calibration
• Valve and actuator operation
• Equipment start/stop commands
• Alarm generation
• Alarm escalation
• Setpoint control
• Duty/standby rotation
• Automatic changeover
• Trending
• System graphics
• Control sequences
• Interlocks between mechanical and electrical systems

Ensure BMS functionality accurately reflects the approved design and commissioning requirements.

IST & Integrated Systems Testing

• Lead the mechanical preparation for Integrated Systems Testing (IST).
• Confirm mechanical systems are fully commissioned and ready before entry into IST.
• Review IST scripts and identify mechanical prerequisites and dependencies.
• Coordinate mechanical participation during IST execution.
• Verify cooling‑system response during simulated electrical and mechanical failures.
• Support testing of scenarios including: Loss of utility power, Generator operation, UPS/EPDU dependencies, Pump failure, CRAH failure, Loss of cooling, BMS communication failure, Duty/standby changeover, System recovery following failure.
• Ensure all mechanical issues identified during IST are recorded, rectified and successfully retested.

Programme & Planning

• Develop detailed commissioning programmes and look‑ahead plans.
• Produce 6‑week, 3‑week and weekly commissioning plans.
• Identify commissioning dependencies and constraints.
• Track system readiness against required milestone dates.
• Coordinate vendor attendance in accordance with the commissioning sequence.
• Review manpower requirements and ensure sufficient commissioning resources are available.
• Develop recovery plans where commissioning activities fall behind programme.
• Maintain clear visibility of the critical path to commissioning completion and IST.

Commissioning Documentation

• Commissioning plans
• Commissioning procedures
• Method statements
• Inspection and test plans
• Pre‑commissioning check sheets
• Functional test scripts
• Cause & Effect testing
• Sequence of Operations verification
• TAB reports
• Flushing records
• Pressure‑test certificates
• Water‑treatment reports
• Vendor commissioning reports
• Calibration certificates
• Commissioning trackers
• Snag / punch lists
• System completion certificates
• IST documentation
• Final commissioning reports

Ensure documentation is completed progressively rather than being left until final handover.

Quality & Close‑Out

• Ensure commissioning activities comply with project specifications, approved drawings and client requirements.
• Manage commissioning defects and punch‑list items through to closure.
• Ensure failed tests are formally recorded, investigated, rectified and retested.
• Maintain clear traceability of test results and commissioning records.
• Support final system acceptance and client witnessing.
• Ensure all mechanical commissioning documentation is incorporated into the final handover package.

Coordination & Stakeholder Management

• Project Director
• Commissioning Manager
• Mechanical Construction Manager
• Electrical Commissioning Lead
• Electrical Construction Manager
• Controls / BMS Lead
• CSA Team
• QA/QC Team
• Planning Team
• Design / Engineering Team
• Specialist subcontractors
• Equipment vendors
• Client Commissioning Team
• Independent Commissioning Authority / CxA

Maintain strong communication between construction and commissioning teams to ensure constraints are identified and resolved before they affect key milestones.

Health & Safety

• Ensure all commissioning activities are undertaken in accordance with project H&S requirements.
• Review and approve commissioning RAMS where required.
• Ensure appropriate controls are implemented for live systems, pressurised systems, rotating equipment and energised plant.
• Coordinate commissioning activities with LOTO procedures.
• Ensure commissioning personnel understand system boundaries and energisation status.
• Stop activities where unsafe conditions exist.

Reporting

• Systems available for commissioning
• Systems under commissioning
• Systems completed
• Tests passed / failed
• Outstanding commissioning activities
• Construction constraints
• BMS/controls constraints
• Vendor issues
• Commissioning snags
• Resource requirements
• Programme risks
• IST readiness
• Recovery actions

Maintain accurate commissioning dashboards and trackers showing the actual physical and functional status of each system.

Experience & Qualifications

• Significant experience in Mechanical Commissioning within Data Centres or Mission Critical environments.
• Previous experience as a Mechanical Commissioning Lead, Senior Commissioning Engineer or Commissioning Manager.
• Strong knowledge of critical cooling systems and associated controls.
• Demonstrable experience commissioning chilled water and/or glycol systems.
• Strong understanding of CRAHs, AHUs, pumps, valves and mechanical plant.
• Experience with BMS and controls integration.
• Experience developing and executing commissioning procedures and functional test scripts.
• Understanding of commissioning Levels L1–L5 and IST processes.
• Strong understanding of construction‑to‑commissioning handover.
• Ability to read and interpret:
• Mechanical schematics
• P&IDs
• Control schematics
• Cause & Effect matrices
• Sequence of Operations
• Commissioning specifications

Strong planning, coordination and problem‑solving capability.

Ability to manage subcontractors, vendors and commissioning specialists.

Excellent communication and stakeholder‑management skills.

Desirable

• Previous commissioning experience on large‑scale London/UK data centre projects.
• Experience delivering hyperscale or colocation facilities.
• Experience working directly with client commissioning teams and Commissioning Authorities.
• Familiarity with systems such as BMS, EPMS and DCIM.
• Relevant Mechanical Engineering qualification.
• Commissioning management qualifications/certification.
• SMSTS / SSSTS.
• Relevant CSCS card.
• LOTO / Authorised Person experience.

Key Competencies

• Strong technical mechanical knowledge
• Data‑centre commissioning experience
• Leadership and ownership
• Excellent planning and organisation
• Strong problem‑solving ability
• Ability to work under programme pressure
• Attention to detail
• Strong documentation discipline
• Commercial awareness
• Effective subcontractor and vendor management
• Strong communication with client teams
• A proactive approach to identifying and removing constraints

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