Project Lead - Commissioning

Description

Summary: HDR seeks a highly motivated Project Lead Commissioning to lead day-to-day commissioning activities, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and ensure successful project execution for complex data centre and mission-critical projects. Highlights: 1. Lead commissioning activities on data centre and mission-critical projects 2. Manage commissioning engineers and multidisciplinary teams 3. Drive commissioning excellence across all project phases **Project Lead \- Commissioning** \- (194942\) At HDR, our employee\-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world? Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our\-story' Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world. HDR is seeking a highly motivated **Project Lead Commissioning** to support the delivery of commissioning services on complex data centre and mission\-critical projects. In this role, you will be responsible for leading day\-to\-day commissioning activities, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and ensuring successful project execution from design review through integrated systems testing and final handover. Acting as a key client\-facing representative, you will manage project stakeholders, oversee commissioning programmes, and drive commissioning excellence across all project phases. This position is ideal for an experienced commissioning professional looking to take ownership of major projects while developing leadership skills and preparing for future progression into senior management or Project Director roles. **Key Responsibilities:** **Project Leadership** * Lead commissioning activities on one or more data centre or mission\-critical projects. * Serve as the primary commissioning contact for clients, contractors, vendors, and project teams on assigned projects. * Manage commissioning engineers and support multidisciplinary commissioning teams. * Coordinate commissioning activities with construction schedules, project milestones, and operational requirements. * Drive project delivery while maintaining a strong focus on safety, quality, and technical excellence. * Proactively identify project risks, delays, and technical issues and develop mitigation plans. * Escalate significant risks and critical project issues to senior leadership where appropriate. **Commissioning Programme Delivery** * Develop and manage commissioning plans, schedules, procedures, and testing programmes. * Coordinate and oversee Level 2 through Level 5 commissioning activities. * Lead Functional Performance Testing (Level 4\) and support Integrated Systems Testing (Level 5\). * Monitor commissioning progress and ensure timely completion of testing activities. * Ensure all commissioning deliverables meet client requirements and project specifications. * Track open items, deficiencies, risks, and corrective actions through project close\-out. **Technical Leadership** * Review mechanical and mission\-critical system designs from a commissioning and operational perspective. * Support reviews of Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) and Basis of Design (BoD) documentation. * Identify potential operational risks, single points of failure, maintainability concerns, and system integration issues. * Provide technical guidance to project teams, contractors, vendors, and clients. * Review testing procedures, commissioning documentation, and technical reports for accuracy and completeness. * Challenge designs and installation quality where systems are not ready for testing or operations. **Site Commissioning \& Testing** * Lead commissioning activities during construction, start\-up, and testing phases. * Coordinate contractors, vendors, controls specialists, and commissioning resources. * Ensure systems are ready for testing and that all prerequisite activities have been completed. * Support Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs), Site Acceptance Tests (SATs), Functional Testing, and Integrated Systems Testing. * Lead issue resolution and troubleshooting during testing activities. * Ensure testing is completed safely and in accordance with approved procedures and project requirements. **Integrated Systems Testing** * Support the planning and execution of Integrated Systems Testing (IST). * Coordinate testing of normal operation, failure scenarios, recovery modes, and resilience requirements. * Work closely with mechanical, electrical, controls, and operations teams during critical testing events. * Ensure testing outcomes are documented, reviewed, and formally accepted by project stakeholders. * Support final readiness assessments prior to operational handover. **Client \& Stakeholder Management** * Maintain strong working relationships with clients, contractors, consultants, vendors, and operational teams. * Participate in client meetings, commissioning workshops, and progress reviews. * Provide clear and professional communication regarding project progress, risks, and technical issues. * Support the Project Director and senior leadership team in delivering exceptional client service. * Contribute to a collaborative and solutions\-focused project environment. **Required Qualifications** * Minimum **8\+ years of experience** within commissioning, building services, mission\-critical, industrial, or data centre environments. * Minimum **3\+ years of commissioning leadership experience** on complex projects. * Demonstrated experience delivering mechanical commissioning activities from design review through handover. * Experience leading or supporting Level 4 Functional Performance Testing and Level 5 Integrated Systems Testing. * Strong knowledge of data centre mechanical systems, including: + Chillers + Cooling distribution systems + CRAH/CRAC units + Controls and BMS integration + Redundancy and resilience strategies * Experience coordinating contractors, vendors, commissioning engineers, and specialist testing teams. * Strong understanding of commissioning documentation, testing procedures, and project delivery processes. * Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. * Strong problem\-solving capability and ability to make decisions in a fast\-paced project environment. **Preferred Qualifications** * Degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline. * Commissioning certification such as CCP, ACP, CxA, or equivalent. * Experience within hyperscale data centre projects. * Familiarity with Owner's Project Requirements (OPR) and Basis of Design (BoD) reviews. * Experience supporting Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Integrated Systems Testing programmes. * Understanding of operational readiness, facility resilience, and mission\-critical infrastructure requirements. * Previous experience mentoring junior commissioning engineers. **What We Believe** HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve. **Our Commitment** As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day. Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ\+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.. \#LI\-MW4 **Required Qualifications** * Bachelor's degree in related field * 10 years related experience * A minimum of 5 years of project management experience * Familiar with Microsoft Office, estimating and scheduling software, project management software * Must have the ability to interact with various design teams, have excellent organizational, project management and communication (both written and verbal) skills * An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee\-owned culture is a must **What We Believe** HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve. **Our Commitment** As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day. Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ\+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees. **Primary Location****:** PT\-Sines **Other Locations****:** Portugal, PT\-Sines\-Sines **Industry****:** Building Engineering **Schedule****:** Full\-time **Employee Status****:** Regular **BusinessClass****:** Building Commissioning **Job Posting****:** Aug 10, 2026