Mechanical Commissioning Lead - London -
Mechanical Commissioning Lead – Data Centre
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
- 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
Lead the commissioning and verification of mechanical systems including:
- Chilled water systems
- CRAHs / CRACs
- AHUs and ventilation systems
- Pumps and pump skids
- Pressurisation and expansion systems
- Mechanical plant rooms
- Control valves and actuators
- Flow, pressure and temperature instrumentation
- 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.
Coordinate and manage mechanical pre-commissioning activities including:
- 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
- Sensor and instrumentation verification
- TAB / air and water balancing
- Flow verification
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
Work closely with the BMS/Controls team to verify:
- Point-to-point testing
- Sensor calibration
- Valve and actuator operation
- Equipment start/stop commands
- Setpoint control
- Duty/standby rotation
- Automatic changeover
- Trending
- System graphics
- 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.
- Verify cooling-system response during simulated electrical and mechanical failures.
- Loss of utility power
- Generator operation
- Loss of cooling
- Duty/standby changeover
- System recovery following failure
- Ensure all mechanical issues identified during IST are recorded, rectified and successfully retested.
- 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.
Ensure the development, review and completion of:
- Method statements
- Inspection and test plans
- Functional test scripts
- Sequence of Operations verification
- TAB reports
- Flushing records
- Pressure-test certificates
- Water-treatment reports
- Commissioning trackers
- 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
Work closely with:
- Project Director
- Mechanical Construction Manager
- Electrical Commissioning Lead
- Electrical Construction Manager
- CSA Team
- QA/QC Team
- Planning Team
- Specialist subcontractors
- 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
Provide regular reporting covering:
- Systems available for commissioning
- Systems completed
- Tests passed / failed
- Outstanding commissioning activities
- Construction constraints
- BMS/controls constraints
- Resource requirements
- 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.
- 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.
- SMSTS / SSSTS.
- LOTO / Authorised Person experience.
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Strong technical mechanical knowledge
- Leadership and ownership
- Excellent planning and organisation
- Strong problem-solving ability
- Ability to work under programme pressure
- Effective subcontractor and vendor management
- Strong communication with client teams
- A proactive approach to identifying and removing constraints
#J-18808-Ljbffr
