Data Centre Recruitment: Which Engineering Roles Do You Need?

Data centre recruitment typically requires electrical, mechanical, civil, and structural engineers, plus specialists in design coordination, construction, controls, quality, and commissioning. The team you need depends on the facility, its technical systems and the stage of delivery.

A new build requires expertise from site development through to operational handover. Expanding a live facility adds considerations, including maintaining services, coordinating access, and integrating new equipment with existing infrastructure.

For employers, start by defining what each person must deliver and when you need their expertise. This guide explains the main engineering jobs, how responsibilities differ and what to include in your hiring brief.

Planning data centre recruitment around your project

Before advertising individual vacancies, map responsibilities across your organisation, consultants, contractors and equipment suppliers. This establishes which appointments you need to make directly and which responsibilities sit within an existing partner’s scope.

An engineering recruitment agency can then translate those requirements into hiring briefs, distinguishing between technical disciplines, responsibility levels, and relevant project experience.

The following provides a starting point. Project stages overlap, and some specialists will contribute across several phases.

Establish whether each appointment covers a new build, fit-out, refurbishment or expansion. Candidates also need to understand any live-site constraints and how their responsibilities connect with the wider delivery team.

Engineering jobs for design and construction

Electrical engineers

Electrical engineers support the systems that supply, protect and distribute power throughout a data centre. Their responsibilities may involve transformers, switchgear, generators, uninterruptible power supplies and associated distribution equipment.

However, designing an electrical system, supervising its installation and maintaining it in operation require different experience. A previous data centre job title does not indicate whether a candidate can take responsibility for your specific scope.

Your hiring brief should identify:

• The equipment and voltage levels involved.
• Whether the role covers design, installation, commissioning or maintenance.
• Responsibility for contractors and equipment suppliers.
• Any required electrical authorisations or formal appointments.

During assessment, ask candidates to explain a technical decision they personally owned. For example, how did they resolve an equipment interface issue or respond to a proposed installation change? Their answer should establish their contribution and level of authority.

Mechanical and cooling engineers

Mechanical engineers support the cooling infrastructure that maintains suitable operating conditions for IT equipment. Depending on the facility, their work may involve chillers, air-handling equipment, pumps, pipework and liquid-cooling systems.

Define the actual cooling arrangement before setting experience requirements. A candidate with extensive chilled water experience may still need equipment-specific knowledge or support when working with a different liquid-cooling configuration.

ASHRAE’s data centre resources cover topics including cooling, thermal conditions and energy efficiency, providing technical context for discussions with your engineering leads.

Ask candidates which systems they have designed, installed, commissioned or maintained. Explore how they worked with electrical and controls teams, particularly where equipment interfaces affected performance or delivery.

Civil and structural engineers

Civil and structural engineers support the facility's physical development. Civil engineering responsibilities may include earthworks, drainage, access and external infrastructure. Structural engineers address foundations, building frames and structures supporting equipment.

These appointments are particularly relevant during site development and design, although technical input may continue throughout construction.

Explain the scale of the works, site constraints and required coordination with other disciplines. For an expansion, identify how new structures and services connect with the existing facility.

Also distinguish between producing designs, reviewing submissions and providing site support. Each requires a different balance of technical knowledge and delivery experience.

BIM specialists and design managers

Building information modelling, or BIM, supports coordination across complex building services. BIM specialists develop and coordinate models, while design managers oversee design interfaces, deliverables and approvals.

Software experience alone is insufficient. Familiarity with Revit or Navisworks should sit alongside evidence of resolving clashes, managing revisions and helping teams agree workable installation arrangements.

Define what the individual will own. Producing a discipline model, coordinating contractor submissions and managing the overall design process carry different responsibilities.

Ask candidates how they identified a coordination problem, involved the relevant stakeholders and recorded the agreed resolution.

Project managers, construction managers and MEP leads

Project managers oversee agreed delivery objectives, construction managers coordinate site activity, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing leads manage building services within their defined scope.

The appropriate structure depends on project size and procurement arrangements. A development may need separate electrical and mechanical package managers, a broader MEP lead, or both.

Assess experience against the work the person will control, including:

• Coordinating subcontractors and equipment suppliers.
• Managing installation sequences and dependencies.
• Monitoring progress against the programme.
• Resolving technical and commercial issues.
• Reporting risks and securing timely decisions.

Make reporting lines and decision-making authority explicit. Similar titles can represent substantially different levels of accountability.

QA/QC engineers and managers

Quality assurance and quality control specialists help establish and verify that work meets project requirements. Their scope may include inspection and test plans, installation inspections, non-conformance reporting and quality records.

Clarify whether the appointment covers electrical, mechanical, civil or multidisciplinary work. Distinguish responsibility for developing quality processes from responsibility for carrying out inspections.

Plan this support alongside installation. Documentation gaps are harder to resolve when work has progressed, equipment has been enclosed, or access arrangements have changed.

Candidates should be able to explain how they identified a defect, recorded it and worked with the delivery team to confirm an acceptable resolution.

For current opportunities across these disciplines, explore McGregor Boyall’s latest jobs.

Engineering jobs for commissioning and handover

Commissioning managers and engineers

Commissioning teams verify that installed systems perform against agreed requirements. Their work combines technical assessment with planning, documentation and coordination across contractors, suppliers and the incoming operations team.

Commissioning managers oversee the process. Electrical, mechanical, and controls commissioning engineers provide discipline-specific expertise, including reviewing procedures, witnessing or conducting tests, recording results, and following up on defects.

For integrated systems testing, establish whether candidates have planned, led, witnessed or supported the work. These represent different levels of responsibility.

Projects pursuing Uptime Institute Tier Certification of Constructed Facility also need to plan for live system demonstrations that validate performance against the facility’s Tier objective. Certification and commissioning have separate requirements, so define who will coordinate each activity.

Bring commissioning expertise into planning early enough to inform testing requirements, documentation, equipment access and handover arrangements.

Controls engineers

Controls engineers support the systems used to monitor and control facility equipment. Their remit may include building management systems, electrical power monitoring, alarms and interfaces between supplier packages.

Specify whether the role involves design, configuration, installation support, commissioning or ongoing maintenance. Experience with a particular platform does not automatically demonstrate the ability to integrate it with other systems.

Ask candidates how they have checked operating sequences, investigated alarms or resolved communication failures between equipment packages. These examples reveal how they approach problems that cross discipline boundaries.

Data centre jobs for ongoing operations

Operational recruitment should allow the incoming team time to understand the facility before assuming responsibility. Involvement during commissioning and handover can help engineers review documentation, learn system arrangements and establish relationships with suppliers.

Facilities engineers

Facilities engineers maintain the electrical and mechanical infrastructure supporting data centre operations. Depending on the appointment, they may carry out planned maintenance, investigate faults, coordinate contractors or support incident response.

Some data centre jobs use the title “engineer” for IT hardware responsibilities instead. State whether your vacancy covers power and cooling infrastructure, servers and networking equipment, or a defined combination.

Include the maintenance scope, shift pattern, on-call arrangements and any required authorisations. Explain which tasks the engineer will perform directly and which require specialist contractor support.

Data centre technicians

Technician responsibilities also vary. Some positions focus on server installation, cabling and hardware support. Others involve facilities inspections, maintenance activities and fault investigation.

Identify the equipment involved, the tasks technicians can complete independently and the circumstances requiring escalation.

This distinction helps employers assess candidates consistently and gives applicants a clearer understanding of the technical experience required.

Data centre managers

Data centre managers may oversee critical infrastructure, IT operations or overall site performance. The hiring brief should make that remit clear.

Responsibilities can include team leadership, maintenance planning, budgets, contractor performance and incident escalation. Explain the facility’s scale, reporting structure and operational coverage.

Assess leadership through specific examples. How has the candidate prioritised competing maintenance requirements, coordinated an operational incident or managed work involving several external providers?

Their answers should demonstrate judgement as well as technical understanding.

Should you recruit permanent employees or contractors?

The right approach depends on how long the requirement will last, the work involved and where you need technical knowledge to remain.

Contract recruitment can support defined installation packages, commissioning programmes, and temporary workload increases. Each assignment needs a clear scope, reporting structure, expected duration and handover requirements.

Permanent recruitment can provide continuity across delivery stages and into operations. It may suit responsibilities involving ongoing maintenance, engineering leadership, or developing internal capability.

A combined approach can also work. For example, a permanent engineering manager may retain responsibility for technical decisions while contract specialists support particular project milestones.

Your data centre recruitment plan should account for the transition between those teams. Agree who will retain system knowledge, approve outstanding work and accept documentation before assignments end.

What should a data centre hiring brief include?

Effective hiring starts with a clear account of the work. Before publishing a vacancy, establish:

• Project context: Facility type, location, delivery stage and live-site constraints.
• Technical scope: Systems, equipment and interfaces within the position.
• Responsibilities: What the individual will design, supervise, test or maintain.
• Experience: Essential technical knowledge, qualifications and relevant project exposure.
• Authority: Reporting lines, approval responsibilities and contractor relationships.
• Working arrangements: Salary or rate, site attendance, shifts, start date and assignment duration.

Separate essential requirements from knowledge that can be developed. Candidates from other critical environments may offer transferable experience, but assess that experience against the systems and responsibilities involved.

Give your engineering recruitment agency access to the technical hiring manager when you need clarification. Resolving an unclear equipment scope or responsibility before a search begins helps keep candidate assessment focused.

In interviews, move beyond a general description of previous projects. Establish what the candidate personally delivered, which decisions they owned and how they resolved a relevant problem.

How can a data centre recruitment agency support your project?

A data centre recruitment agency can help turn a delivery programme into individual hiring requirements, identify relevant candidates and coordinate searches around expected start dates.

The value depends on how well the agency understands the work. Ask how it distinguishes between design, construction, commissioning and operational experience, and how it establishes a candidate’s responsibilities on previous projects.

Discuss availability, notice periods and location requirements early. Where several appointments depend on the same milestone, agree recruitment priorities and a realistic interview process.

An engineering recruitment agency should also challenge an unclear brief. If one vacancy combines responsibilities usually held across several positions, resolve the scope before assessing candidates.

Discuss your data centre recruitment requirements

McGregor Boyall supports permanent, contract and leadership appointments across mission-critical facilities and data centre projects. Our experience covers engineering, construction, QA/QC, commissioning and operations. 

Our engineering recruitment team works with employers to establish the technical capabilities, project experience and responsibilities each appointment requires.

Whether you need an individual specialist or a wider project team, contact our consultants to discuss your requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Which data centre jobs are needed for a new project?

A new data centre project typically requires electrical, mechanical, civil and structural engineers, alongside BIM specialists, design managers and construction leads. Commissioning specialists verify system performance, while facilities engineers, technicians and managers prepare for operation. Exact requirements depend on the project’s scope and delivery arrangements.

When should you start recruiting for a data centre project?

Plan recruitment around design, construction, commissioning and operational milestones. Technical leads need time to inform delivery decisions, commissioning specialists should contribute before installation finishes, and operational teams need an opportunity to understand the facility before handover. Allow for notice periods and your assessment process.

What experience should data centre engineers have?

Required experience depends on the systems and responsibilities involved. Define whether the position covers design, installation, commissioning or maintenance, then assess candidates against that scope. Relevant equipment knowledge, personal responsibility on comparable projects and experience coordinating with other disciplines provide a stronger basis for assessment than job titles alone.

Can engineers from other sectors work on data centre projects?

Engineers from other critical environments may have transferable experience in power, cooling, controls or maintenance. Employers should assess that experience against the specific appointment, including equipment knowledge, operational constraints and required authorisations. Identify any additional training or supervision needed before deciding whether a candidate is suitable.

Should you use permanent staff or contractors?

Permanent staff can provide continuity, retain facility knowledge and support ongoing operations. Contractors can provide specialist expertise for defined packages or project stages. Many projects use both, with clear responsibilities and knowledge transfer arrangements between temporary specialists and the permanent team.

How can a data centre recruitment agency help employers?

A data centre recruitment agency can help define vacancies, identify candidates with relevant technical experience and coordinate appointments around delivery milestones. It should distinguish between similar job titles and assess whether candidates’ previous responsibilities match the equipment, project stage and level of authority involved.