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Commissioning Project Lead, Data Center Delivery

OpenAI· Scaling
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San Francisco, Seattle$226k - $285kFull-timePosted 2mo ago

About the role

Lead the commissioning strategy and execution for a large-scale, self-build data center project, guiding the program from early construction planning through startup, testing, and turnover while coordinating OpenAI and commissioning-partner teams.

Responsibilities

  • Own the project commissioning strategy and execution plan, including scope, governance, acceptance criteria, responsibilities, sequencing, and escalation paths.
  • Lead the hybrid OpenAI and commissioning-partner delivery model, establishing clear RACI ownership, staffing requirements, performance expectations, and issue-management processes.
  • Integrate commissioning into the master project schedule, including construction readiness, energization, equipment startup, functional testing, integrated systems testing, and turnover milestones.
  • Lead commissioning coordination across construction management, contractors, design teams, equipment vendors, operations stakeholders, and field/test engineering teams.
  • Drive multidisciplinary commissioning readiness across electrical, mechanical, controls, and supporting infrastructure, identifying dependencies and resolving blockers before they affect testing.
  • Own visibility into commissioning risks, including schedule constraints, readiness gaps, design and submittal issues, safety constraints, resource bottlenecks, deficiencies, and documentation quality.
  • Coordinate QA/QC inspections and test execution with discipline commissioning leads, contractors, equipment vendors, and commissioning partners.
  • Review commissioning plans, test procedures, readiness checklists, deficiency logs, test reports, turnover packages, and other commissioning deliverables against established acceptance criteria.
  • Provide clear project and executive reporting on commissioning readiness, staffing, test progress, open risks, issue aging, and turnover status.
  • Drive final system acceptance, turnover readiness, closeout, and lessons learned to support a reliable transition from construction into operations.

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of experience in commissioning, construction, engineering, technical program management, or project delivery for mission-critical facilities or similarly complex technical infrastructure.
  • Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary commissioning programs through construction readiness, startup, functional performance testing, integrated systems testing, and turnover.
  • Strong working knowledge of electrical and mechanical commissioning workflows, with the ability to coordinate dependencies across power, cooling, controls, and supporting systems.
  • Experience integrating commissioning activities into construction schedules, lookaheads, energization plans, equipment startup sequences, and turnover milestones.
  • Strong owner, contractor, equipment vendor, and commissioning-agent management skills, including the ability to drive accountability across organizations without direct authority.
  • Experience managing commissioning documentation, test procedures, deficiency resolution, issue tracking, acceptance criteria, and quality governance.
  • Ability to identify commissioning and operational-readiness risks early and translate technical issues into actionable schedule and project decisions.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience communicating technical readiness, risk, and recovery plans to senior project leadership.
  • Owner-side commissioning experience and experience establishing or scaling hybrid owner/vendor commissioning delivery models are strongly preferred.
  • Professional credentials such as a PE license, QCxP, CxA, BCxP, CCP, PMP, or other relevant commissioning, engineering, construction, or project management certification are preferred.

Skills

Required:Commissioning strategy and executionHybrid owner/vendor delivery modelProject scheduling and integrationStakeholder management

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
  • Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
  • 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
  • Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
  • Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
  • 13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time
  • Mental health and wellness support
  • Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
  • Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth
  • Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
  • Relocation support for eligible employees
  • Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.
Last updated Sep 17, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About OpenAI

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