Commissioning Leader - Mission Critical Infrastructure (Chicago)
Engineering the Infrastructure Behind Intelligence At GWx, we believe the infrastructure behind intelligence is just as important as the intelligence itself. We engineer the mission critical environments that power artificial intelligence, hyperscale data centers, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, semiconductors, and other critical infrastructure. Our vision is: Shaping a future where intelligence, infrastructure, and humanity advance together. We are building a different kind of engineering firm defined by accountability, technical excellence, integrity, humility, collaboration, and an ownership mindset. Position Summary GWx is seeking a Commissioning Leader to build and lead our commissioning practice, with a particular focus on mission critical and data center infrastructure. Commissioning plays a fundamental role in the successful delivery of today's increasingly complex facilities. In mission critical environments, commissioning is far more than a final verification exercise. It is an integrated process that helps identify risk, validate system performance, confirm design intent, and demonstrate that interconnected systems perform reliably under both normal and abnormal operating conditions. The successful candidate will understand that mission critical commissioning requires more than verifying individual pieces of equipment. Our approach must validate how complete systems function together and how facilities respond when components, utilities, communications, controls, or other critical systems do not perform as expected. The Commissioning Leader will help GWx challenge designs, identify vulnerabilities, verify sequences of operation, test redundancy and failure scenarios, and demonstrate that facilities can perform under real-world operating conditions. This leader will establish GWx's commissioning strategy, technical standards, delivery processes, and team while serving as a trusted technical advisor to clients. Working closely with owners, designers, contractors, and operators, they will help complex facilities achieve the reliability, resilience, and operational performance required to support critical business operations. Key Responsibilities Commissioning Team Leadership Lead the development of commissioning strategies for mission critical facilities. Build and lead a team to support organizational growth Own standards, hiring, delivery methods, quality, pricing input, and final technical decisions. Recruit, mentor, and develop professionals Establish clear roles, responsibilities, goals, and performance expectations Directly supervise commissioning engineers, designers, specialists, and project technical leads as the practice grows Manage workload, staffing requirements, and resource allocation Develop career paths and technical development opportunities for team members Lead by example by demonstrate accountability, professionalism, safety, and technical excellence Project Leadership & Delivery Lead the successful execution of commissioning projects from concept through operational readiness, ensuring alignment among all project stakeholders throughout the facility lifecycle. Regular travel to client and project sites may be required, depending on project workload and geographic location. Lead commissioning activities for hyperscale, colocation, AI, and other high-performance facilities Develop commissioning plans, specifications, procedures, schedules, and project-specific execution strategies Lead commissioning involvement from design and preconstruction through construction, startup, testing, turnover, and operational readiness Coordinate with owners, engineers, contractors, equipment manufacturers, controls integrators, and operations teams Champion site safety and operational discipline by supporting safe execution of commissioning activities, including review of method-of-procedure documentation, sequence planning, energized systems coordination, lockout/tagout awareness, risk mitigation, and clear communication with owners, contractors, vendors, and operations teams Quality Assurance & Risk Management Apply deep technical expertise to identify risks, challenge assumptions, and improve the reliability, maintainability, and resilience of mission critical systems. Perform and oversee design reviews focused on reliability, maintainability, redundancy, controls, and commissioning readiness Review startup plans, testing procedures, controls sequences, equipment documentation, and system integration Identify deficiencies, manage issue resolution, and verify corrective actions Systems Testing & Validation Verify that systems and infrastructure perform as intended through rigorous testing of both normal operations and real-world failure scenarios. Lead mechanical, electrical, controls, life-safety, and integrated systems commissioning Oversee Functional Performance Testing (FPT) and Integrated Systems Testing (IST) and have familiarity with ASHRAE, Uptime Institute, LEED commissioning, NFPA testing, NETA, or owner-specific commissioning programs if relevant Evaluate system operation during normal, failure, emergency, maintenance, and recovery conditions Verify facility performance under real-world operating scenarios, including redundancy, failover, and recovery events Turnover & Operational Readiness Prepare facilities for long-term operation by supporting knowledge transfer, comprehensive documentation, and operational readiness activities. Support project turnover, training, documentation, and operational readiness Equip operating teams with the information, training, and documentation necessary to successfully operate and maintain commissioned systems Client Leadership & Practice Growth Serve as a trusted advisor while helping grow GWx's commissioning practice. Serve as a trusted technical advisor to clients and support project pursuits, proposals, and business development Support client development efforts, interviews, presentations, and strategic initiatives Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Architectural Engineering, or a related technical discipline; significant relevant industry experience may also be considered 10 years of commissioning, engineering, construction, or mission critical experience, with flexibility for exceptional candidates Significant experience commissioning data centers, mission critical facilities, or other high-availability infrastructure Expected experience with commissioning management platforms, issue logs, BIM/VDC coordination, controls platforms, analytics, or digital turnover tool Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical infrastructure, including power distribution, emergency power, cooling systems, controls, and system integration Experience developing and executing functional performance testing and Integrated Systems Testing Strong understanding of redundancy, reliability, failure modes, controls sequences, and system recovery Experience reviewing design documents, submittals, startup procedures, commissioning documentation, and testing procedures Ability to lead complex commissioning activities involving owners, engineers, contractors, vendors, and operations personnel Strong technical writing, communication, leadership, and client-facing skills Ability to mentor technical professionals and build a high-performing commissioning team Ability and willingness to travel to client and project sites as required Preferred Qualifications Professional Engineer (PE) license or ability to obtain CxA, CCP, CxABE, BCxP, or similar commissioning certifications are valued but not required where an individual's experience demonstrates the technical leadership necessary for the position Why GWx Most engineering firms ask you to join a company. We're inviting you to help us build one. GWx was founded on the belief that the firms engineering tomorrow's most important infrastructure should operate differently. We combine technical excellence with agility, accountability, innovation, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to people. We believe leadership is measured by service, not titles, and that exceptional professionals build exceptional companies. At GWx, you won't simply contribute to projects, you'll help shape a company, a culture, and an industry redefining how critical infrastructure is engineered, delivered, and commissioned. Professional Growth Continuing education Professional licensure and certification support Leadership development Mentorship Career progression opportunities Compensation & Benefits Base Salary Range: $170,000 - $250,000 annually Annual incentive opportunities Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, and Disability Insurance 401(k) Paid Time Off and Holidays Flexible work arrangements The anticipated base salary range for this
