Critical Facilities Engineer

Piper Companies is seeking a Critical Facilities Engineer IV to support mission-critical Data Center Operations at a state-of-the-art enterprise data center in Ashburn, VA. The Critical Facilities Engineer IV will serve as a technical lead responsible for the operation, maintenance, capacity planning, and continuous improvement of electrical, mechanical, and fire/life safety systems supporting highly available data center infrastructure. This position is onsite in Ashburn, VA.

Responsibilities of the Critical Facilities Engineer IV:

• Serve as the technical lead supporting the day-to-day operations of mission-critical data center infrastructure
• Act as the primary escalation point for critical facilities issues, coordinating with Data Center Operations leadership as needed
• Monitor, maintain, and optimize electrical, mechanical, HVAC, and fire/life safety systems to ensure maximum uptime and reliability
• Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Method of Procedures (MOPs), and Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs)
• Lead preventative maintenance initiatives and oversee vendor maintenance activities
• Identify Single Points of Failure (SPoF) and End-of-Life (EOL) equipment while driving remediation and infrastructure improvement projects
• Perform root cause analysis following system failures and present findings to senior leadership
• Manage capacity planning and multi-year critical facilities projects supporting future data center growth
• Review engineering drawings, equipment installations, and infrastructure modifications to ensure compliance with industry standards
• Support commissioning, testing, and operational readiness of new electrical and mechanical infrastructure
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to operations personnel and contractors
• Collaborate with Engineering, Facilities, Construction, and Operations teams to support continuous improvement initiatives

Qualifications for the Critical Facilities Engineer IV:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent experience will be considered
• 7+ years of experience supporting mission-critical data center operations or critical facilities environments
• Strong knowledge of chilled water systems, chillers, HVAC equipment, CRAC/CRAH units, rooftop units, humidification systems, and associated mechanical infrastructure
• Experience supporting electrical power infrastructure including switchgear, generators, ATS, UPS, STS, PDUs, RPPs, batteries, and power distribution systems
• Experience supporting fire alarm systems, wet and pre-action sprinkler systems, clean agent fire suppression systems, and life safety equipment
• Experience operating large-scale enterprise or colocation data center environments
• Strong understanding of data center resiliency, Tier standards, redundancy, and high availability best practices
• Experience with Building Management Systems (BMS) and Electrical Power Monitoring Systems (EPMS)
• Experience reviewing engineering drawings, commissioning documentation, and construction deliverables
• Excellent troubleshooting, analytical, technical writing, and communication skills
• Ability to work independently while leading technical initiatives across cross-functional teams

Preferred Qualifications:

• Industry certifications such as NFPA, ATS, ATO, AOS, DCDC, CDCP, CDCS, or similar
• Experience with capacity planning and infrastructure lifecycle management
• Existing relationships with critical facilities vendors and service providers
• Experience supporting enterprise-scale or hyperscale data center environments
• Knowledge of Uptime Institute Tier Standards and data center design best practices

Compensation for the Critical Facilities Engineer IV:

• Salary: $130,000 - $147,000
• Annual Performance Bonus Eligibility
• Potential Equity/Stock Award Eligibility
• Comprehensive Benefits Package including Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), PTO, and Paid Holidays

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