Principal Operations Engineer – Controls, Data Center Operations

FluidStack

Principal Operations Engineer, Controls overseeing building automation in AI data centers. Leading operational readiness and controls systems across the fleet.

Posted 5/29/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $200,000 - $250,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Cyber Security

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Serve as the principal operational technical authority for BMS, EPMS, PLC, and equipment-level control systems across the fleet.
Own all material BMS changes and enhancements across the fleet as part of a coordinated global controls posture; ensure standardization where it matters and discipline around change control everywhere it matters.
Lead technical and operational site audits across active and pre-activation sites focused on sequences of operation, alarming, trending, integration health, and cybersecurity hygiene; produce operational health assessments with prioritized findings and own the remediation roadmap through closure.
Own controls operational readiness for new sites coming online — assess team capability, validate sequences, and personally sign off on operational handover from commissioning to steady-state operations.
Review operational designs for controls scope on new builds and retrofits — including sequences of operation, points lists, and network architecture — and represent the operational point of view in design forums.
Feed structured operational learnings back into the design and manufacturing organization as we shift toward repeatable, productized data center builds; reinforce patterns that work and drive out patterns that have not held up in operations.
Diagnose and direct repair of complex control system malfunctions across multiple platforms and protocols; lead PID tuning and trend analysis on systems that are not performing.
Author and approve high-risk MOPs, EOPs, and AOPs for controls work; serve as the final technical approver for high-consequence controls changes across the fleet.
Lead root cause analysis for significant controls-driven events; drive corrective actions through to closure and ensure learnings propagate across all sites.
Partner with QA/QC during construction to provide an operational perspective on integrator programming, point-to-point verification, and controls installation quality.
Build and deliver technical training to Field Engineers and operational teams; own the technical curriculum for controls content in the campus rotation and training model.
Mentor Field Engineers and rising operational leaders; act as the senior technical voice in operational reviews, incident reviews, and design reviews.

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years of hands-on experience in building automation, industrial controls, or instrumentation, with at least 5 years as the senior technical voice on a site, campus, or fleet.
Data center operations experience strongly preferred; central plant, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, or other complex industrial controls experience considered.
Deep, platform-agnostic command of modern BMS/BAS environments (for example, Ignition, Niagara, Metasys, or EcoStruxure) and the ability to operate, troubleshoot, and standardize across them — earned in the field, not from a textbook.
Fluency across the major control system communication protocols (BACnet, Modbus, SNMP, and equivalents).
PLC programming experience on at least one major platform (for example, Allen-Bradley or Siemens).
Strong working knowledge of the mechanical, electrical, and fire and life safety systems that controls coordinate.
Demonstrated ability to author, approve, and execute high-risk controls MOPs and change records in live critical environments.
A track record of leading root cause analysis on significant controls-driven events and driving corrective actions to closure.
A track record of holding integrators, OEMs, and service vendors accountable — you know how to enforce a programming and documentation standard without burning the relationship.
Strong written communication: operational health assessments, sequences, RCAs, procedure reviews, and design review feedback are second nature.
Comfort operating as the senior technical voice across operations, design, construction, hardware, and EHS.
Willingness to travel extensively across the fleet.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Competitive total compensation package (salary + equity).
Retirement or pension plan, in line with local norms.
Health, dental, and vision insurance.
Generous PTO policy, in line with local norms.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

building automationindustrial controlsinstrumentationBMSBASPLC programmingroot cause analysishigh-risk MOPstroubleshootingPID tuning

Soft Skills

leadershipmentoringcommunicationcollaborationproblem-solvingaccountabilitytechnical trainingoperational readinesschange controldesign review