Design Engineer

THE ROLE - Lead Design Engineer - Building Automation Systems (BAS)This is the person who designs and controls the brain of the data centre. Every connected system — network infrastructure, heating and cooling, fire suppression, pressure sensors, ambient air management — interfaces through the Building Automation System and must be precisely controlled to maintain conditions at 72°F. If it blinks, it goes through this system.The Lead Design Engineer owns the full controls and sensor package: selecting hardware platforms, designing system architecture, managing the visual layer, and overseeing factory acceptance testing through to commissioning. This is a revenue-generating position within the sales engineering function, directly contributing to customer acquisition and project delivery.KEY PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVESBased on Emmerick’s performance-based hiring methodology, these are the measurable outcomes a top performer will deliver in the first 6–12 months:Within the first 90 days, take full ownership of BAS design standards and establish the Rockwell PLC / Ignition architecture as the standard platform across all active data centre projectsLead the design and integration of controls systems across mechanical, electrical, fire, and environmental subsystems — ensuring all sensor packages maintain 72°F ambient conditions with zero unplanned deviationsBuild and manage a high-performing team of three (Graphics Engineer, Design Engineer, FAT Engineer) — establishing clear workflows from design through factory acceptance to site commissioningSupport sales engineering efforts: respond to RFIs, interact directly with customers, and contribute to winning new project work through technical credibility and design excellenceOwn blueprint review and design approval processes, ensuring zero critical defects reach FAT stage and maintaining first-pass acceptance rates above 95%Establish and maintain relationships with the client’s project management and operations teams, providing technical authority on all BAS-related decisionsTECHNICAL REQUIREMENTSMust-Have:Rockwell Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) platform — this is the primary controls system; non-negotiableIgnition SCADA software (visual/supervisory layer) — deep working knowledge requiredElectrical and mechanical design capability across BAS subsystems (HVAC, fire, environmental monitoring, network cooling)Blueprint reading and design ownership — responsible for producing and approving designs, not just reviewingFactory Acceptance Testing (FAT) process oversight and quality assuranceData centre sector experience — understanding of the specific environmental control demands of mission-critical facilitiesPreferred:Familiarity with Honeywell and Siemens PLC platforms (competitor systems; useful for migration and integration knowledge)Sales engineering exposure — comfortable in customer-facing environments, contributing to RFI responses and technical presentationsExperience managing multi-discipline design teams in a fast-paced project delivery environmentEXPERIENCE AND SENIORITYMinimum 6 years performing at Lead/Senior Design Engineer level in BAS or controls engineeringProven managerial capability — must have led a team of engineers, not just individual contributorsEntry path: mechanical or electrical engineering background with progression into controls/BAS specialisationOpen to slightly younger candidates where project scale, complexity, and autonomy compensate for years of experienceWHAT A TOP PERFORMER LOOKS LIKE For this role, that means:Assigned to increasingly complex data centre projects because previous employers or clients trusted them to deliverHistory of being pulled into customer-facing situations (RFIs, design reviews, sales support) because of their technical credibilityPromoted or given expanded scope ahead of peers — especially when this happened across different companies or under different managersCan point to specific design outcomes: systems commissioned on schedule, FAT pass rates improved, integration problems solved before they reached siteGets called back by the same clients or firms on subsequent projects