Data Center Controls Engineering Leader

Trane Technologies seeks a dynamic Controls Engineering Leader to build and lead a specialized controls engineering team responsible for designing, delivering, and supporting integrated thermal management and electrical monitoring systems for data center customers. This role is pivotal in establishing a scalable controls engineering capability that supports project development, execution, and customer success across Trane’s data center business.

The Controls Engineering Leader will play a key role in building team structure, developing engineering capability, supporting sales in solution development, and guiding execution from project development through commissioning and turnover. This position combines people leadership, engineering oversight, sales support, and operational discipline to help deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes for customers.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Capability Building

• Build, develop, and lead a specialized controls engineering team to support data center contracting opportunities and project execution.
• Establish team structure, roles, processes, and performance expectations to create a high-performing engineering organization.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop Controls Engineers, supporting both technical growth and leadership capability.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, safety, and continuous improvement.

Sales Support and Opportunity Development

• Partner closely with sales teams to support the development of controls opportunities and customer solutions.
• Assist with project scoping, technical approach development, and alignment of proposed solutions to customer requirements.
• Participate in customer discussions and solution development meetings as a technical and operational leader.
• Support pre-sale activities including estimating input, risk identification, and execution planning.
• Help ensure proposed solutions are executable, competitive, and aligned with delivery capabilities.

Project Execution Leadership

• Lead the engineering execution approach for controls projects, ensuring coordination across engineering, field teams, service, and project stakeholders.
• Support delivery of integrated thermal management and electrical monitoring solutions within the broader data center infrastructure.
• Provide leadership across major project milestones, including design, submittals, testing, commissioning, turnover, and service transition.
• Help resolve project issues, technical challenges, and execution risks during delivery.
• Ensure strong collaboration between the controls engineering team, field technicians, service teams, and customer stakeholders.

Engineering Oversight

• Provide leadership and direction to the controls engineering function while enabling the team to perform detailed technical work.
• Oversee development of control drawings, logic diagrams, sequences of operation, and submittal packages.
• Guide execution of PLC programming, SCADA configuration, controls integration, and system testing through the engineering team.
• Ensure Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), and commissioning support are effectively planned and executed.
• Maintain oversight of system integration, controls application, and data delivery to enterprise systems and Network Operations Centers (NOCs).

Quality and Standardization

• Establish and maintain standardized controls architectures, engineering templates, documentation practices, and workflows.
• Implement repeatable processes for design, testing, validation, and project turnover.
• Promote engineering quality, consistency, and constructability across projects.
• Support alignment with customer cybersecurity and data-handling requirements.
• Ensure seamless transition of commissioned systems into the service phase for long-term reliability and customer satisfaction.

Organizational Structure

• Reports to: Services Business Leader
• Direct Reports: Controls Engineers I & II
• Collaborates with: Sales, project managers, regional offices, local service teams, field technicians, and customer project stakeholders

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electrical, Mechanical, or related discipline required; advanced degree preferred).
• 8–12 years of experience in controls engineering, automation, contracting, or related project delivery environments.
• Proven experience building, leading, and developing technical teams in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment.
• Strong understanding of controls systems, system integration, and project execution practices.
• Experience supporting sales and helping develop complex project opportunities into executable solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead across engineering, field operations, and customer stakeholders.
• Strong project execution mindset, with the ability to balance technical quality, customer needs, and business objectives.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and relationship management skills.
• Data center or other mission-critical infrastructure experience preferred.
• Familiarity with major automation platforms such as Siemens, Tridium, Rockwell, or similar preferred.

Preferred Competencies

• Team building and leadership
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Sales partnership and solution development
• Project execution and operational discipline
• Controls engineering oversight
• Standardization and process improvement
• Customer relationship management